High school cross country: Amherst boys break drought, advance to state for first time since 1995

BOARDMAN TWP. — It had been 28 years since the Amherst boys cross country team last advanced to the Division I state meet. The Comets finished fifth at the state classic in 1995, which was coach Rob Glatz's junior year. The No. 16 state-ranked Amherst boys are finally making a return trip as seniors Luke Bowlsby and Ty Perez led the Comets to a sixth-place finish — seven teams qualify to state — at the Division I regional tournament at Boardman High on Saturday. A three-time individual state qualifier, Bowlsby finished fifth out of 28 individual qualifiers and 193 runners overall with a time of 15:49.91. A two-time state qualifier, Perez finished eighth with a time of 15:56.37. Amherst wasn't the only local standout. The Avon girls advanced to the Division I state meet for the second straight year, while the Black River boys qualified for the Division III state meet for the third year in a row. Individually, Midview's Jared Robinson and Amherst's Katherine Low were Division I state qualifiers while Keystone's Michael Gale qualified in Division II. Wellington junior Joe Fox earned a second straight Division III state berth. "Today is awesome," Bowlsby said. "Our guys pretty much gave up their whole lives for this season. They committed everything. I'm very happy for everyone. They worked so hard." It was an especially meaningful day for Perez, who missed an individual state berth by 0.9 of a second last year and by just 3.8 seconds as a sophomore. "It's a great feeling," he said. "This was something we first set out to do our freshman year. It's very special the last year we're together that we were able to finally do it. What happened happened the last two years. I had to live with that. I did my best to come back stronger and be in a position where I didn't have to worry about something like that today. I can't ask for anything more. I'm happy. Today's very special. I'm lucky to be part and to have such a great group of teammates." Freshman Zane Rhoads (72nd, 16:59.28), senior Henry Isaacs (74th, 16:59.59) and junior Ben Susi (80th, 17:05.08) rounded out the Amherst top five. Although sixth place may not sound impressive, Amherst finished just 15 points behind third-place Chardon (193). A year ago, Amherst finished 18th out of 24 teams at the Boardman regional. "We've talked about since the beginning of the season that every point counts and the boys got a lot of points for us in the last 160 meters," said Glatz, a 1997 Amherst grad. "On the first day of practice this summer at Mill Hollow, we wrote on the pavement with a piece of chalk, 'Every step counts.' We talked about racing every step today. We obviously didn't get out the way that we wanted, but the boys showed a lot of heart. They ran for each other the second part of the race and obviously the finish as well. I'm very, very proud of them. "This uphill start (at Boardman) takes a lot out of a lot of teams. We've been training for the second half (of races) all season long. We're feeling pretty excited and pretty confident about today. I really appreciate the boys' attitudes coming into this race. I think their performance matched their confidence." Was it nerve-racking waiting 15 minutes or so for the final team results to be posted? "Actually, it wasn't," Glatz said. "We felt calm and confident this whole postseason because we put in a lot of work. We have such a good core of group brotherhood. They run for each other. That's a tribute to their brotherhood and the connectivity that they have. They put in the hard work so they deserve that feeling of confidence coming into the championship season. Big things are going to happen next week. Next week, it's going to be fun. I'm very, very excited." No. 2 state-ranked Massillon Jackson won the Division I boys regional meet with 84 points. No. 17 Rocky River (184), No. 10 Chardon (193), No. 12 North Canton Hoover (199) and No. 21 Hudson (206) rounded out the top five. Behind sophomore Kaitlyn Reese's fourth-place finish in 18:35.62, Avon girls its second straight state berth. Last year, Reese finished sixth at the regional in 19:10.4. No. 4 Avon didn't quite have the day it hoped for in a field that included nine state-ranked teams. The Eagles finished fifth out of eight state qualifiers with 176 points. No. 14 Wadsworth won with 140 points, followed by No. 5 Shaker Heights (146), No. 6 Westlake (150) and No. 11 Rocky River (172). "I am proud of these girls," Avon coach Justin Carroll said. "To qualify to the state meet is special, especially in our region that's full of some strong teams and great coaching. We had some goals of where we wanted to place but ultimately it is about being one of those eight teams, assessing the race and then focusing our efforts on the state meet. I'm excited for next week and am grateful to have another week of watching these girls run. They continue to grow and learn." Freshman Ava Melott (30th, 19:34.16), senior Maddie Harrington (34th, 19:35.74), junior Anika Singh (49th, 20:02.82) and junior Carolina Reed (71st, 20:27.35) rounded out the Avon top five. No. 14 Black River was the second highest state-ranked team in the Division III boys regional field behind No. 5 Maplewood. Maplewood defended its title with 42 points. However, No. 22 Mineral Ridge (90) and No. 30 Waynedale (91) each pulled an upset by edging Black River (94) for second and third. Senior Dillon Royster (11th, 17:14.16) and freshman Connor Rhein (12th, 17:16.18) led Black River as they also qualified individually with top-16 finishes. "I would have liked to have finished a couple more places up, but we did all right," Royster said. "It wasn't the ideal situation getting fourth, but the first goal was making it (to state). We didn't place as well as we wanted but at least we made it." A 1:35 spread between its Nos. 1 and 5 runners was consistent for Black River, but coach Patrick Brean said the Pirates need to improve on that stat for the state meet. "To place two in the top 12, I'm very happy," Brean said. "Any time you have a freshman boy individually to qualify, that's a great thing to celebrate." A two-time state qualifier, Fox got off to a very good start as he clocked 16:56.02 to place ninth out of 16 qualifiers. Last year, Fox qualified 11th out of 16. "I told myself that as long as I kept myself in the top 10, I'm pretty safe," Fox said. "It hurt. My lungs are burning, but it's worth it. I'm going to state." Gale put himself in good position right from the start as he placed 11th out of 24 Division II qualifiers with a time of 16:26.58. "It hurt, but I did it," Gale said. "My goal was to get out pretty hard the first mile because everyone is doing that. I didn't want to get stuck behind. Then I fought to hold it. I got a second wind at the finish. That was kind of nice. I wanted to do everything in my power not to have to come from behind." Robinson finished 23rd out of 28 qualifiers with a time of 16:11.97. Low finished 22nd out of 32 qualifiers with a time of 19:26.21. Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Boys Division I Top seven teams, top 28 individuals advance to state meet at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 4 1, Massillon Jackson, 94; 2. Rocky River, 184; 3. Chardon, 193; 4. North Canton Hoover, 199; 5. Hudson, 206; 6. Amherst, 208; 7. Medina, 219; 8. Mentor, 221; 9. Massillon Perry, 222; 10. Boardman, 263; 11. Glen Oak, 294; 12. St. Ignatius, 312; 13. Aurora, 323; 14. New Philadelphia, 339; 15. Solon, 366; 16. Stow, 378; 17. Revere, 396; 18. Brunswick, 403; 19. Brecksville, 439; 20. Westlake, 466; 21. Avon, 470; 22. Copley, 471; 23. University School, 535; 24. Madison, 717 Winner: Eli Ilg (Massillon Jackson), 15:26.82 Local qualifiers: 5. Luke Bowlsby (Amherst), 15:49.91; 8. Ty Perez (Amherst), 15:56.37; 23. Jared Robinson (Midview), 16:11.97. Other local runners: 72. Zane Rhoads (Amherst), 16:59.28; 74. Henry Isaacs (Amherst), 16:59.59; 80. Ben Susi (Amherst), 17:05.08; 81. Gavin Smith (Elyria), 17:05.87; 82. Franco Gallo (Avon), 17:07.29; 87. Dylan Robinson (Midview), 17:08.86; 91. Matthew Walker (Amherst), 17:09.91; 102. Samuel Weiler (Avon), 17:19.73; 109. Nick Thompson (Avon), 17:21.08; 1254. Cooper Tanski (Avon), 17:29.82; 127. Jacob Michalak (Amherst), 17:30.56; 145. Henry Lochbiler (Avon), 17:43.58; 152. Jose Alvelo (Avon), 17:46.15; 155. Samson Arnold (Avon), 17:51.71. Out of 193 runners. Division II Top six teams, top 24 individuals advance to state meet at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 4 1, Woodridge, 108; 2. Marlington, 137; 3. Kenston, 147; 4. Field, 152; 5. Hawken, 172; 6. Bay, 180; 7. Salem, 186; 8. Lakeview, 212; 9. Tallmadge, 214; 10. South Range, 237; 11. Akron SVSM, 264; 12. CVCA, 277; 13. West Geauga, 316; 14. Orange, 338; 15. Norwayne, 342; 16. Fairview, 388; 17. Chardon NDCL, 418; 18. Beachwood, 420; 19. Holy Name, 420 Winner: Cole Cernansky (Marlington), 15:48.96 Local qualifier: 11. Michael Gale (Keystone), 16:26.58. Out of 147 runners Division III Top four teams, top 16 individuals advance to state meet at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 4 1, Maplewood, 42; 2. Mineral Ridge, 90; 3. Waynedale, 91; 4. Black River, 94; 5. Dalton, 114; 6. Open Door, 140; 7. Canton CC, 219; 8. Chippewa, 230; 9. Pymatuning Valley, 232; 10. Mogadore, 262; 11. Jackson Milton, 264; 12. Rootstown 280; 13. Wickliffe, 307 Winner: Luke Snyder (Rittman), 16:03.37 Local qualifiers: 9. Joe Fox (Wellington), 16:56.02; 11. Dillon Royster (Black River), 17:14.16; 12. Connor Rhein (Black River), 17:16.18. Other local runners: 21. Andrew Young (Lake Ridge), 17:44.39; 25. Trevor Taylor (Open Door), 17:46.30; 28. Nicholas Kosteci (Black River), 17:50.47; 36. Anthony Januzzi (Open Door), 18:04.06; 40. Nolan Raack (Open Door), 18:10.00; 46. Christian Orgel (Black River), 18:24.56; 50. Jack Mungle (Open Door), 18:27.86; 65. Noah Orgel (Black River), 18:50.03; 66. Lucas Olive (Black River), 18:55.14; 70. Nathan Obarski (Black River), 18:59.19; 76. Charlie Murphy (Open Door), 19:12.09; 82. Nate Otero (Open Door), 19:23.63. Out of 111 runners Girls Division I Top eight teams, top 32 individuals advance to state meet at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 4 1, Wadsworth, 140; 2. Shaker Heights, 146; 3. Westlake, 150; 4. Rocky River, 172; 5. Avon, 176; 6. Glen Oak, 194; 7. St. Joseph Academy, 217; 8. Strongsville, 233; 8. Brunswick, 245; 9. Medina, 284; 10. Revere, 313; 11. Brecksville, 325; 12. Amherst, 336; 13. Hudson, 329; 15. Massillon Perry, 390; 16. Massillon Jackson, 393; 17. Boardman, 397; 18. Chardon, 413; 19. Uniontown Lake, 448; 20. Mentor, 449; 21. Solon, 485; 22. Louisville, 530; 23. Magnificat, 533; 24. Green, 563 Winner: Daniela Scheffler (Uniontown Lake), 18:24.06 Local qualifiers: 4. Kaitlyn Reese (Avon), 18:35.62; 22. Katherine Low (Amherst), 19:26.21; 30. Ava Melott (Avon), 19:34.16. Other local finishers: 34. Maddie Harrington (Avon), 19:35.74; 37. Kylie Bennington (Avon Lake), 19:43.33; 49. Anika Singh (Avon), 20:02.82; 58. Alaina Alflen (Amherst), 20:17.37; 71. Carolina Reed (Avon), 20:27.35; 82. Sophia Pecora (Amherst), 20:41.13; 84. Anna Argabright (Avon), 20:44.62; 97. Olivia Pajak (Avon), 20:52.03; 101. Rosalie Kapalin (Amherst), 20:58.48; 105. Nora Darkow (Amherst), 21:02.80; 120. Winter Carrell (Amherst), 21:17.23; 148. Liana Del Valle (Amherst), 21:52.32. Out of 184 runners. Division II Top seven teams, top 28 individuals advance to state meet at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 4 1, Woodridge, 104; 2. Tallmadge, 121; 3. CVCA, 150; 4. Akron SVSM, 177; 5. Salem, 181; 6. Canfield, 186; 7. Hathaway Brown, 191; 8. Cloverleaf, 218; 9. Chagrin Falls, 254; 10. Hawken, 279; 11. Bay, 279; 12. CF Northwest, 294; 13. Kenston, 308; 14. Beaumont, 317; 15. Gilmour Academy, 346; 16. Marlington, 352; 17. Perry, 362; 18. Southeast, 376; 19. Field, 451; 20. Streetsboro, 572 Winner: Madelyn Begert (CF Northwest), 18:34.88. Out of 147 runners Division III Top four teams, top 16 individuals advance to state meet at Fortress Obetz on Nov. 4 1, Rittman, 51; 2. Maplewood, 84; 3. Mogadore, 98; 4. McDonald, 121; 5. Dalton, 154; 6. Kirtland, 162; 7. Triway, 167; 8. East Canton, 188; 9. Ashtabula St. John, 206; 10. Norwayne, 207; 11. South Range, 316; 12. Rootstown, 327 Winner: Caleigh Richards (Maplewood), 18:26.28 Local runner: 27. Claire Hepner (Open Door), 21:08.05. Out of 101 runners