Page 12 — Thursday, November 18, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
Youngsters paced county boys in 2021
Brett Bremer
Sports Editor
One after another the youngsters came
across the finish line: sophomore, sopho-
more, freshman, sophomore, sophomore,
freshman, junior etc.
Youngsters were the speedsters on the
Barry County varsity boys’ cross country
teams for much of the fall of 2021. Hastings
took the boys’ championship at the Barry
County Meet with four sophomores and two
freshman among its top six scorers on the
course at Maple Valley High School Nov. 1.
The fastest freshman in the county placed
ninth and only three seniors were among the
top 14 who earned All-Barry County honors.
The top seven finishers at the Barry County
Meet earned first team all-county honors this
fall while the next seven in earned spots on
the all-county second team.
Conference honors were tough to come by
this fall. Lakewood and Maple Valley battled
without full rosters in the Greater Lansing
Activities Conference once again, with the
Vikings adding some depth late to be able to
earn team scores in the season’s final meets.
Thornapple Kellogg and Delton Kellogg
battled tough competition in the OK Gold
Conference and the Southwestern Athletic
Conference. Delton Kellogg didn’t always
have its full complement of athletes, with a
couple solid runners also competing on the DK
varsity boys’ soccer team which won its way
into the regional round of the state tournament.
Hastings will be looking to work its way
up from the middle of the Interstate-8 Athletic
Conference in the years to come with its solid
group of young runners.
Here are the 2021 All-Barry County Boys’
Cross Country honorees.All-Barry County
Boys’ Cross Country
First Team
Hector Jimenez, Delton Kellogg: A two-
sport athlete in the fall, Jimenez supplement-
ed his time with the Delton Kellogg varsity
boys’ soccer team by being one of thePanthers’ leaders on the cross country course
when the schedules didn’t conflict.
Jimenez ran to a seventh-place time of
18:54.3 at the Barry County Meet in what
was his first cross country race in nearly two
months. He opened the season with a top ten
finish at the Berrien Springs Shamrock
Invitational where he set a season-best time
of 18:18.9.
Ethan Rimmer, Delton Kellogg: The fast-
est freshman at the Barry County Meet,
Rimmer ran to a third-place time of 18:29.
to lead the DK boys’ team to a runner-up
finish behind the Saxons.
Rimmer broke the 19-minute mark for the
first time at the SAC Championship in
mid-October, placing 19th in the conference.
He was under 19 the rest of the way, setting
his PR at 18:06.3 at the Division 3 Regional
in Allendale.
Riley Shults, Hastings: The Barry County
Meet Champion, the freshman Shults won the
race at Maple Valley High School with a time
of 17:47.3. He was fourth in the county as a
freshman in 2020.
Shults took the trip to MIS with his coach
to check out the state finals in November with
an eye on qualifying himself next fall. He
placed 22nd at his team’s regional race in
Portage with a time of 17:17.7 after setting a
new personal record time of 16:46.5 at the
Interstate-8 Athletic Conference
Championship in a ninth-place finish last
month.
Brandon Simmons, Hastings: The sec-
ond fastest freshman at the Barry County
Meet, Simmons placed sixth in 18:37.4.
Simmons set his personal record at 17:47.
at the Interstate-8 Athletic Conference
Championship and followed that up with a
49th-place time of 18:28.6 at his team’s
Division 2 Regional meet in Portage.
Reuben Solmes, Hastings: Solmes closed
his sophomore season by placing fourth at the
Barry County Meet with a time of 18:32.1.
Solmes opened the season by finishing a
race in less than 20 minutes for the first time.
and worked his way under 19 for the first
time before August was up. He finished in
less than 18 minutes for the first time at the
I-8 Championship in late October where he
placed 19th with a time of 17:53.7.
Jonah Teed, Hastings: Teed capped off
his sophomore season by earning first team
All-Barry County honors for the second time.He placed fifth at the Barry County Meet in
18:33.5.
He ran a personal record time of 17:56.2 at
the Interstate-8 Athletic Conference
Championship in October, finishing in less
than 18 minutes for the first time.
Lucas Van Meter, Thornapple Kellogg:
The Trojan leader throughout his sophomore
campaign, Van Meter earned All-Barry
County honors for the second fall in a row.
He was third in the county as a freshman and
second as a sophomore with a time of 17:56.
at the county meet.
Van Meter placed 22nd in the OK Gold
Conference last month with a time of 18:05.
at the conference meet at Riverside Park in
Grand Rapids. He ran to a 39th-place time of
17:57.1 at regionals. He set his personal
record early in the season, placing eighth in a
dual with the Division 1 state runners-up
from Caledonia with time of 17:21.3.All-Barry County
Boys’ Cross Country
Second Team
Troy Acker, Lakewood: A late addition to
the Lakewood varsity boys’ cross country
team as a freshman, Acker only ran in threeraces all fall starting with the Greater Lansing
Activities Conference Championship where
he placed 21st in 19:47.1.
Acker placed 59th at regionals and then
finished off the cross country season by plac-
ing 13th at the Barry County Meet with a
personal record time of 19:23.5.
Ryan Alford, Lakewood: Injuries derailed
Alford’s junior season a bit, but he bounced
back to place eighth at the Barry County
Meet in 18:55.2.
His fastest race of the season was the
Greater Lansing Activities Conference
Championship where he got under 19 min-
utes for the first time this season with a
15th-place time of 18:49.7.
Caden Ferris, Delton Kellogg: A former
football player and current soccer player who
signed his National Letter of Intent recently
to join the Central Michigan University
Wrestling program, Ferris placed 12th at the
Barry County Meet with a 12th-place time of
19:20.3 which is a personal record for him.
This was Ferris’ first cross country season.
He finished in less than 20 minutes for the
first time at the Portage Invitational Oct. 9
where he was 121st in the Division 3 boys’
race with a time of 19:28.3.
Micah Martin, Delton Kellogg: Martin
cut half a minute off his personal record time
from his sophomore season to his junior sea-
son. Martin dropped his PR to 18:26.7 in a
35th-place finish at the Division 3 Regional
race in Allendale.
Martin placed 11th at the Barry County
Meet in 19:16.9. He also finished in less than
19 minutes at the Cougar Falcon Invitational
at the Eagles’ Nest and at the Portage
Invitational.
Camden Reynolds, Thornapple Kellogg:
The fastest senior at the Barry County Meet,
Reynolds ran to a ninth-place time of 18:58.
earning a medal at the county meet for the
first time.
He set a personal record on a course that
was quite likely a tad short at the second OK
Gold Conference jamboree of the season,
finishing 25th in the conference with a time
of 17:44.0. His next best times were 18:22.
at the OK Gold Conference Championship
where he placed 28th and 18:19.3 at the 2021
Chargers Autumn Sunrise Invitational where
he was 32nd.
Isaac Shepard, Delton Kellogg: Shepard
closed his junior season by running to a
14th-place time of 19:29.3 at the Barry
County Meet.
Shepard set his personal record time at
19:00.5 at the Southwestern Athletic
Conference Championship in mid-October,
placing 25th at the race. He was right on that
time at his team’s Division 3 Regional in
Allendale where he placed 44th in 19:03.9.
Matthew Smith, Thornapple Kellogg:
Smith earned all-county honors for the sec-
ond time this fall placing tenth at the Barry
County Meet with a time of 19:05.7.
Smith worked his way up the OK Gold
Conference pack all fall long. He was 42nd at
the first conference jamboree of the season
and 32nd at the last. He turned in a time of
18:32.5 at the conference championship at
Riverside Park in Grand Rapids – his best
time of the season on a course the Trojans
were sure was 5,000-meters long.NOTICE: SEEKING APPLICATIONS
FOR VOLUNTEERS
The Barry County Board of Commissioners is seeking applications from
volunteers to serve on the following Boards:Parks and Recreation Commission: 2 positions
Zoning Board of Appeals: 1 positionApplications may be obtained at the County Administration Office, 3rd floor of the
Courthouse, 220 W. State St., Hastings; or http://www.barrycounty.org under the tab:
How do I apply for: An Advisory Board or Commission and click to display the
application. Applications must be returned no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday,
December 6, 2021. Contact 269-945-1284 for more information.171210(^171551) RUTLAND CHARTER TOWNSHIP
BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGAN
NOTICE OF ADOPTION OF CEMETERY ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS
TO: THE RESIDENTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF
RUTLAND, BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGAN, AND ANY OTHER INTERESTED PERSONS:
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE the following ordinance was adopted by the Rutland Charter
Township Board on November 10, 2021:
CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF RUTLAND
BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGAN
ORDINANCE NO. 2021-
ADOPTED: NOVEMBER 10, 2021
EFFECTIVE: DECEMBER 18, 2021
An Ordinance to amend parts of Chapter 89 (Cemeteries) of the Rutland Charter
Township Code of Ordinances, also known as the Rutland Charter Township Cemetery Ordinance
(originally adopted as Ordinance No. 2005-107, as amended by Ordinance 2016-158).
THE CHARTER TOWNSHIP OF RUTLAND
BARRY COUNTY, MICHIGAN
ORDAINS:
SECTION 1
AMENDMENT OF § 89-6 OF THE RUTLAND CHARTER TOWNSHIP
CODE OF ORDINANCES PERTAINING TO MARKERS AND MONUMENTS IN CEMETERIES
§ 89-6 of the Rutland Charter Township Code, pertaining to the regulation of markers and
monuments in cemeteries, is hereby amended to read as follows:
Ҥ 89-6. Markers and monuments.
A. All markers and monuments, including benches used as or having the function of a mon-
ument or marker, shall be made of stone, bronze, or other equally durable composition.
B. Only one monument shall be permitted per burial space. The Sexton may allow up to four
memorial markers in conjunction with a monument, provided the markers shall be level
with the ground so as to not impede the use of lawn maintenance equipment.
C. The footing or foundation upon which any monument, marker, or memorial must be placed
shall be 18 inches deep and four inches larger on all sides with a maximum width of 24
inches. The marker or monument shall not exceed the size of the burial space. Cost of
the foundation is to be determined by contract with the Sexton and payable by the owner
of the burial space.
D. All markers and monuments must be set in a neat and orderly fashion in line with the row.”
SECTION 2
AMENDMENT OF § 89-9 OF THE RUTLAND CHARTER TOWNSHIP
CODE OF ORDINANCES PERTAINING TO GROUND MAINTENANCE IN CEMETERIES
§ 89-9 of the Rutland Charter Township Code, pertaining to ground maintenance in
cemeteries, is hereby amended to read as follows:
Ҥ 89-9. Ground maintenance.
A. No grading or leveling upon a burial space shall be allowed.
B. No shrubs, trees, or vines shall be planted. No fences or curbs shall be erected.
C. The Township Board or its designee reserves the right to remove or trim any tree or shrub
already located within the cemetery in the interest of maintaining the proper appearance
and use of the cemetery.
D. Mounds, memorials, decorations, or benches that hinder the free use of a lawn mower or
other gardening apparatus are prohibited. No site decoration shall be taller than the
headstone unless it is a plant or flower planted in an urn.
E. Urns, memorabilia, or decorations may be set in line with the headstone and shall be
within the boundaries of each individual occupied gravesite. Urns that have become dete-
riorated may be removed by the Sexton.
F. All refuse of any kind, including, but not limited to, dried flowers, wreaths, papers, and
flower containers shall be removed or deposited in containers located within the cemetery.
G. The Sexton shall have the right and authority to remove and dispose of any and all
growth, emblems, displays, or containers that, through decay, deterioration, or damage,
are unsightly, would become a source of litter, or a maintenance problem.
H. All encroachments onto adjacent lots are the responsibility of the individual registered lot
owners or their designated representatives.
I. The Rutland Charter Township Board or its designees shall not be held liable for decora-
tions, memorabilia, trees, shrubs, or flowers and their containers left on or planted at any
burial space. Anything left on or planted at the burial space shall be the sole responsibil-
ity of the lot owner or their survivors.”
SECTION 3
SEVERABILITY
The provisions of this Ordinance are hereby declared to be severable, so that if any part
is declared invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction such decision shall not affect or invalidate the
remainder of the Ordinance, which shall continue in full force and effect.
SECTION 4
REPEAL OF CONFLICTING ORDINANCES; EFFECTIVE DATE
All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict with this Ordinance are hereby repealed.
This Ordinance shall take effect 30 days after publication as may be required by law.
This ordinance in its entirety has been posted in the office of the Township Clerk and on theTownship
website (www.rutlandtownship.org).
A copy of the ordinance may also be purchased by contacting the Township Clerk as indicated below
during regular business hours of regular working days, and at such other times as may be
arranged.
Robin J. Hawthorne, Clerk
Charter Township of Rutland
Rutland Charter Township Hall
2461 Heath Road
Hastings, Michigan 49058
Telephone: (269) 948-
The 2021 All-Barry County Boys' Cross Country Team. First team members are (front from left) Riley Schults, Lucas Van Meter,
Ethan Rimmer, Reuben Solmes, Jonah Teed, Brandon Simmons and Hector Jimenez. Second team members are (back from left)
Ryan Alford, Camden Reynolds, Matthew Smith, Micah Martin, Caden Ferris, Troy Acker and Isaac Shepard. (Photo by Brett
Bremer)
Hastings sophomore Riley Shults won
the individual title at the 2021 Barry
County Meet. (File photo)