Forest Hills Eastern’s men cross country team just wrapped up an amazing season. They competed at the Michigan International Speedway for the MHSAA State Championship, ending the season as the state-runner-ups. The team has faced lots of challenges throughout the season, whether it was graduating a majority of their best runners the year prior or dealing with brutally hot temperatures early on, yet they persevered thanks to veterans and new young talent. Most news sources placed FHE at 4 or 5 in the state, with no one believing that FHE could finish on the podium. Thanks to stars like Henry Dixon (’25) and Steve Zawacki (’27), they did. The Hawks had a fantastic season, setting up many more to come.
Senior Henry Dixon is a decorated runner on multiple Forest Hills Eastern teams. He has been a constant winner for FHE and brought the program up with him. Dixon claims that he had been a soccer kid for most of his life, but once he entered high school, the sport became dull and he lost his love for it. He didn’t want to play the sport anymore, but his mother encouraged him to at least continue participating in something in the fall. She suggested cross country, due to his sister being on the team and making rides to practice easier. Dixon caved and joined the squad, immediately excelling due to his experience in track and field. Dixon was a natural at the sport and his accolades have shown it; he is a 4x All-Conference runner, 3x All-Region runner, and a 2x All-State runner. Dixon’s run has been absolutely insane over these past four years. This year, he was the OK-White Conference champ, Region 12 champ, and podiumed this year at the State Championship. These incredible seasons have led Forest Hills Eastern to a state title in 2023 and a second-place finish this year. Dixon is a star runner and has left his mark for years to come at FHE.
Sophomore Steve Zawacki was a relatively new prospect as he entered his second season this year, but the young runner has made incredible progress in that short span. Zawacki began running in middle school as a way to prepare and condition for the track and field seasons, but the sport became more to him as he bonded and connected with the players and coaches on the team. He claims that he isn’t very knowledgeable surrounding the intricacies of running and that anything he has learned has been thanks to his coaches. Although he isn’t knowledgeable about the sport, he’s still a stud, becoming an All-Conference Honorable Mention, in his freshman year, and following that with an All-Conference, All-Region, and All-State sophomore campaign. He was one of 2 sophomores to place in the top 20 in the state meet, a testament to his feats at a young age. Zawacki explains that all of this success comes from his passion for running. He joined the team with minimal expectations but the more time he spent with his coaches and teammates the more he grew to love the sport. That passion has fueled him well for these past few years, and will continue to push him to greatness
The cross country team’s stardom is not lacking, nor are their unique abilities to run with the absolute best of the best. Eastern’s cross country prowess is expected to continue into the future, and with that more dreams of future championships and outstanding victories. Go Eastern!
