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MCP/OCP Sports Coverage is presented by: Baker Ford Ludington, Fresh Coast Foam, Mission Graphics, Quick-Way, Inc., Smith & Eddy Insurance and Michelle and Andrew Thomas.
MANTON — The Mason County Central boys track and field team turned in a strong performance Saturday at the Division 3 regional hosted by Manton, finishing seventh in a competitive 15-team field with 48 points.
Manton captured the regional title with 103 points, followed closely by Reed City with 102 and Hart with 96.
The Spartans qualified two athletes for the Michigan High School Athletic Assocation Division 3 State Finals scheduled for May 30 in Kent City.
Jackson Poll advanced in both hurdle events, winning the 110-meter hurdles in 14.83 seconds and taking first in the 300-meter hurdles with a time of 40.9 seconds. Eli Smith also earned a state finals berth in the long jump, placing third with a leap of 20 feet, 9.5 inches.
Additional top performances for MCC included Kolby Kessel, who placed third in the pole vault at 12-6, and Desmond Thomas, who finished sixth in the discus with a throw of 130-10.
The Spartans’ 400-meter relay team of Poll, Smith, Jayden Reams and Caleb Bennetts placed third in 1:34.49.
Central’s 1,600-meter relay team of Poll, Smith, Reams and Noah Holden finished fourth in 3:42.01, while the 3,200-meter relay team of Ethen Gancarz, Holden, Tyler Englebrecht and Ethan McVicker placed seventh in 9:32.66.
“We performed very well in probably one of the toughest Division 3 regionals in the state,” Spartans coach Patrick Nelson said. “In nearly every event we performed better than what we were ranked going into the regional, so when you do that, you can’t be disappointed.”
Nelson also credited his assistant coaches for the team’s success.
“My assistant coaches Gabe Wise, Tyler Koops, Jake Hernandez, Jim Sanford and Katie Englebrecht have done a great job all year getting the athletes to peak at the right time,” he said.
MCP/OCP Sports Coverage is presented by: Baker Ford Ludington, 3045 W. US 10-31, Ludington, 888-856-9116, bakerfordludington.com Fresh Coast Foam, 7440 W. 5 Mile Rd., Irons; 231-510-9513, www.freshcoastfoam.com Mission Graphics, 113 S. Blaine St., Scottville, 231-845-7030, mymission.graphics Quick-Way, Inc., 1004 Conrad Industrial Dr., Ludington, 231-845-6520, qkwa.net Smith & Eddy Insurance, serving west Michigan since 1902, 231-757-4743, smith-eddy.com Michelle and Andrew Thomas ___________________________________ Please consider making a one-time contribution to help support MCP. Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news. To sign up, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources. For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address. We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address). Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation. We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support. _____ This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.Thank you to the following businesses who make reporting of local sports, like this story, possible:
