Regional Cross Country: Mount Gilead wins fifth straight boys team title

Rob McCurdy, Marion Star

October 30, 2022 at 1:28 AM·5 min read

Mount Gilead's Aaron Gannon leads Highland's Joel Roberts and Cael Gilmore during this season's Marion Harding Cross Country Invitational. The trio competed at Saturday's regional meets at Pickerington North High School

PICKERINGTON ― The Indians did what they expected to do. They won another Division III regional championship in boys cross country Saturday morning at Pickerington North.

Mount Gilead easily won the team trophy with 42 points, tripling the effort of second-place Belpre with its 128 points. Knox Morrow Athletic Conference rival Fredericktown was third with 135, Tusky Valley fourth with 152 and KMAC foe Nothmor earned the final state spot with 167 points for fifth.

Running in the same race was Pleasant, which was eighth with 207 points.

"It was one of those days that goes as expected," Mount Gilead coach Jake Hayes said. "You don’t get those very often as far as everybody shows up and does exactly what they’re supposed to do. It was definitely what we hoped for and that’s definitely nice to have the guys meet expectations, especially on Pickerington’s course."

It is Mount Gilead's fifth straight boys XC regional crown.

"When we toed the line today, it was like we don’t have to do anything special but go out and have fun and do what we do every day at practice," Hayes said. "If we win, that’s great, and if we lose, it really doesn’t change our value as humans. It takes a little bit of the pressure off when you do it that way."

Sophomore Will Baker won the regional title as an individual for Mount Gilead by running a 15:51. Right behind him in sixth and eighth were junior teammate Parker Bartlett in 16:17 and senior Reed Supplee in 16:31. Rounding out the scoring for the Indians were senior Aaron Gannon in 14th in 16:39 and freshman Owen Hershner in 24th in 17:08. Junior Nathan Smith was 97th in 18:47, and freshman Gage Baker was 107th in 19:17.

"I think this might be the first regional meet that I’ve ever been to where it wasn’t raining," Hayes joked. "It was definitely the text book definition of perfect cross country weather."

Joining Mount Gilead this Saturday morning at Fortress Obetz for the state cross country championships will be Northmor. The Golden Knights were led by junior Ryan Lehman's 18th in 16:53, and he was followed by senior Lucas Weaver in 31st in 17:19, freshman David Blunk in 46th in 17:43, junior Bryce Cooper in 70th in 18:17, senior Connor Radojcsics in 74th in 18:23, freshman Ethan Amens in 88th in 18:37 and freshman Levi Hunter in 90th in 18:37.

The top five teams in the boys D-III race advanced to state, while the top 20 individuals earned bids as well.

Pleasant sophomore Will Lichtenberger paced his squad with a 30th in 17:18 and was followed by sophomore Caleb Cameron's 38th in 17:30, junior Nick Swartz's 55th in 17:59, senior Jonah Bowdle's 75th in 18:25, sophomore Elijah McGinniss's 93rd in 18:42, junior Liam Curtis's 106th in 19:10 and senior Ben Dunham's 110th in 19:21.

Also running in the D-III boys regional was Cardington's Aidan Reitmire, who was a hard-luck 21st in 17:06, one spot and 12 seconds away from a state berth. Elgin senior Ethan Marshall clocked a 17:15 for 29th.

As for Division III girls, four individual runners advanced to the state meet by finishing inside the top 24 on Saturday at Pickerington. Cardington sophomore Magi Hallabrin was eighth in 19:50, Pleasant sophomore Casey Kimball ninth in 19:52, Cardington senior Loey Hallabrin 13th in 20:04 and Mount Gilead sophomore Kimberly Staley 22nd in 20:29.

With six girls teams moving to state, Northmor finished seventh with 204 points, 21 behind Garaway in sixth place. Mount Gilead was 10th with 237.

Running for Northmor were sophomore Natalie Hunter (28th, 20:49), freshman Ryann Brinkman (44th, 21:18), freshman Kate Lehman (52nd, 21:37), freshman Lyla Bishop (91st, 22:45), freshman Shelby Cooper (117th, 23:43), sophomore Maizy Brinkman (131st, 24:17) and freshman Sarah Adams (140th, 25:11)

Competing for the Indians after Staley were sophomore Haley Pfeifer (45th, 21:22), senior Madilyn Elson (85th, 22:38), senior Karley Wallace (100th, 23:01), senior Grace Shipman (124th, 23:59), freshman Danielle Pohlkotte (127th, 24:09) and senior Tatum Neal (133rd, 24:28).

No one local advanced out of the Division II regional races at Pickerington.

The Highland boys were 10th with 249 points, 51 points from sixth place Minerva, which earned the final advancing spot. For the Scots, senior Joel Roberts was 39th in 17:13, freshman Cael Gilmore 45th in 17:17, senior Grath Garee 65th in 17:48, senior Hunter Bolton 67th in 17:49, freshman Matthew Miller 83rd in 18:04, senior Caleb Wetzel 87th in 18:09 and senior Corban Benedict 127th in 19:06.

Highland's girls were 19th with 467 points. Senior Lauren Garber was 69th in 21:32, freshman Kindylle Mallow 81st in 21:47, sophomore Abbie Pruett 129th in 23:30, freshman Riley Matthews 147th in 24:32, senior Shelby Conley 156th in 25:09 and Cara Chamberlain 162nd in 28:04.

North Union senior Kendal Music was 101st in 22:25 in the D-II girls race.

rmccurdy@gannett.com

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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Regional Cross Country: Mount Gilead wins fifth straight team title

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