HEBRON — Lexington seniors Ryan Johnston, Forest Volz and Josh Mueller stood on the top two steps of the podium on a suddenly warm and sunny Saturday afternoon at National Trail Raceway, their faces etched with a shared look of satisfaction mixed with a hint of astonishment.
The Minutemen would soon collect their second Division II state championship trophy in three seasons and as the large collection of Lex fans roared their approval from the nearby bleachers, Johnston and his classmates were having a hard time wrapping their heads around the moment.
Just two weeks earlier, a stone-faced Johnston stood in front of the media and tried his best to explain how and why the Minutemen, who had spent almost the entire season atop the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Division II state poll, had failed to win a district championship at Galion’s Amann’s Reservoir Park. That honor had gone to Richland County rival Shelby.
“I went up to the guys and was like, ‘We didn’t even win districts,’ ” said Johnston, the incredulity evident in his voice. “Not winning the district championship was a blessing in disguise. We needed that, honestly.
“We were first almost the entire season in the OATCCC state polls. Losing district like that, it brought us down to earth.”
In what turned out to be the closest team competition of the day, the Minutemen edged Sheridan by just four points for the state crown. Lex finished with a team score of 97, while Sheridan finished with 101.
“We absolutely expected it to be that close,” Lexington coach Denise Benson said. “I’ve spent a lot of sleepless nights over the past two weeks knowing it was going to come down to exactly that. It was a battle.
“Those three seniors, it’s going to be bittersweet to see them go. They’ve been such incredible leaders and Ryan Johnston has had a perfect senior season as a captain.”
The affable Johnston put an exclamation point on one of the most storied high school cross country careers in Richland County history with a second-place finish Saturday afternoon. He finished in 15 minutes, 41.9 seconds. Younger brother Kyle was fourth in 15:59.2, while Volz was 15th in 16:15.0. Noah Sgambellone (17:00.3) was 66th, Mueller (17:04.9) was 72nd, Clay Sturts (17:39.3) was 123rd and Chayse Whitesel (17:47.8) was 132nd.
“We went from not even knowing if we would make it out of regionals to the top of the podium at state,” Volz said. “It was crazy, but I couldn’t have asked for more. Not winning the district definitely humbled us.”
Kyle Johnston agreed.
“A lot of motivation came from the district race,” he said. “It definitely helped us out in the long run.”
The Whippets finished sixth in the team standings with 164 points. Sophomore Caleb Brown had a memorable state meet debut with a third-place finish, finishing between Lexington’s Johnston brothers in 15:56.9.
“Our team didn’t do as well as we hoped, but this is a learning experience for us,” Brown said. “I’m happy for what we accomplished.”
Sam Logan was 34th for Shelby in 16:45.4. Blake Lucius (16:54.8) was 54th, while Alex Moore (17:05.0) was 73rd and Sam Swanger (17:23.5) was 102nd. Tyler Green (17:26.1, 109th) and Corbin Osborne (17:35.7, 118th) rounded out the field for the Whippets.
Galion’s Braxton Tate was 57th in 16:55.8.
“The weather was good. The competition was good. I just ran bad,” Tate said. “I usually get out pretty fast. I got out and died for the first time this year.”
Division III: Colonel Crawford’s Chad Johnston defended his Division III state title, winning in 15:33.3
“Honestly, I was going after a (personal record), but the course was a lot slower than I hoped,” Johnston said. “That’s all right. I’m happy with back-to-back state championships.”
The Eagles finished 19th in the team standings with a score of 423. Other finishers for Colonel Crawford included Wade Hopkins (17:35.9, 106th), Braxton James (18:23.1, 146th), Alex Mutchler (18:56.5, 167th), Mason McKibben (19:06.4, 171st), Jacob Hoffman (19:13.6, 174th) and Zach Leonhart (19:43.0, 179th).
Mapleton’s Drew Roberts (16:14.9) and Kris Kopchak (16:29.0) were ninth and 21st, respectively. Lucas’ Gavin Shindeldecker was 98th in 17:32.7.
