Ottawa-Glandorf’s Alexa Fortman (911) and Shawnee’s Molly Stump (899) run with a pack of runners during the girls Division II race at Saturday’s Tiffin regional.
TIFFIN — Shawnee junior Noah Williams always wants to get out to a fast start.
In nearly all of his races this cross-country season, Williams has raced out to big leads, and held on for the victories.
At Saturday’s Division I regional race at Tiffin’s Hedges-Boyer Park, Williams got out to that good lead.
However, in the second half of the race, Williams was challenged, and was forced to display his closing speed as he shrugged off Anthony Wayne’s Connor Long for the win.
Williams crossed the finish line in a personal-best time of 15 minutes, 40.3 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. His winning time also was a school record. Long finished in 15:45.1.
Williams got out to a large lead, early on. Then, toward the end, Williams shifted to another gear and pulled away from Long.
“I knew he (Long) was coming, but I knew what I had to do – and that was to stay right behind him, and pass him at the end,” Williams said. “It (winning the regional title) means so much to me, with all the work I have put in. I live for this moment, really. I knew what I had to do today.”
Williams was coming off a strong second-place finish at last Saturday’s district meet at Owens Community College.
At this year’s Western Buckeye League Championships at Ottawa’s Memorial Park, Williams ran away with the victory in 16:13.77.
At Tiffin, Williams was not concerned about how fast his mile splits were.
“The only split that I’m really worried about is that last split,” Williams said with a grin.
Williams said he did not change his approach, coming into Saturday’s regional meet.
“(I just) wanted to come in with that same mentality that I’ve had the past three races. I’m here to win, and to keep lowering my PR (personal record),” Williams said.
Last year, Williams made it to the Division II state meet with his team.
Longtime Shawnee head coach Russ Holly said that Williams was well-prepared for the hilly Tiffin course.
“If you run well at (Lima’s) Faurot Park, then you can run well at Tiffin,” Holly said with a smile. “So, (running) hills are one of those things – where it can be your enemy, or it can be your friend. When you go up the hill, you will have to come down. … So, when you come down, don’t slow down.
“We talked about what he had to do in order to attack this course. … At the top (of the hills) you have to sell out. … He has the ability to go.”
In the Division I race at the Tiffin regional, the top two teams, along with the top eight individual finishers, advanced to next Saturday’s state meet at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park.
Williams’ teammate, Carter Cleaves, finished 19th overall in 16:39.
The Shawnee girls team finished fourth in Saturday’s Division II race and qualified for the state meet.
In the Division II race, the top four teams, along with the top 16 individual placers advanced to the state meet.
Leading the way for Shawnee on Saturday were seniors Molly Stump (eighth, 18:53.7) and Alaina Williams (10th, 18:58.1).
The rest of Shawnee’s scorers included Jenna Stump (25th, 20:26.9), Savannah Hohe (47th, 21:28) and Tayma Jmiai (57th, 21:50.9).
Stump and Williams saved their best races for the regional race.
“It’s the first time I have broken into the 18s (18 minutes),” Molly Stump said. “I’m so excited. It was awesome. The competition really helped.”
Alaina Williams, the sister of Noah Williams, will be making her fourth trip to the state cross country meet.
Williams’ freshman and sophomore seasons, she went to the state meet as part of the qualifying team. Then, as a junior, Williams qualified for state as an individual.
Saturday at Tiffin, Williams also set a personal best.
“I knew people would be calling out places during the race,” Williams said. “So, once I heard ‘14, 15 (places),’ I started striding out. I never got into the 19s until this year. … Then, I wanted to get into the 18s; and I just did that.”
O-G girls, boys advance
The Ottawa-Glandorf program keeps checking the boxes.
At Saturday’s regional meet at Tiffin, the Ottawa-Glandorf girls and boys teams advanced to the state meet in Division II. This is the first time O-G has sent cross country teams to the state meet.
On the girls side, O-G finished third (107), right above Western Buckeye League rival Shawnee (124). Lexington won the team title (75), while Eastwood finished second (85).
O-G senior Alexa Fortman placed second Saturday, clocking a personal-best time of 18:20.5. Shelby’s Kayla Gonzales won the race in 18:06.8.
“Last year, I didn’t have a great race,” Fortman said. “To come back and really push hard was really a big thing. I truly give all the glory to God. This was all part of His plan. I spent the year kind of working toward staying confident and focused.”
Those rounding out the scorers for O-G on Saturday included Madelyn Hovest (17th, 19:49), Corinne Closson (26th, 20:27), Olivia Fenbert (33rd, 20:55.44) and Rose Turnwald (48th, 21:28.9).
In the Division II girls race, the top four teams, along with the top 16 individual placers advanced to the state meet.
Area girls that qualified as individuals Saturday in D-II were Celina’s Kaylie Dameron (third, 18:42.1), and her sister Jennalee Dameron (16th, 19:32.9). Kaylie Dameron is a three-time Western Buckeye League champion.
On the boys side, O-G placed third (111). Shelby won the title (59). Liberty-Benton (108) finished second, while Bath notched the fourth and final qualifying spot (115).
Sophomore Ty Rosengarten led O-G with a sixth-place finish (16:34.3).
Rounding out the top five runners for the Titans were Ty Buckland (18th, 16:55.4), Hunter Stechshulte (36th, 17:43.9), Isaac Macke (40th, 17:55.9) and Connor Johnson (49th, 18:08).
Rosengarten did not set a personal best Saturday, but he said he felt like the entire team stepped up.
“It was a tough course. … I will take that time, every day on this course,” Rosengarten said with a grin. “We had guys step up today; and we got the job done.”
Bath stamps ticket
The Bath boys team made history Saturday as it placed fourth in Division II, and qualified for the state meet (as a team) for the first time in school history. The Wildcats finished just four points behind O-G.
Jacob Wireman led Bath with a 12th-place finish (16:41.1). Connor Raines (29th, 17:20.4), Everett Bensman (31st, 17:25.1), Landen Jones (33rd, 17:40) and Treg Sibert (52nd, 18:19.5) rounded out the top five runners for Bath.
“There are five sophomores, one junior and one senior (in the top seven),” Bath head coach Dan Grime said. “Four of these guys have run with us since seventh grade or eighth grade. So, they’ve had experience.
“They got better as the season went along. They pretty much ran their race (Saturday). The amazing thing is that we still have not won a single meet the whole season. We’ve been second multiple times, and have been third multiple times.”
In Division II, the top four teams, along with the top 16 individuals advanced to the state meet.
Area boys in Division II that qualified for the state meet as individuals were St. Marys’ Calvin Morris (ninth, 16:37.7) and Tyler Birt (10th, 16:38.7), Van Wert’s Drew Laudick (11th, 16:39.8), Defiance’s Josiah Gonzales (13th, 16:42.5) and Celina’s Colin Buening (15th, 16:42.8).
Minster girls win crown
Last year, Minster won the Division III state title.
At Saturday’s regional meet at Tiffin, Minster looked poised to defend its title.
Minster soundly defeated the field Saturday, scoring 76 points, compared to second-place Colonel Crawford’s 151 points.
In the girls Division III race, seven teams, along with the top 28 individual placers advanced to the state meet.
Patrick Henry (third, 156), Liberty Center (fourth, 170), Ottawa Hills (fifth, 201), Huron (sixth, 230) and Fort Recovery (seventh, 265) rounded out the rest of the state-qualifying teams.
Taylor Roth led the way for Minster, finishing sixth (18:46). Margaret Hemmelgarn (11th, 19:08.9), Chaney Cedarleaf (15th, 19:15.5), Annie Hemmelgarn (23rd, 19:25.5) and Morgan Ketner (37th, 20:13) rounded out the scorers for Minster.
Longtime Minster girls head coach Jessie Magoto said her team does not dwell on what it’s done in the past.
“It’s one year to the next. … It doesn’t matter,” she said. “There’s nothing to defend. It’s a new team. … It’s a new group. They’re all different ages. We’re just getting out there to compete.”
Lincolnview freshman Brynleigh Moody (22nd, 19:23.4) qualified for state as an individual.
Area D-III runners shine
Lincolnview and Columbus Grove have battled all season long.
It wasn’t any different at Saturday’s Division III regional meet at Tiffin. Coming in, Lincolnview and Columbus Grove knew Ottawa Hills was going to pose a huge challenge.
Ottawa Hills ran away with the regional title Saturday, scoring 99 points. Lincolnview finished second (159), while Columbus Grove was a close third (164).
The top seven teams, along with the top 28 individual placers, qualified for the state meet.
Marion Local (fourth, 182), Bluffton (fifth, 233), Archbold (sixth, 235) and St. Paul (seventh, 252) rounded out the seven state-qualifying teams.
Ottawa Hills’ Riley Nixon won the D-III race Saturday in 15:49.9.
Bluffton’s Erik Nygaard was a close second (15:54.1), while teammate Landon Armstrong was close behind in fifth (15:59.2).
“Landon and I came in wanting to win,” Nygaard said. “We had our eyes set on that goal. We tried our hardest, today; and that’s all we can ask for.
“It’s really exciting. We were hoping to make it back to state. We knew we had better odds than last year. So, it’s an exciting time right now.”
Armstrong said, “That’s what I was aiming for, a sub-16 (minutes). I was a little sick this week. So, I’m still recovering. But I’m pretty happy at how it went.”
Lincolnview’s pack was solid Saturday. Conner Baldauf led the Lancers (23rd, 16:39.3). Kreston Tow (24th, 16:39.9), Evan Johns (37th, 17:04.6), Maddox Norton (62nd, 17:36.6) and Kaleb Denman (66th, 17:43.4) rounded out the scorers for Lincolnview.
For Columbus Grove, Trent Koch led the way with a 14th-place finish (16:36.5). Luke Ellerbrock (38th, 17:07.6), Bryce Bonifas (42nd, 17:19.9), Evan Pitts (44th, 17:20.9) and Anden Blankemeyer (76th, 17:50) rounded out the top five for the Bulldogs.
“That’s what regionals are all about – just move on to state,” Koch said.
Longtime Columbus Grove boys head coach Terry Schnipke put it in perspective after Saturday’s race.
“I’m thrilled,” Schnipke said. “I hate to say it, but I think people can take it for granted when you’ve been to state a couple times. … It’s really not that easy. This is a tough regional. There are some really good teams here. So, I’m pretty pleased with third. Lincolnview and us have been competing all year. So, it can go either way.”
Area runners that qualified as individuals in D-III were Upper Scioto Valley’s Joe Parker (sixth, 16:07.2), Spencerville’s Lanny Oakman (seventh, 16:11.2), Fort Recovery’s Trevor Heitkamp (ninth, 16:26) and Minster’s Jack Grieshop (27th, 16:43.4).
Joe Parker was pleased with Saturday’s performance.
“It’s great (to advance to the state meet),” Parker said. “Being here last year, and barely making it – it feels good to be here and finish top 10.”
Lanny Oakman was happy with how he ran Saturday.
“It was insane,” Oakman said. “My coach was telling me, ‘Just stay in that second pack for a little bit. … Then you can begin to push.’ I felt super good. So, I managed to keep up with them for a while. I started to fall off at about 2 ½ miles. But I thought, ‘I’m OK with seventh. … I’m going to state’. “
Mark Altstaetter wrote this story for LimaScores.com. Reach The Lima News sports department at 567-242-0451.
