YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A year ago, Twinsburg sophomore Garrett Crichlow was a soccer player.

On Saturday, at Boardman High School, running one of the more strategic courses in the state, he placed eighth among 245 Division I competitors, covering 5,000 meters in 16:11.97.

His coaches as well as opponents marvel at his ability and his potential.

Crichlow admitted to not having a plan or a race strategy. His approach remains to rely on his raw ability, which is considerable.

“It’s exciting to watch him drop huge chunks of time week after week,” third-year Twinsburg coach Sarah Kmet said. “Today was another 12-second PR for him. He’s quite a talent.”

Yet on a rolling course, replete with sharp turns, where a tactical race usually rules the day, Crichlow was unaware, unassuming and undeterred.

“I didn’t have any plans,” he said. “I just wanted to run out and help my team out.”

The Spartan Invitational was his fifth cross country race -- ever.

“He has a lot to learn about strategy and race pace,” Kmet said. “But he’s competitor. He goes out. At the gun, he was leading. He goes after it. Each week, he gets better and better. He learns more and more.”

The Tigers placed 17th as a team and the challenge now is to develop strength behind Crichlow and sophomore Nick Schank, who finished 30th (16:54.43).

As a freshman track athlete, Crichlow was one of the premier milers in Ohio for his age. Kmet is thankful her team was able to recruit him to run cross.

“It took a couple of months to work on him, but I got a couple of the guys on the team to work on him and we finally convinced him you can get college scholarships – the sky’s the limit,” Kmet said. “If you look at Stuart Edmonds (2009 Twinsburg graduate) from a couple of years ago, Garrett is already running faster than Stuart did at this age.”

For Brunswick’s girls team, the time is now. The top-ranked Division I team in the state, with four runners with state-meet experience, the Blue Devils won the Spartan Invitational by 45 points over runner-up Hudson.

Coach Kerry Hunter’s job is to keep things on an even keel, confessing that in all his years of coaching this kind of ranking has come only one other time.

“We just go do what we do,” Hunter said. “What everybody else says about us doesn’t make any difference.”

The Blue Devils’ leader is senior Selena Pasadyn, a small girl with a big talent. Pasadyn placed second in the Division I race, trailing only Carissa Jenkins of Austintown Fitch (18:40.7).

“I would have liked to go after her, but I was a little tanked in the woods,” Pasadyn said with a smile, after turning in a time of 18:51.6. “I gave it my best shot. Second place is not bad.”

She ran 18:26 one week earlier at Tiffin and has her sights set on lowering her PR time of 18:15.

“We have a pretty veteran team,” said Hunter, explaining that, among his top five, only sophomore Kristine Camper is new to the party. “She’s got all these girls around her letting her know what is expected.”

Camper came in 12th (19:46.7) as Brunswick had four runners in the top 18 – all under 20:00. Loren McDaniel was seventh (19:32.5).

Hunter said his sixth and seventh runners, Emily LaPolla and Hannah Meyer, both are freshmen.  LaPolla (20:44) and Meyer (21:08) were solid, placing 48th and 68th, respectively, among 207 runners.

SportsInk.com competitors Caroline Sauers (Hudson), Krista Roehlig (Green) and Sarah Meek (Firestone) ran 3-4-5 in Division I girls.

“My time was better last year, but my place was worse,” Roehlig said. “I’m happy with it because they are all really good runners.”

She finished within two strides of Sauers in a time of 19:07.5.

Meek said she’s had her struggles at Boardman in the past, but kept positive energy the entire race on her way to fifth (19:13.4).

“I’ve really been learning that the key to success is to just stay focused and mentally positive,” she said. “My biggest focus is my reliance on my strength from The Lord.”

Meek derives “great joy” from running and said, “I like the challenge. I like stepping out of my comfort zone.”

In Division II girls, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy won the event for the fourth time in five years. Freshman Samantha Bockoven (19:00.3) and Sarah McIntosh (19:11.3) ran 1-2 for the Royals.

Two-time defending state champion St. Vincent-St. Mary ran second, led by junior Marissa Rossetti, who placed third (19:19.7).

CVCA’s score of 45 points reflected four athletes among the first nine to finish. St. V-M  totaled 65 points, while Crestwood ranked fourth (222), thanks in large measure to senior Karlie Lieberth in sixth place (19:36.2).

In Division II boys, St. V-M and Woodridge resumed their rivalry as the Fighting Irish won the team title (101) and the Bulldogs, five-time defending state champs, placed second (164).

Patrick O’Brien (St. V-M) and Drake Sulzer (Woodridge) ran 3-4. O’Brien crossed in 16:20.4, while Sulzer closed at 16:24.9.

Senior boys in Division I already were mapping their thoughts for the late October  regional meet.

“This is a course where you need to know what’s happening with the uphill and downhill and all of the 90-degree turns,” Hudson senior Nolan Reilly said. “You really have to use your head on this course, more than any other one I’ve ever run on.

“With the 90-degree turns, you have to position yourself just right.”

Reilly finished 15 seconds faster than last year and placed 12th (16:32.65) – tops on Hudson’s fourth-place team (36 total).

“We ran a good meet,” Hudson boys coach Rod O’Donnell said. “Our depth started coming up a little bit and that’s what we’re very concerned with -- our depth – in case somebody goes down.  We’re getting ready for the regional.”

O’Donnell said Boardman is a “true cross country course” unlike some level, straight-forward courses which produce faster times.

“It’s not one of these race tracks you just go out and run fast,” he said. “You have to think about it. You have to use the down hills correctly. You have to be able to do these turns and not slow down as you go around the turns. And you have to be able to understand how to run in a pack.”

Seniors believe experience at Boardman is invaluable.

“There are a lot of turns and you have to accelerate off of them,” said Stow-Munroe Falls senior Nick Hall, after a 15th-place showing (16:36.1). “It’s just tough.

“This course, I run differently than all of the other courses. I start farther in the back and just work my way up. This is really the only one that I do that.”

Nordonia senior Pat Osborne posted a top-10 finish (16:28.4) and agreed with Hall.

“There are quick up hills, but if you get up those and you work the turns well, you’ll be fine,” he said. “You just have to make sure you don’t get cut off. With so many people in the race, you have to take the turns wide so you don’t get stuck in the middle of everything.”

Osborne has adopted Hall’s approach as the two friends stood and reflected on past races.

“He beat me at regionals last year, doing the same thing he just said,” Osborne said. “So, I tried to hang back a little bit more this time and it seemed to work better. So, I think that’s what I’m going to do from now on.”

Asked what a runner can carry forward from Boardman to other big meets, the Nordonia standout replied, “Energy. There are just so many people.  It’s just intense the entire time. You’re not by yourself at all usually. There is always someone with you.”

A mega meet provides a good barometer for the top competitors, according to Hall.  “You know what teams and who you should be around – usually it’s not about time toward the end of the year,” he said. “It’s more about placing, which is what I go for here.” 

 

Boardman Spartan Cross Country Invitational (5K)

Sept. 17, 2011

Div. III Boys (27 teams)

1. McDonald, 76

8. Rootstown, 210

17. East Canton, 482

27. Mogadore, 757

Individual

1. Matt Pelletier, Burton Berkshire (15:44.2)

11. Josh Schleappi, East Canton (16:47.4)

18. William Morgan, Rootstown (17:12.7)

Div. III Girls (23 teams)

1. Cortland Maplewood, 86

10. Rootstown, 264

11. East Canton, 279

Individual

1. Alexandra Markovich, Hawken (18:41.2)

34. Victoria Konkle, Rootstown (21:25.5)

43. Mackenzie Vincent, East Canton (21:51.1)

Div. II Boys (42 teams)

1. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 101

2. Woodridge, 164

4. CVCA, 224

11. Crestwood, 401

17. Southeast, 517

18. Field, 518

20. Norton, 597

31. Manchester, 763

39. Streetsboro, 1076

Individual

1. Ean DiSilvio, Allerdice (16:06.9)

3. Patrick O’Brien, St. V-M (16:20.4)

4. Drake Sulzer, Woodridge (16:24.9)

9. David Cremi, CVCA (16:53.5)

10. Steve Green, Crestwood (16:55.9)

12. Mick Iacofano, St. V-M (16:58.8)

13. Ben Bockoven, CVCA (16:58.4)

14. Sean Poholski, St. V-M (17:01.3)

Div. II Girls (42 teams)

1. CVCA, 45

2. St. Vincent-St. Mary, 65

4. Crestwood, 222

5. Field, 244

9. Woodridge, 343

20. Southeast, 550

23. Garrettsville Garfield, 628

28. Streetsboro, 779

29. Ravenna, 784

31. Coventry, 830

37. Norton, 948

41. Manchester, 1123

Individual

1. Samantha Bockoven, CVCA (19:00.3)

2. Sarah MacIntosh, CVCA (19:11.3)

3. Marissa Rossetti, St. V-M (19:19.1)

6. Karlie Lieberth, Crestwood (19:36.2)

7. Natalie Pasicznyk, CVCA (19:40.6)

9. Mallory Myers, CVCA (19:51.2)

12. Amanda Sollenberger, St. V-M (19:56.6)

14. Samantha Kirk, St. V-M (20:02.1)

17. Tessa Weigand, St. V-M (20:06.4)

19. Julia Mendiola, St. V-M (20:09.6)

Div. I Boys (36 teams)

1. North Allegheny, 96

4. Hudson, 185

6. Brunswick, 230

9. Stow-Munroe Falls, 263

12. Nordonia, 316

15. Green, 342

17. Twinsburg, 423

25. Highland, 677

28. Kent Roosevelt, 743

30. Revere, 904

32. Firestone, 981

36. Coventry, 1162

Individual

1. Dan Jaskowak, Grove City (15:43.5)

8. Garrett Crichlow, Twinsburg (16:11.9)

10. Patrick Osborne, Nordonia (16:28.4)

12. Nolan Reilly, Hudson (16:32.6)

15. Nick Hall, Stow-Munroe Falls (16:36.1)

20. Vince Moeglin, Hudson (16:41.3)

21. Matt Chojnacki, Hudson (16:42.7)

Div. I Girls (29 teams)

1. Brunswick, 68

2. Hudson, 113

9. Nordonia, 293

12. Green, 354

13. Stow-Munroe Falls, 356

15. Twinsburg, 385

16. Kent Roosevelt, 461

20. Highland, 556

22. Revere, 611

28. Firestone, 726

Individual

1. Carissa Jenkins, Fitch (18:40.7)

2. Selena Pasadyn, Brunswick (18:51.6)

3. Caroline Sauers, Hudson (19:05.4)

4. Krista Roehlig, Green (19:07.5)

5. Sarah Meek, Firestone (19:13.4)

7. Loren McDaniel, Brunswick (19:32.5)

11. Madison Hartline, Hudson (19:42.5)

12. Kristine Camper, Brunswick (19:46.7)

15. Marissa SInko, Hudson (19:51.9)

18. Tara Horton, Brunswick (19:56.8)

19. Kayla Andersen, Stow-Munroe Falls (19:59.6)