Local Sports

Quakers are picking up the pace

BOARDMAN -- Missing the state cross country meet by one spot each of the past three seasons made the Salem boys want it more.

"At the beginning of the season, we always think we're going on and when we don't, it makes us work harder," Salem junior Colton Hall said.

The Salem boys earned their first state berth as a team since 2018 and second since the 2005 championship season after finally getting out of the Boardman regional meet Saturday.

"The boys were literally places away the last three years," Salem coach Ted Yuhaniak said. "They were running for every place."

The Quakers finished eighth out of 38 teams in the Division III meet. The top 10 teams and top 20 individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the state meet this Saturday at Fortress Obetz.

"They seemed to have a different look in their eyes this year," Yuhaniak said.

"You knew they were going to do it this championship season, what we call it."

"It took a lot of perseverance," Hall said.

The Quakers scored 297 points with two runners under 17 minutes and two more under 17:16.

Hall edged senior teammate Luke Stephens for 31st place in the crowded 337-runner field to top the Quakers.

Hall's time of 16 minutes, 31.5 seconds was his best at the 3.1-mile course at Boardman High School by 40 seconds.

"It was a team effort, even though I ran really well," he said. "It took all of us."

Also for the Quakers, freshman Taven Tice was 60th, junior Alex Rea 91st, senior Sam Yakubek 97th, senior Jackson Dowd 280th and senior CJ Siembida 296th.

"All the miles we put in during the summer are paying off," Hall said.

Yakubek ran at the state meet the last two years as an individual, while Stephens also qualified last season.

Hall has been running his best late in the season and was the Eastern Buckeye Conference champion in a loaded field.

"We've been dropping miles," he said.

Hall said he was putting in 60-65 miles a week in August and September and has reduced it to 25-30 miles.

"We're kind of enjoying this moment," he said. "I think we can compete against everyone at state, so I'm thinking a top five finish (as a team)."

MORE QUALIFIERS

West Branch has two state qualifiers and South Range one.

West Branch senior Kyle Ormiston was 23rd in the Division III boys race (16:44.3).

West Branch freshman Tenley Stitle was 24th in the Division III girls race (20:08.0).

South Range freshman Ryan Fieldhouse was sixth in the Division IV boys race (16:37.9).

MEET NOTES

• The four divisions contested Saturday drew 1,788 runners to Boardman -- 911 boys and 877 girls.

• Lisbon senior Caiden Carlisle was the Blue Devils' first regional qualifier in 14 years. He finished 121st out of 181 runners in the Division IV boys race.

The last regional qualifiers were Bobbi Jo Evans and Carmen Phillips in 2012, while the last Lisbon boy run at regionals was Chad Bosel in 2011.

• Now that the Quakers are cutting their mileage, what is Hall doing with the extra time?

"School work, relaxing and sleeping," he said.•

• The Salem boys cross country team has 19 state appearances -- nine of them since 1990.