OBETZ — The final race was a memorable one for the Big Orange.
The West Liberty-Salem boys and girls cross country teams competed at the OHSAA state meet on Saturday, with both having high finishes.
The boys squad scored 162 points and finished in second place in Division III. It is the first time they have finished that high since a run of four state titles from 1976 to 1979.
Senior Caleb Larson finished 10th in 15:39, sophomore Asher Cole was 17th (15:47), senior Dylan King came in 39th (16:23) and sophomore Brayan Gullett was 47th (16:30).
Larson and Cole were first team all-Ohio by finishing in the top 24, and King and Gullett were on the second team, which includes the next 24 runners. Completing the team scoring was senior Garrett Wallen, who was 109th (17:06).
They were scored seventh, 14th, 31st, 37th and 73rd.
Sophomore Zeke Longshore was 153rd (17:37.1) and freshman Eric Hoover was 154th (17:37.2).
There were 215 runners in the field and 24 teams.
The Big Orange finished the season with a record of 169-14 and a meet record of 22-1.
Woodridge got first place (65 points) and Oakwood was just behind WL-S in third with 165.
Head coach Mike Louden, in his 20th season, called the accomplishment surreal.
“It’s a perfect storm, and it all came together on the right day,” Louden said.
“It takes a village to get to this point, and I just look at the people that have been instrumental for me that’s helped me get these guys to put them in this position,” citing coaches Ann Vogel, Larry Steider, Ron Martin, and Jay Johnson and a number of others that have given knowledge and insight.
He praised seniors Larson, King, Wallen, plus Levi Miller and Brevin Louden.
“To finally bring some hardware back for the Big Orange name…to finally put a trophy in that trophy case. It’s for everybody. It’s for every runner that I’ve coached. Going back to coach Ken Lehman, who got this party started back in the 1970s.”
The Big Orange finished in a three-way tie at regionals, with WL-S ending up fourth based on the tiebreaker of the sixth place finisher.
“So to come to a state tournament and finish second when we were fourth at regionals, I don’t know how many teams have ever done that. It’s probably a list of very few,” said Louden.
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For the WL-S girls, they finished in sixth place in Division IV.
Ottawa Hills was the champion (114) and Minster was the runner-up (158).
This was the first year for Division IV in cross country, with the OHSAA expanding from three divisions.
West Liberty-Salem had a team score of 204 points.
Senior Malia Miller was 24th (19:10) and made first team all-Ohio, while sophomore Addi Wallen got 34th (19:39) and was on the second team.
The rest of the top five were senior Gwen McCulloch who was 61st (20:13), sophomore Isla Leichty in 79th (20:26) and freshman Elia Matthews in 115th (20:59).
They were scored 16th, 23rd, 40th, 51st and 74th.
Junior Mariska Smith (145th, 21:38) and freshman Charlee Albers (150th, 21:44) rounded out the action.
There were 214 runners in the field.
Head coach Aaron Lauck said, “The girls represented very well at the highest level. They were a little disappointed with the outcome as we were hoping to be in the top five, but it does not detract from their season at all. I am very proud of their accomplishments on the course, but I am most proud of the way they encourage each other and show sportsmanship to other teams. Malia Miller was All-Ohio for the third straight year which is a fantastic accomplishment. Addi Wallen ran her best time of the season to earn second team All-Ohio. Gwen McCullough ends her high school career having been a contributor on four state teams. Our other runners earned valuable experience at state which we hope can used next year.”
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DIVISION II
Four members of Bellefontaine’s teams ran in the Division II races on Saturday.
In the girls’ field, junior Grace Brown finished 24th with a time of 18:54 out of a total of 216 runners. She was a member of the first-team all-Ohio.
Senior Kaeleigh Floria ran the course in 20:28, and finished 135th.
Coach Stacey Wilson said, “Grace showed tremendous composure and patience to work her way through the field, and Kaeleigh’s willingness to take on a new challenge while balancing volleyball speaks volumes about her character. We’re thankful to Coach Phelps for her support and for sharing Kaeleigh with our team. Grace and Kaeleigh both embody what it means to be a Chieftain — hard working, selfless and team-first. I couldn’t be prouder of how they represented our program today.”
On the boys’ side, senior Hayden Maus finished 72nd (16:40) and junior Oliver Grandstaff was 101st (16:52).
Coach Ben Davis said, “Hayden was inhibited around the mile mark with some nagging lower back pain that reared its head. He was shooting for a top 10 day, so it was disappointing for him. He was set to do so having raced in the 15:30s five times this year, defending his CBC title, finishing high at regional. He has been a stellar student-athlete having earned his 3rd straight academic All-Ohio Award and being a leader to this team all season.”
“Oliver had a very solid race at state. He didn’t let the big stage intimidate him as he beat more than half of the field. What an improvement he made since last year. He is the epitome of work-ethic and positive attitude. We return everybody but 1 so he and the rest of the team should have high hopes again for another great season. Oliver too earned Academic All-Ohio honors.”
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Also part of the field on Saturday was senior John Gaertner of Calvary Christian. He ran in the Division IV boys field, and finished 73rd with a time of 16:57. There were 213 total runners.
