state finals: Dexter boys runners up in Division 1; Chelsea's Bryce Bradley runner up in Division 2

By Pete Cunningham Sports Director

Posted on Sat, Nov 6, 2010 : 6:37 p.m.

Chelsea's Bryce Bradley pulls ahead of Divine Child's Nicholas Soter during the final stretch of the Division 2 state meet. Bradley finished second in 15 minutes, 27 seconds.

Lauren Wood | Jackson Citizen Patriot

BROOKYLN -- The Dexter High School boys cross country team gathered around to read the final results at the MHSAA Division 1 state championships at Michigan International Speedway. After seeing that they had finished in second place, just 11 points behind Detroit Catholic Central, a collective look of disappointment fell upon the runners’ faces.

The scene was a stark contrast to the high fives and chest bumps the runners were exchanging in elation at the end of the race.

“They’re kind of being hard on themselves because of how close we came to first,” said Dexter coach David Testa. “They should be incredibly proud. I’m thrilled with what they were able to accomplish."

Dexter’s top five runners all had personal best times and Taylor Neely finished in 11th place with a time of 15 minutes, 42.2 seconds for All-State honors. Alexey Vermeulen (15:44.3) also took All-State honors individually with a 15th-place finish.

The Dreadnaughts were runners-up in Division 2 last year and didn’t miss a beat despite moving up to what is widely regarded a more competitive field.

“They were the ones who held themselves to a higher standard, “ Testa said. “They said, ‘Yeah, it’s Division 1, but we can still be competitive,’ and they showed it here today."

The Dreadnaughts were runners-up in Division 2 last year and didn’t miss a beat despite moving up to what is widely regarded a more competitive field.

“They were the ones who held themselves to a higher standard, “ Testa said. “They said, ‘Yeah, it’s Division 1, but we can still be competitive,’ and they showed it here today."

Dexter has succeeded all year by finishing as a pack. For example, at last week’s regional race the Dreadnaughts top five runners finished and placed 1, 3, 5 and 6. Catholic Central embodied the same pack mentality on Saturday, however, with its top three runners placing eighth, ninth and 10th.

“We were shooting for top three, but when we saw how close we were to first we …,” said Neely trailing off, clearly proud of the accomplishment, but hoping for even more.

More Coverage at MLive.com: Rest of the Story | D1 Results | D2 Results | D3 Results | D4 Results