by MICHAEL LEONARD | SPORTS EDITOR Heading into the regional meet at Boardman, Stow-Munroe Falls cross country coach Aaron Morris had hoped senior Vince Horning and junior Katie Fobean each had a chance to advance past states. Morris said he thought both had done a good job at the Spartan Invitational Sept. 22 on the same course. However, that race happened on a firm course at Boardman. Veteran coaches like Morris know that if rains hit the course at regionals, Boardman becomes one of the slowest courses in Northeast Ohio. That's exactly what happened Oct. 27 as the Bulldogs saw their season end. Stow's girls competed in the Division I girls race at Boardman and finished 11th in the 16-team race with 254 points. Hudson won the girls' title with 88 points. Meanwhile in the Division I boys race, Horning finished in 17:09:34 and took 42nd place. The top four teams and top 16 individuals in each race advanced to the state meet. Morris said the course wasn't too bad during the Division I boys race, but things were pretty sloppy by the time the Division I girls race -- the last of six races on the day -- took place. "It's been a lot worse, but it was pretty soft," Morris said. "By the time the girls ran, they had to be pretty picky about where their footing was." Given the sloppiness of the course and strength of the field at Boardman, Morris said he was pleased with his female charges. "I was happy with how everyone ran," Morris said. "We had every girl under 22:10, which is quicker than what we ran at a dry Goodyear [district meet]. We had a couple girls run overall [personal records], despite all that mud." Fobean pushed for one of the top 16 qualifying spots, but had to settle for 30th place in a time of 20:22.07. Morris noted it wasn't for lack of effort that Fobean didn't reach states. "She put herself up there where she needed to be," Morris said. "She was on the back of the No. 16 runner for about the first mile and a half. The field was just too fast for her this year." As has been the case lately, freshman Jessie Stout and senior Kayla Andersen stayed close. Stout finished 52nd in 20:57.68, while Andersen was 59th in 21:06.78. "I was happy having Jessie under 21 in that mud," Morris said. "Those two have been pretty solid the last two weeks." Junior Natalie Crow (74th, 21:19.64) and freshman Mackenzie Bowers (97th, 21:51.47) each set new personal records at Boardman despite the sloppiness. Senior Kayla Thomas (109th, 22:08.58) and sophomore Lizzie Markley (110th, 22:08.65) came in stride for stride with each other. Morris said he was happy to see Markley compete after being with hobbled at by a knee injury. Running in the Division I boys race, Morris thought Horning would have a good shot of reaching states, if he could duplicate his effort from the district meet and reach the 16:40 mark. That didn't happen, however, and Morris admitted he was disappointed with Horning's time. "It's not what I expected," Morris said. "He never really got in a position where he needed to be in the race. When he went through about the mile mark, he started leading the second pack rather than being in the first pack. "By the time he tried to make some moves, it was too late," Morris added. "I know he's better than that." Chardon's Nick Elswick won the Division I boys title in 15:47.22 -- a smoking fast time, given the conditions. Looking to the future, Morris is extremly high on his girls' prospects, despite the loss of Thomas and Andersen. "They should have eight or nine girls coming back healthy next year," Morris said. "We should be pretty solid. Next year is the year I think we might be able to do something with the team." On the boys' side of things, Horning, along with seniors Paul Lovell and Faris Ahmed, will be lost to graduation. "I felt like I've coached those girls forever, because I coach them in the spring [during track season]," Morris said. "The guys were kind of new to me. We didn't necessarily have the season we wanted. The JV guys dropped a lot of time this year. I need more from them. I'm thinking that if they take it seriously, they can make a big improvement." E-mail: mleonard@recordpub.com Phone: 330-541-9442
Comments