Sun Nov 08 2009
By KEVIN EIS
COLUMBUS -- The Defiance High School girls earned a fourth-place team finish and the boys captured 10th, while Napoleon's Rachel Huddle earned All-Ohio honors for the second year in a row at the 79th annual State Cross Country Meet at Scioto Downs on Saturday.
DHS senior Lauren Fett also garnered All-Ohio honors by placing 11th with a time of 18:54.3 to lead the Lady Bulldogs, which improved on last year's seventh-place team finish.
"I felt really good," exclaimed Fett. "It's a good day and we worked really hard. I was just ready to come out and do the best I could."
Kristen Barth placed 34th, Megan Vogelsong 42nd, Taylor Schultz 48th, Kelsey VanDemark 79th, Kelsey Zipfel 88th and Nikki Roehrig 140th to lead DHS to 125 points, just two points shy of third place Cleveland Heights Beaumont.
"I'm happy," stated DHS girls' coach Scott Saner of his team's performance. "I know the girls were a little emotional at the finish line because it's the last race for some of them while wrapping up a career and a long season.
"We did what we could do," added Saner. "We ran the times in the ballpark of what we were physically able to do today. There wasn't a single girl out of the seven who had an off day, so we gave it our best shot.
"I was hoping for a top five, I was hoping for an improvement over last year. I thought we might have a chance at a top three and we were only two points away from third so nobody can walk away from here with any disappointment."
Huddle placed the highest among area D-II girls with an eighth-place finish. With a time of 18:43.57, the Napoleon sophomore shattered her 12th-place time of 19:09 from a year ago.
"I just really wanted to get into the top 15 like last year and try to move out and get my best time," said Huddle. "I just tried to get out fast and get on the turn so I wouldn't get blocked in. I'm really excited that I got into the top 15."
"We're very excited about the way Rachel ran," lauded Napoleon mentor Randy Burke. "She ran a great race, got right out there in the front and just kept moving up. She may have had a little side cramp there at the two-mile mark, but she kept fighting her way through it. To finish up there in the top 10 was very good while finishing at the state meet with her best time."
Wauseon took 11th in the team standings behind a 26th-place finish by junior Holly Baird and a 53rd-place finish by sophomore Alexis Baird.
As for the boys' race, DHS junior Zac Wiles made first-team All-Ohio in his first state appearance by placing ninth with a time of 16:08.15.
"I knew I was in pretty good position," said Wiles. "I started to fade coming down the hill, but then I heard coach Mouser yelling and when he yells you answer. One guy passed me at the end but I fought off two or three, so I was pretty pleased with my run. I only missed my PR (personal record) by a second."
Wiles admitted the competition factor, along with the nerves that naturally come with state exposure at Scioto Downs, was unlike any he was accustomed to thus far.
Said the Defiance junior: "I tried to force myself not to be nervous. I tired to tell myself it was just another race, but when you walk out there and the guy is giving you (starting) instructions, you get a little nervous. As soon as that gun goes off, though, it goes away."
Trevin Flickinger just missed All-Ohio in 27th, while Mario Ramirez took 96th, Tim Suffel 100th, Ryan Zeller 115th, Zachary Hurst 131th and Mike Schalatter 133rd to give Defiance a total of 226 points behind Vincent Warren, which was ninth with 207 points.
"We came through the mile pretty well and the two-mile in pretty good shape," stated DHS boys' mentor Obie Mouser. "They were pretty steady. Zach Hurst ran his best race ever and I think Ryan Zeller ran his best race ever. I would say we were steady but not great."
Zeller posted a time of 18:02, while Hurst, a freshman, ran the 3.1 mile race in 18:21.
"I've said before I don't think anybody would have dreamed we would be in the state meet," commented Mouser of his team's overall success throughout the season. "A lot of people didn't think we would be that good, but we're in the state meet and we feel pretty good about that.
"These kids have worked hard," concluded Mouser. "We've got some overachievers here. I'm really happy about it. We ran a pretty solid race today."
Chase Violet of Lima Shawnee was the top area finisher in the boys' race with a sixth-place finish and a time of 15:53.53.
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