PHOTO BY RICK CHARLES
The Woodridge boys cross country team placed second at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Invitational cross country meet on Saturday in Peninsula.
Characters welcome.
That was the motto of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy girls cross country coach George Hallis and Woodridge boys mentor Jeff Howard after the 26th running of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Invitational cross country meet on Saturday.
While both have grown accustomed to winning (the Royals count five first-place finishes this season, and Woodridge had won the CVNP six years in a row), they weren’t unsatisfied with second-place finishes.
Not in the muddy conditions at Kendall Hills, which is already one of the toughest courses in the state.
“We wanted them to go out and have some fun,” said Hallis, who was missing Sammy Bockoven and Mia Yeager. “It was our homecoming today, the guys pulled out of the race and the middle school did, too. Today was about having fun. It was to get the experience. It’s pretty tough.”
Brecksville continued its three-year reign at the race and found a winner in Lauren Greenlee.
But CVCA picked up a third-place finish from Natalie Pasicznyk and seventh- and ninth-place finishes from Sarah MacIntosh and Mallory Myers to stay on the heels of the Bees.
It also kept the Royals ahead of third-place finisher Woodridge, which was also missing its No. 2 and 3 runners (Emiko Waight and Angelina Moore).
“The goal today was to get out fast because you’re dead at the end,” Hallis said. “You take two steps up the hill and come back one. I was very proud of the girls.”
Almost as equally proud of his boys was Howard, whose team gritted out a runner-up finish to Chardon.
With Matt Wojcik out, the Bulldogs saw Drake Sulzer finish second behind Chardon’s Tyler Kawalec, who paced the Hilltopers to the team title.
Steve Frederick added a top-10 finish as well for Woodridge, which stayed firmly ahead of third-place finisher Watkins Memorial by 61 points.
“You go into a race like this with an open mind and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to do good today and not, ugh, it’s muddy, I’m not going to run fast,’” Sulzer said. “Our team has that advantage. We’re mudders. We love this stuff.
“It’s not about the time, it’s about the team. This means a lot. We ran great as a team. It feels great to finish second as an individual, but I feel great because our team put it all together.”
That’s what Howard looked at as well. It wasn’t about the fact his Bulldogs lost the CVNP for the first time in seven years or that Chardon finished so strong as a team with four top 20 finishers.
It was about picking up character and running through adversity with a sledge hammer.
“You have two options on days like this,” Howard said. “You’re either going to have fun or let it get to you. But our kids handled it real well.
“We’re going to get better. I would have liked to see Drake win it, but he ran a great race and ended his career nice at home. The biggest deal is handling the adversity. They’ve grown enough that they don’t worry about time. This course is the toughest in Ohio no question about it, but I’m very happy with them. We’re in great shape.”
Boys
Team standings (top 10)
1. Chardon 60; 2. Woodridge 70; 3. Watkins Memorial 131; 4. Tallmadge 135; 5. Twinsburg 153; 6. Nordonia 181; 7. Crestwood 220; 8. Brecksville 229; 9. Rootstown 244; 10. Bay 274.
Individual results
1. Tyler Kawalec (Chardon) 18:22.1; 2. Drake Sulzer (Woodridge) 18:35.9; 3. Nicholas Elswick (Chardon) 18:43.3; 4. Lou Styles (Midpark) 18:45.3; 5. Garrett Crichlow (Twinsburg) 18:48.5.
Girls
Team standings
1. Brecksville-Broadview Hts 50; 2. CVCA 64; 3. Woodridge 124; 4. Twinsburg 148; 5. Crestwood 168; 6. Nordonia 215; 7. Tallmadge 216; 8. Watkins Memorial 250; 9. Garrettsville Garfield 257; 10. Normandy 312.
Individual results
1. Lauren Greenlee (Brecksville) 22:19.3; 2. Shakita Kabicek (Midpark) 22:28.0; 3. Natalie Pasicznyk (CVCA) 22:40.7; 4. Bryanna Aldrich (Twinsburg) 22:44.9; 5. Leah Vasarhelyi (Nordonia) 23:02.2.
For complete results CLICK HERE