Standout Junior Ran Fastest Time At Michigan State Meet Since Dathan Ritzenhein In 2000 By Targeting The Mark He Needed To Beat

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Riley Hough has been making the best out of his circumstances ever since the world of high school sports changed in March. 

He followed the rules, worked hard, used his long runs as a "brain break" and maintained focus on the next opportunity. 

The junior at Hartland High in Michigan got a mostly normal regular season and used the races to keep getting bettter. Last Saturday at the Michigan Speedway, home of the MHSAA Lower Peninsula State Cross Country Championships, Hough figured out how to make the best of a difficult situation. 

The Division 1 final was split into two races, half an hour apart, in order to limit the field sizes and number of bodies mingling in at the venue. 

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Hough's primary competition, Hobbs Kessler, a Northern Arizona recruit from Ann Arbor Skyline, went to the starting line at 9:30 a.m. Hough's race was at 10 a.m. 

"When I first heard we probably weren't going to be in the same heat, I was obviously disappointed," Hough said. "Because I always love to race against him and we both do well when we race against each other."

They had met once, on Aug. 25 for a dual meet, and Kessler had outsprinted Hough over the final half mile to win 15:14.2 to 15:17.5. The remaining 45 boys in the race didn't approach the finish line for another two minutes. 

At the state meet, Kessler did all he could to establish a winning time: 14:51.8. One of the fastest times in meet history. 

"I was doing my warm-up and stopped to watch him and cheer him on," Hough said. "I wanted to see how well he'd do. He was looking comfortable through two miles and it got me anxious about what was going to happen. I knew (Hobbs) was definitely going to put up a fight."

DYESTAT DISCUSSION WITH RILEY HOUGH

Hough knew the time to beat and that he had little room for error. 

When it was his turn, Hough tore off of the starting line with Kessler's time in his head -- an unfortunate way to operate a state meet but somehow appropriate in the age of virtual racing. 

Hough was six seconds ahead of Kessler's split at the mile. 

At three miles, Hough was six-tenths of a second behind. 

But a fast finish made the difference. Hough broke the tape at 14:49.62 -- and won the championship. That's faster than anyone has covered the Michigan state meet course since the legendary Dathan Ritzenhein ran 14:10 there in 2000.

"I am really thrilled for him," Hartland coach Matt Gutteridge said. "That's a tough way to race the state meet, too. Hobbs deserves all the credit in the world as well."

If this was an autumn like any other Hough would seem a shoo-in to reach the Foot Locker national finals (Kessler too) and put himself in position to go for the win. 

Hough's career is tracking along a similar arc as Grant Fisher's did seven years ago. 

In 2013, Fisher burst onto the national scene with a Michigan state championship (in 15:13.7)  and went on to win the first of two Foot Locker titles. 

Hartland and Fisher's hometown of Grand Blanc are only 25 miles apart. Their two schools regularly hold dual meets. 

"At the time (Fisher was in high school), I was definitely paying attention to him," Hough said. "Now, I'm more focused on myself, but I do compary my times to his and see if I can get closer and closer to his times." 

Both have fathers who were NCAA Division 1 distance runners. 

Jeff Hough, Riley's dad, was a two-time All-American in the 10,000 meters at William & Mary. 

The culminating opportunity this season is Sunday's XC Town USA Meet of Champions, presented by the Garrett Companies. 

Hough will return to Terre Haute, Ind., where he competed at the Nike Cross Midwest regional last year, and get the big end-of-season test that he's hungry for. 

Real racing. No merge. 

"I'm honestly really excited," Hough said about the coming weekend. "Especially, the fact that there's going to be more people than just Hobbs in the high 14s to hopefully push me along."

Regardless of where the weekend takes him, Hough's journey in the sport is just getting started. 

"He stepped to the front of the state," Gutteridge said. "I wasn't sure if he was ready to make that leap this fall. But he's the most consistent kid I've ever coached. 

"I have never seen him have a bad race, or to be honest, even a bad workout."

What impressed Gutteridge most was Hough's footspeed at the end of Saturday's race, when he knew what he needed to do and found an extra gear.

"He beat Hobbs over that last point-one (miles)," Gutteridge said. "His footspeed has improved over last year. I already knew he had the stamina."