Weekend Rewind: Inching Toward Postseason

Kailey Zagst

As we inch ever closer toward the post-season, and the performances just keep on impressing! The Les Eisenhart Invitational and Legends Meet were the biggest of the weekend. But the smaller Ed Leas Fall Classic and Medina Milt Place XC Festival also brought fantastic times. Here's everything you may have missed.​

Les Eisenhart Invitational- Thom. Worthington
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Ian Patrick and Ryne Reynolds from Little Miami are the best 1-2 punch in Ohio this year (or maybe ever!). Patrick ran a new personal best of 14:54.40, his first time cracking the 15-minute mark. This is a new OH #2. Reynolds ran 15:00.70 and solidified another consistent week. Gah. Lincoln claimed the team title with 82 points and ran an impressive 23-second spread. Big Walnut (139 points) came runner-up, with Little Miami (147 points) in third.
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Upper Arlington impressed again on the girls' side with a 68-point team score. Beth Baker took the overall win, running 17:55.10. Josie Cox brought momentum for the Golden Bears, running 18:09.40 to place third overall. Abigail Young and Claire LaCross finished in the top six, solidifying the runner-up spot for Gah. Lincoln (94 points).
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HS-Ed Leas Fall Classic

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Northmont put five in the top 12 to take a dominant win in the purple boys race. Dominic Lopez and Grant Mergler led the team by finishing second and third overall. Loveland (57 points) and Centerville (58 points) battled it out for the runner-up spot. Ian Trombley, the senior from Loveland, made sure the Tigers would take it against the Elks. He ran 15:35.40 for the win.
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Stephen Wojtowicz from Legacy Christian had a day, running 15:40.10 for a new personal best. If that was not enough momentum, his team took the win with 40 points. Celina finished second with 78 points. Oakwood rounded out the top three with 95 points.
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Elle Miesse, the Celina sophomore, put the hammer down early in the purple girls' race. She ran 17:45.40 for a new personal best and OH #5. Aleah Coster from Oak Hills finished second, running 18:13.50. Centerville took the overall girls team title, scoring 41 points. The Elks put Alianne Boehm, Shayda Hart and Suhani Verma in the top six overall.
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Oakwood dominated the gold girls section. They scored 50 points, with Katherine Erwin and Maggie Basom sliding into the top-10 overall. Greenville (112 points) and Fenwick (137 points) rounded out the top three teams. Anna Yeomans from Ansonia shattered the 19-minute mark for the first time, running 18:50.20 and taking the win.
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Medina Milt Place XC Invitational

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Ian Res from West Geauga took his fourth win of the season in a tight finish individually in the green varsity section. Res ran 15:47.57, just ahead of Remington Griffiths' 15:50.71 performance. He helped Woodridge (68 points) run away with things for the win. Res' teammate John Brock also broke the 16-minute barrier, clocking 15:56.94 and taking fourth overall. Medina finished runner-up, followed by Mass. Jackson in third.
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Another deep field presented itself on the girls' side in the green varsity section. Katherine Schuler from Med. Highland took the overall win, running 18:05.16. Maya Gonzalez from Bay (18:12.08) and Kali Wallace from Claymont (18:20.33) rounded out the top three. But it was Mass. Jackson (96 points) claiming the team win, showcasing their depth with five in the top 30. St. Joseph Academy challenged the Polar Bears, but ultimately finished with 110 points to take second.

Legends Meet


Ohio and Pennsylvania teams clashed at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds for some great competition. Griffin Martin from South Fayette (PA) won the Division I boys section, running 15:30.30. Matthew Scipione from Solon pushed up front, but finished in 15:36.60, taking second. Mentor dominated the team race with a 17-second spread and placed all of their scorers in the top 13.

The Division III race on the boys' side brought very strong competition up front. Kam Skelton from Mercyhurst Preparatory (PA) had the fastest time of the day in 15:21.50. Owen Thomas from Gar. Garfield finished runner-up and ran a 15:30.80 for a new personal best. In a tight team battle, Winchester Thurston from Pittsburgh won with 101 points. Salem came close, totaling 107 points.

In the girls Division I race, Cathedral Prep from Erie, PA claimed the win with 70 points. CVCA (112 points) and Shaker Hts. (120 points) kept it close in the race for second. Angela Zeng from South Fayette took the individual win by nearly a minute, running 17:43.20. Olivia Brady from Boardman and Carmella Curtis from Mentor rounded out the top three individuals.​

What a run by Naomi Sheesley. The junior from McDonald dominated the girls Division III race. She crushed her season-best time, running 17:52.30. Caroline Valentino from Hathaway Brown seperated herself from the rest of the pack, running 18:07.10. Kirtland (118 points) edged Crestwood (122 points) for the team win, led by Kylie Sayle placing fifth for the Hornets.