Utica’s boys cross country team got the mid-season boost it wanted. Harper Wesley finished first and Luke Morehouse third to lead the Chieftains to the championship of the Macomb Area Conference Red Division meet at Dakota on Wednesday. Utica runners also finished fifth, ninth and 23rd as the Chieftains scored 41 points to turn the tables on Dakota, which won the division jamboree over runner-up UHS on Sept.
4 and will be one of the teams Utica expects to have to challenge for honors at Macomb County and regional meets in October. “Having my teammate beside enabled me to push harder, and knowing he beat me at the jamboree – I just had to get him back at this one,” a smiling Wesley said. “It was pretty hot, I’m not gonna lie, but you’ve got to push through sometimes.
” Utica also finished behind Dakota at the Jackson Invitational last Saturday. “We really wanted this, to show that we can beat Dakota,” Wesley said. “We’ve been thinking about Dakota, because they’re a really great team, but we got them.
Our entire team has been moving up.” Dakota had 54 points. Romeo with 60, Eisenhower 116, St.
Clair 152, Anchor Bay 157, Grosse Pointe North 159 and Fraser 187 completed the scoring. “Every one of our kids on the varsity had a PR,” Utica coach Megan Berry said. “Every kid had a job today, and they really executed.
We want to see progress in September ...
so we’re building confidence toward what we’re doing in October.” Romeo won the girls me.