Portage County cross country postseason preview
Here's a team-by-team look as they enter the cross-country postseason:
BOYS
Division I
Aurora Greenmen
District site: Madison.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: The entire team qualified last year with returners including Robert Will, Thomas Ploskunak, Zachary Ploskunak, Porter Aardema and Kyle Lancaster
Outlook: While the Greenmen graduated longtime staples Andrew Ploskunak and Matthew Singleton, they've remained strong, helped by a big year from junior Robert Will, who ran a sub-17 to help Aurora earn runner-up honors in the Suburban American. Sophomores Zachary Ploskunak and Connor Flynn added top-12 finishes there, while freshmen Nathan Eminian and Zachary Best and junior Thomas Ploskunak also crossed the line in under 18 minutes.
Roosevelt Rough Riders
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: Sophomore Carter Slack has been intriguing all season, including a 30th-place finish (in 18:04.5) at the Suburban American championship run. Also watch for Rough Riders senior Gideon Kaine, who ran an 18:41.8 at Silver Creek Metro Park, and was their top finisher at last year's GlenOak District meet.
Division II
Crestwood Red Devils
District site: Madison.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: The Red Devils hope to make the trip to Boardman after they were shut out last season. Crestwood enters Madison with considerable momentum after capturing the CVC Valley Division title. Sophomore Augie Schweickert certainly seems ready to contend for Boardman after finishing third in the CVC Valley with a sub-18, while senior Henry Hoover and sophomore Kevin Vechery also impressed with top-eight times below 18:05.
Field Falcons
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: The entire team qualified last year with returners including Ammon Hottensmith, Sean Silk and Carter Little
Returning Regional Qualifiers: The entire team qualified last year with returners including Ammon Hottensmith, Sean Silk and Carter Little
Outlook: Repeating last year's feats, when the Falcons qualified as a team for the regional and then the state meet, won't be easy after graduating last year's top three (Blake Johnson, Owen Roberts and Joe Simonetti), but Field still has a solid core. The Falcons demonstrated that with their third-place finish in the loaded Metro Athletic Conference, with six runners (junior Sean Silk, freshman Evan Pruszynski, senior Ammon Hottensmith, junior Carter Little, sophomore Parker Shutty and junior Billy Silk) finishing in the top 25. Hottensmith and Sean Silk should certainly be in the mix to qualify as individuals for the Boardman Regional, with top-30 finishes at GlenOak last year and with the 17th and 22nd-fastest seed times, respectively, entering GlenOak this season.
Garfield G-Men
District site: Madison.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: Ben Garlich came roughly 30 seconds shy of a Boardman Regional berth last season, and the Garfield senior is coming off a strong performance at the MVAC Championships, taking 14th with a 19:08.3. Sophomore Mauricio Miller (16th, 19:26.1) and senior Kyle Schaefer (22nd, 19:54.7) also figure to be highly competitive after sub-20 finishes at the MVAC league meet.
Ravenna Ravens
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: The Ravens had two runners compete at the Metro Athletic Conference meet, in junior Dakota Bishop (84th, 23:25.5) and sophomore Ruben Simmons (92nd, 25:56.4). Also watch for seniors Cory Cole, Tyler McCullough and Ben Rainone, who competed at last year's GlenOak District meet.
Streetsboro Rockets
District site: Lorain.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: Zachary Vales
Outlook: Expect Rockets senior Zachary Vales to make a push for his second state berth after qualifying as a sophomore. (Last year, Vales battled through a mid-season appendectomy to qualify for the Boardman Regional, but wasn't quite the same due to all the missed time.) He enters the Lorain District meet with the fifth-fastest seed time (16:31.30). Otherwise, the Rockets are young, with underclassmen earning their final four scoring slots at the MAC meet: Eric Tiller (25th/28th, 18:39.1), Mario Puleo (29th/35th, 19:07.6), Timothy Harkleroad (32nd/38th, 19:14.6) and Hayden Brown (34th/41st, 19:42.0).
Division III
Mogadore Wildcats
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: The entire team qualified including Alejandro Navarrete, Daniel Carter, Jude Leeser, Ryan Keren, Nathan Archibald, Aiden Roman and Jonathan Cumberlidge
Outlook: The Wildcats qualified as a team to the Boardman Regional last year, a big moment for the program, but their last-place finish in the team standings there provided a little bit of fury as they headed into the offseason. Expect Portage Trail Conference Runner of the Year Alejandro Navarrete (12th-fastest seed time at GlenOak) to make a push for state, and Mogadore to make a move up the team standings. The Wildcats certainly made their case at the PTC meet with all five of their scorers finishing in the top nine in Navarrete (1st, 17.53), Daniel Carter (3rd, 18.20), Jude Leeser (4th, 18.37), Ryan Keren (6th, 18.53) and Jon Cumberlidge (9th, 19.13).
Rootstown Rovers
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: After Caleb Cutright earned Portage Trail Conference runner-up honors last Saturday, the Rovers senior will look to make a push toward Boardman. Last season, Cutright took 65th in the GlenOak District (19:06.93), but that was in Division II. This year, Rootstown is in Division III and Cutright enters with the 26th-fastest seed time. The Rovers' next leading runners are freshmen and sophomores, including ninth-graders Brady Brown and Wyatt Shenal, who both earned top-eight finishes at the PTC meet, and they'll hope to gain valuable experience at GlenOak.
Southeast Pirates
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: Watch for junior Carter Evans to make a push at GlenOak after finishing 71st at last year's Division II district meet. This year, Evans and the Pirates will compete in Division III, and Evans enters with the 22nd-fastest seed time (18:15.40). Christian Schoblocher. who like Evans earned a top-10 finish at the Portage Trail Conference Championships, also enters with a sub-19 seed time.
Waterloo Vikings
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: The Vikings had a single competitor in the boys race at the MVAC Championships: sophomore Jeremiah Willis (42nd, 21:31.3).
GIRLS
Division I
Aurora Greenmen
District site: Madison.
Returning State Qualifiers: Grace Barto
Returning Regional Qualifiers: The entire team qualified with returners including Grace Barto, Sydney Langell, Kayla Kane and Alexis Horvath
Outlook: Greenmen senior Grace Barto qualified for state for the first time as an individual last season, finishing 16th at the Boardman Regional in 20:35.8. Sophomore Sydney Langell also played a key part in the 2021 team advancing to the Boardman Regional and is coming off a 16th-place finish in the Suburban American (21:21.1), while Isabella Cicero (15th, 21:16.2) has established herself as a runner to watch.
Roosevelt Rough Riders
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: Watch for Jeanie Barzellato. While she took 114th at the GlenOak District meet a season ago, she's been a different runner this season, including a top-ten finish in the league (21:00.7) last week.
Division II
Crestwood Red Devils
District site: Madison.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: The Red Devils look to break through and send a runner to Boardman coming off a strong runner-up performance in the CVC Valley Division title run. Crestwood landed four in the CVC Valley top 11: Elaine Guyette (6th/7th, 21:18.54), Erin Hallis (7th/8th, 21:40.04), Abby Guyette (9th/10th, 21:48.89) and Kennedy Rhodes (10th/11th, 22:04.09).
Field Falcons
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: Cassidy Wells
Outlook: Falcons sophomore Cassidy Wells earned valuable experience last year when she qualified for the Boardman Regional, taking the 27th of 28 qualifying spots out of GlenOak. Now, Wells is coming off a strong eighth-place performance (21:11.1) at the Metro Athletic Conference championship meet, and Field's youth movement continues with freshman Maddie Adams, who finished just in front of Wells at the MAC meet (7th, 20:46.3). Expect both Adams and Wells to make a push toward Boardman and beyond as they enter GlenOak with the 13th- and 18th-fastest seed times, respectively.
Ravenna Ravens
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: Sophomore Julia Stratton has a solid shot at becoming the Ravens' first regional qualifier in years, after taking 35th at last year's GlenOak District meet (in 21:50.00). (The top 28 advance.) Stratton has been running at a high level of late, including a sub-22 to earn 13th in a stacked Metro Athletic Conference.
Southeast Pirates
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: Katie Campbell, Kristen Campbell
Outlook: The Pirates sent two runners to Boardman last year as the Campbell sisters (Katie and Kristen) both qualified out of GlenOak in their first year running for Southeast (they previously ran for Jackson-Milton). Now, the Campbell sisters hope to go on another deep postseason run, and freshman Julia Wheeler has similar ambitions after posting an absurd 20.36 to take third in the Portage Trail Conference. (In fact, Wheeler enters GlenOak with the 17th-fastest seed time.)
Streetsboro Rockets
District site: Lorain.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: Remarkably, the Rockets' first three runners across the line at the Metro Athletic Conference title race were all freshmen: Sonia Downing (16th, 22:23.1), Madi Campbell (23rd/25th, 23:13.9) and Kendall Epple (25th/27th, 23:33.9). All will be runners to watch for years to come.
Division III
Garfield G-Men
District site: Madison.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: The G-Men return virtually their entire team from last year, along with a number of promising freshmen, including Kathlene McMayon (who took ninth in the MVAC with a 22:39.0) and Olivia Rowe (12th, 22:50.2) to pair with junior Kourtney Brahler (8th, 22:26.9).
Mogadore Wildcats
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: Katie Lane, Rachel Whetstone
Returning Regional Qualifiers: The entire team qualified including Katie Lane, Rachel Whetstone, Mia Gaetjens, Emma Quillen, Katherine Holler and Emma Smith
Outlook: Last year, the Wildcats sent two runners to state, as Katie Lane and Rachel Whetstone finished sixth and 14th, respectively, at the Boardman Regional. Now, the hope for Mogadore is to send the whole team down to Fortress Obetz with the Wildcats looking better than ever while capturing a Portage Trail Conference title Saturday (including a second straight 1-2 finish at the top from Lane and Whetstone). Mogadore enters GlenOak with six of the 13 fastest seed times: Lane (3rd), Whetstone (5th), Mia Gaetjens (10th,), Emma Quillen (11th), Alana Santiago (12th) and Julie Tompkins (13th).
Rootstown Rovers
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: The entire team qualified including Lauren Krieger, Sydney Munger, Taylor Monegan and Mallory Butcher
Outlook: Graduation took away three of the Rovers' top runners from a year ago (Marinna Atanmo, Taylor Coates and Katie Plecko) and injuries have caused further obstacles, but expect Rootstown to make another run at qualifying for Boardman as a team after earning GlenOak District runner-up honors in 2021. Mallory Butcher, Lauren Krieger, Sydney Munger and Courtney Taylor are all coming off top-18 finishes at the Portage Trail Conference meet and Munger enters GlenOak with the eighth-fastest seed time.
Waterloo Vikings
District site: GlenOak.
Returning State Qualifiers: None
Returning Regional Qualifiers: None
Outlook: The junior-led Vikings look to push forward, with Class of 2024 runners Cheyenne Biltz, Allison Miller and Tess Rodenbucher all finishing in the top 35 at the MVAC Championships.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Portage County cross country postseason preview
