Linerode and Angel lead a middle-school group spread across the area
Indian Valley’s TJ Linerode and Garaway’s Bristol Angel moved to the front of the area middle-school lists on Saturday. The runners behind them make those lists just as interesting.
Linerode ran 11:26.34 for second at Carrollton. Angel finished eighth among 144 girls at Seneca East in 13:35.18. Across the boys and girls top tens, ten of the twelve programs now have at least one runner represented.
For Indian Valley’s boys, the strength extends beyond Linerode. Todd Fillman ran 11:50.05 at Carrollton, and Gage Kreinbihl ran 12:20.47. The Braves have three runners in the boys top ten and finished third as a team with 67 points.
Aiden McMillen made the difference in the tie with Edison. Indian Valley's sixth runner gave the Braves third place after both teams scored 67 points.
At Fort Frye, Caldwell’s Conner Wilson, Buckeye Trail’s Emmett Taylor and Shenandoah’s Bennett Hendershot finished second, third and fourth. Wilson ran 11:53.10, Taylor 12:04.90 and Hendershot 12:06.40. Taylor and Hendershot were separated by just 1.50 seconds, making that a matchup worth following the next time the schools meet.
Taylor's 12:00 at Marietta on August 29 remains his season best. Union Local's Samuel Garcia entered the boys top ten with a 12:06.27 at Carrollton, where Cambridge seventh-grader Simon Kanski ran 12:17.08.
The girls list shows a strong Cambridge pairing behind Angel. Eighth-grader Sophie Callahan finished fifth at Carrollton in 13:58.06, and seventh-grader Ivy Williams was seventh in 14:15.96. Four East Muskingum girls also hold places in the area top ten, giving John Glenn’s feeder program a substantial presence.
Barnesville seventh-grader Maya Stephen also holds a place among the area leaders with her 15:18.80 at the August 26 OVCCL meet. Barnesville's Saturday races at Watkins were canceled.
Carrollton's Henry Roudebush won the boys race in 10:28.74 and Minerva's Alexis Oberly won the girls race in 11:52.81. At Seneca East, Keystone's Trystt Rising led the girls in 12:03.42. Those winners show the strong competition facing the area's middle-school leaders.
Linerode, Angel and the runners behind them have given ten local programs a place in the area top tens. Their next races will offer more chances to see which individuals move up and which teams add depth.
Results: Carrollton, Fort Frye, Seneca East middle school, September 12; OVCCL girls, August 26. The area lists combine two-mile and 3,200m XC races without conversion; original distances remain attached to each time.