Correction: An inaccuracy in the article regarding Cowper’s throw distance has been corrected. Cowper’s throw beat the second place finisher by seven feet, where the article originally stated seven inches. The Herald Times apologizes for this error.
HAMILTON ― It’s hard to make a bigger impact in one year than Gaylord’s Zach Cowper has.
Transferring to Gaylord for just his senior year after his father, Dale Cowper, took over as the GHS athletic director, Cowper immediately made an impact for the GHS football program. He finished his lone season as a first-team all-state offensive lineman, anchoring a GHS offensive line that helped continue a tradition of ground-and-pound Blue Devil offense.
Now, after his performance at the Division 2 track and field state championships on Saturday, May 31, his legacy as a Blue Devil athlete will live on forever on the GHS Wall of State Champions.
A state-title competitor in shot put all year long, Cowper saved his best performance for last, setting a new GHS record with a throw of 65 feet, 0.5 inches, clearing the second-place finishers’ throw by over seven feet while setting the furthest mark of any Michigan high school throw this season.
Cowper is committed to throw for Illinois State track and field.
Contact GHT Sports Editor Dylan Jespersen at Djespersen@gaylordheraldtimes.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @dylanjespersen, and Instagram, @dylanjespersen
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Gaylord’s Zachary Cowper wins state title with Michigan’s longest shot put throw in 2025
Reporting by Dylan Jespersen, The Petoskey News-Review / The Petoskey News-Review
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
