The Tinora boys might make some history this cross country season.
They are already on a roll this fall, picking up wins in their division at the Obie Mouser Defiance Early Bird Invite, Blue & Gold Invitational and the Liberty Center Extravaganza. They also placed sixth in a highly competitive varsity section of the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival.
The Rams placed fourth in the Division IV state meet last year. Despite graduating their top-scoring runner, Logan Coy, they came back even stronger this fall. Tinora has been ranked #1 in the Division IV OATCCC coach's poll three of the past four weeks. The team is pursuing its first state title and is coached by Jim Winseman, who has been with the program for over a decade.
What makes their lineup stand out is how interchangeable their top five are, each of whom smashed their old personal bests from last year at the Obie Mouser Defiance Early Bird Invite. Nolan Rittenhouse ran 16:23.00 while Noah Meyer finished at 16:25.37. These two pulled Graham Hammon to a personal best by over a minute, kicking off his season with a 16:28.83. Oh right, and Wesley Maxwell put on a sub-17-minute performance for the first time in his career, running 16:40.07. Jared Neff rounded out the scoring with a 17:22.40.
Getting their fifth runner across the line as fast as possible is critical for the Rams moving forward. They have done that better and better as the weeks have rolled on. In the first week, they had a spread of over 40 seconds between their fourth and fifth runners. Week two was nearly a minute. Fast forward to the Liberty Center Extravaganza this past weekend, less than six seconds separated their third and fifth runners. Gavin Rittenhouse stepped up big-time, running a season personal best of 18 seconds and sliding in as Tinora's fourth runner.
With four of their consistent top five runners being seniors, this year will be a special shot at history.
The Tinora boys might make some history this cross country season.
They are already on a roll this fall, picking up wins in their division at the Obie Mouser Defiance Early Bird Invite, Blue & Gold Invitational and the Liberty Center Extravaganza. They also placed sixth in a highly competitive varsity section of the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival.
The Rams placed fourth in the Division IV state meet last year. Despite graduating their top-scoring runner, Logan Coy, they came back even stronger this fall. Tinora has been ranked #1 in the Division IV OATCCC coach's poll three of the past four weeks. The team is pursuing its first state title and is coached by Jim Winseman, who has been with the program for over a decade.