Indians 13th at state

OBETZ, Ohio — Ellie Will didn’t quite reach the goal she wanted.

The Indians missed out on their team expectation too. But all is not lost. They’re set up well for the next few years.

Led by four underclassmen, the Fort Recovery High School girls cross country team had its season end during the last meet on the schedule as the Indians placed 13th in OHSAA Division III Cross Country State Championships on Saturday at Fortress Obetz.

“I think they did great,” said FRHS coach Christy Diller. “This is the first time all of these girls have run in a race this big and in a race this fast. It’s warm today.

“Overall, nobody ran a (career best) or anything like that, but I think they were strong and I thought they did a nice job, personally, of pack running. They found each other. They could see each other. I thought they had a strong race.”

West Liberty-Salem won the team championship with 55 points, 28 ahead of four-time defending state champion Minster. Liberty Center was third with 155 points.

Fort Recovery, making just its third trip to the state finals and first since 1999, scored 323 points for 13th, one spot lower than the 1999 squad’s best finish in program history.

The Indians were ranked seventh in their division ahead of the state finals.

“I think we’re pretty proud of how we did,” said Will, a freshman. “We know that we did as good as we could have given the conditions. We’re just happy with how we did.”

Will, who has been the top FRHS runner all season, was chasing her sister Chloe’s school-record time of 19 minutes, 30 seconds. The younger Will made her way into the upper fifth of the 177-runner pack at the first turn after 300 meters, and at the mile mark she was sitting 27th in 5:54.1. Her second mile was 30 seconds slower than her first, as she slipped back to 32nd place.

Her third and final mile, which included the course’s only drastic change in elevation, was roughly a minute slower than her second. Will fell back and finished 40th in 19:53.8.

“I just love how confident she is,” Diller said. “We talked about that before the race, you go out and run your own race, but you belong here and you just go put yourself out there. She does that, and as a freshman that’s nuts. It’s awesome to see.

“The other freshmen take their cues from her. I thought she had a great race so hopefully she was happy with it. I know she had big goals but that’s the awesome part about being a freshman is you’ve got time to get all those.”

Jenna Hart, another freshman, was the Tribe’s second-best runner as she finished 91st in 20:51. Unlike Will, Hart was one of four Indians to climb the ranks as the race went on. Hart was sitting 113th after the first mile and improved 10 spots a mile later. She ended 91st in 20:51.

Sophomore Megan Diller, the coach’s daughter, placed 108th in 21:19.8. Freshman Brynn Stammen and senior Hanna Metzger both moved up throughout the race. Stammen picked off seven competitors after the first mile as she was 121st in 21:37.

At the course’s first turn, Metzger was caught in a big group and got tripped up a bit. The senior didn’t let the mishap affect her, though, as she still managed to pick off runners from that point.

After the first mile Metzger was 147th, but improved 12 spots over the final 2 miles for her finish time of 22:09, which earned her 135th.

“As a senior her leadership has been amazing,” Diller said. “Our other senior, Anna Wendel, those girls are our captains and they just lead these guys every single day

“That’s not the first time Hanna has had a trip or fall in a race this year so thankfully she has practice on runs like that,” Diller said, laughing when she was informed of Metzger’s stumble. “She is a class act. She always is composted and she doesn’t let stuff rattle her. What more can you ask from a senior? That’s just awesome.”

The aforementioned Wendel finished 143rd in 22:21.3, while her sophomore sister Alexis was one spot behind in 22:22. They did not factor into the team total.

Despite Saturday being the final race for Anna Wendel and Metzger, Diller and the Tribe can hang their hats on the young core and the hopes for returning in the future and perhaps besting the 1999 team.

“I think that gives us an excellent starting place for next year,” Diller said, noting she was able to bring some junior high runners Saturday so they could take in the experience. “They were here this year, they got their jitters out. They know what to expect. They’ll come in much more confident.

“They have big goals. I am super proud of these kids. I love them like my own — and one of them is my own — but they work hard every day and they have fun. That’s all we can ask. They are having fun out there and they represent Fort Recovery so well.”

Waynesfield-Goshen sophomore Taylor Spencer, who was sixth overall last year, had a 10-second lead after a mile and appeared to be cruising to the individual state championship. But she fell to 16th after 2 miles and finished 55th in visible pain.

Maplewood’s Caleigh Richards, who did not run in the state meet last year, was two-tenths of a second behind Carey’s Sarah Reinhart after one mile and trailed her by almost a half-second with 1.1 miles to go. Richards overtook Reinhart, who was seventh last season, during the final mile to win the individual title in 18:22.3.