BOARDMAN - McDonald's girls cross country team has made the state meet the past three seasons.
The Blue Devils always find ways to push themselves. Ask coach Mike Richards.
"We've been working on this statement all year long, 'Good, better, best. Never let it rest until the good is better and the better is best,' " Richards said after Saturday's Division III girls cross country regional. "That's what we're hoping for this week, not that it felt like we ran our best today. Hopefully next week we run our best."
McDonald's girls finished third with 109 points and Smithville was fourth with 141 points.
Bobbi Oakes, Rachel Perry and Heidi Hoffman ran in the top 25 for McDonald.
Gilmour Academy packed up and won Saturday's meet with 47 points, better than second-place Berkshire (102).
Fact Box
Division I regional
at Boardman High School
Top four teams and top 16
individuals advance to state
TEAM SCORES: 1. Hudson 88, 2. Jackson 129, 3. Mentor 129, 4. Walsh Jesuit 160, 5. Chardon 162, 6. Hoover 163, 7. Solon 168, 8. Louisville 195, 9. GlenOak 207, 10. Nordonia 230, 11. Stow-Munroe Falls 254, 12. Boardman 260, 13. Shaker Hts. 280, 14. Kenston 298, 15. Madison 387, 16. Mayfield 404.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 1. Corinne Kule (Cha) 19:01.19, 2. Geneva Sandridge (Sol) 19:08.97, 3. Therese Haiss (Sol) 19:13.83, 4. Caroline Sauers (Hud) 19:14.56, 5. Melinda Renuart (WJ) 19:22.91, 6. Moe Sinko (WJ) 19:25.27, 7. Kinsey Robinson (Men) 19:25.63, 8. Mackenzie Rankin (Lou) 19:28.15, 9. Becky Rohwer (Bru) 19:31.63, 10. Leah Vasarhelyi (Nor) 19:34.42, 11. Sydney Lautzenheise (Hoo) 19:35.05, 12. Erin Cullen (SH) 19:37.37, 13. Louiza Wise (Sol) 19:41.09, 14. Kaylie Murray (Roo) 19:42.47, 15. Emma Lunne (Can) 19:43.64, 16. Madison VanDyke (Hud) 19:49.39, 17. Michelle Stamp (Lou) 19:50.01, 18. Greta Taylor (Jac) 19:52.74, 19. Jody Musser (Jac) 19:54.73, 20. Chloe Binczyk (SH) 19:54.94.
Division II regional
at Boardman High School
Top four teams and top 16
individuals advance to state
TEAM SCORES: 1. Chagrin Falls 86, 2. Poland 93, 3. Dover 97, 4. Claymont 144, 5. Marlington 164, 6. Southeast 168, 7. NDCL 227, 8. Garfield 241, 9. Beaumont 249, 10. Girard 258, 11. Hathaway Brown 267, 12. Minerva 297, 13. Tuscar. Valley 307, 14. Tuslaw 326, 15. Fairless 327, 16 Orrville 372.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 1. Kaele Lightfoot (Min) 19:25.88, 2. Libby Rogenski (Pol) 19:35.92, 3. McKinsie Klim (Pol) 19:43.39, 4. Jen Muhlenkamp (Tri) 19:50.68, 5. Claire Barcelo (CF) 19:52.35, 6. Katelynn Dillon (Cla) 19:52.43, 7. Jordyn Koch (TV) 20:16.92, 8. Michelle Klim (Pol) 20:24.49, 9. Katelyn McCullough (SE) 20:26.21, 10. Danielle Wilson (Fai) 20:27.23, 11. Caroline Hahn (Gar) 20:36.60, 12. Katie Kennedy (Mar) 20:38.04, 13. Olivia Warther (Dov) 20:39.32, 14. Miranda Hughes (SE) 20:40.87, 15. Domenique Hall (Gir) 20:42.30, 16. Catlyn Walker (Str) 20:46.02, 17. Mallory Maher (Sal) 20:54.34, 18. Megg Cantlay (CF) 20:58.08, 19. Jackie Breier (NDCL) 21:00.86, 20. Alli Garman (Dov) 21:02.64.
Division III regional
at Boardman High School
Top four teams and top 16
individuals advance to state
TEAM SCORES: 1. Gilmour Academy 47, 2. Berkshire 102, 3. McDonald 109, 4. Smithville 141, 5. South Range 151, 6. St. Thomas Aquinas 156, 7. Hawken 208, 8. Independence 237, 9. Elyria Catholic 258, 10. Waterloo 258, 11. Canton C.C. 291, 12. East Canton 299, 13. East Palestine 326, 14. Rootstown 336, 15. Badger 344, 16. Wickliffe 394.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 1. Alexandra Markovich (Haw) 19:04.73, 2. Erin Moomaw (Smi) 19:27.41, 3. Allison Parks (Uni) 19:40.63, 4. Michaela Foisy (EC) 19:42.03, 5. Alexis Anton (GA) 19:44.38, 6. Victoria Laubacher (STA) 19:45.46, 7. Emily Luli (Wat) 19:50.73, 8. Jennifer Wisniewski (Ind) 19:52.20, 9. Hannah Markel (GA) 19:53.89, 10. Melissa Koziol (Ber) 20:00.58, 11. Catherine Dolohanty (GA) 20:00.68, 12. Athena Welsh (STA) 20:03.95, 13. Ashton Lowe (Chi) 20:04.28, 14. Jessica Finley (GV) 20:04.78, 15. Caitlin Whetstone (GA) 20:16.09, 16. Halle Markel (GA) 20:17.16, 17. Gabrielle Neubauer (ODC) 20:22.08, 18. Bobbi Oakes (McD) 20:24.53, 19. Erin Pavick (Map) 20:28.18, 20. Rachel Perry (McD) 20:28.39.
The top four teams and top 16 runners in each regional race advanced to next weekend's state meet at National Trail Raceway in Hebron.
"What I saw today, Gilmour looks like the favorite to win state," Richards said. "To be anywhere near them, we're doing good."
LOOKING AHEAD: Grand Valley's Jessica Finley saw the pack of Gilmour Academy runners in front of her.
"I need to go get them," she said after her Division III girls race.
She needed a boost of confidence after barely qualifying for regionals.
"I was trying to be confident this race, because I wasn't confident in districts," Finley said. "I wasn't confident at all. I was lucky to make it here."
She eventually finished 14th to qualify for state.
"I slowly lost it then I got it back," Finley said. "I knew I wasn't going to let it all go. We've worked too hard. There's too many people supporting me. It wouldn't be fair to either one of us."
Also, Maplewood's Erin Pavick took 19th and Alanna Shamrock placed 21st.
PLENTY OF POLAND: The Bulldogs have been led by the Klim sisters of McKinsie, Michelle and Melissa - along with Libby Rogenski.
Rogenski, McKinsie and Michelle placed in the top four to push Poland to a second-place finish behind Chagrin Falls in the Division II girls race, 86-93.
Dover was third (97) and Claymont was fourth (144).
"It's been amazing what they've done for our program, all the way down through seventh grade and even younger kids than that," Poland coach Kim Grisdale said. "They're all running because of them.
"It's obviously huge for their senior year to get there. They've really changed Poland's cross country program."
AREA QUALIFIERS: The Division II girls had a few of other area girls make it through to state.
Southeast's Katelyn McCullough (ninth), Garfield's Danielle Wilson (11th), Southeast's Miranda Hughes (14th), Girard's Domenique Hall (15th) and Struthers' Catlyn Walker (16th).
In Division I, Canfield's Emma Lunne took 15th.
RUNNING TOGETHER: Lakeview's Eric Harris and Liberty's Jonathan Richmond have faced each other many times this season.
Saturday during the Division II boys regional was no different as Harris passed Richmond en route to the finish line.
Harris took eighth and Richmond was 11th.
"Today, coming down the straight, I felt dead," Richmond said. "I saw him take off next to me and I went along with him."
Harris, whose team placed fifth and missed qualifying for state by four points, enjoys running against Richmond.
"We've been back and forth all year," said Harris, who qualified for state his second straight year. "He's more of a longer distance guy than I am. We run well together."
It was just what Richmond needed to qualify for state.
"It pushed me to keep going and I felt good," Richmond said.
