GALION — Round one of the three-round postseason slugfest between two of the state’s top distance runners went to Shelby’s Caleb Brown.
Brown tracked down Lexington’s Kyle Johnston in the final mile and sped to the Division II district title Saturday at wind-swept Amann Reservoir Park.
A junior, Brown crossed the finishing line in 15 minutes, 21.8 seconds to capture his first district title. Johnston was second in 15:35.4.
“I was slowly picking up pace and trying to catch him,” said Brown, who flirted with the school record of 16:20. “That was my game plan the whole time, to sit and wait and, in the last 600 meters, pull really hard.”
With a strong wind at their backs, Johnston and Galion’s Braxton Tate pushed the tempo early.
“Kyle was a little aggressive today. He wanted to be aggressive and try to go for the school record and I told him it could cost him the race,” Lex coach Denise Benson said. “I told him when it’s windy, the risk is the wind conversion is going to hurt you and he’s going to walk you down. Kyle said, ‘If he does, he does and we will re-adjust next week.’
“That was his call and I honored it.”
Johnston had no regrets.
“I figured it’s districts. It’s early and I might as well try something,” Johnston said. “Obviously, it didn’t work. There’s nothing I can do about it now, but I’ll definitely change strategies going forward.”
As for the team title, the Whippets defended their district championship with 37 points. Lexington was second with 59.
Shelby has been ranked first in Division II in the Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches state poll each of the past seven weeks.
“We’ve handled the pressure really well,” Shelby coach Chris Zuercher said. “This is seven straight weeks now that we’ve been No. 1 and we’re OK with that. It’s an elite group that can handle that pressure.”
For Shelby, Sam Logan was third in 15:48.1. Blake Lucius (16:38.3) was seventh, while Sam Swanger (17:02.0) was 11th and Corbin Osborne (17:10.3) was 15th.
Lexington finished second in the team standings with 59 points. Noah Sgambellone (16:41.2) and Clay Sturts (16:41.5) finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Chayse Whitesel (17:13.2) was 16th and Ethan Peebles (17:34.5) was 24th despite losing a shoe early in the race.
Galion’s Tate (16:05.1) finished fourth to earn a spot at next week’s Tiffin regional. Bucyrus’ Dakota Hedrick (17:16.5) was 18th. The top five teams and top 20 individuals advanced.
Division III: There were two Division III races run at Galion on Saturday. Lucas’ Gavin Shindeldecker was the top area finisher in the first race, placing second in 16:40.
“I was about five seconds off my PR, so I’m right where I wanted to be,” Shindeldecker said. “I feel like I’m ahead of schedule compared to the last couple of years.”
Mansfield Christian’s Clay Reynolds was fourth in 16:53.9.
Wynford grabbed the fourth and final qualifying spot with 150 points. Noah Smith was the top finisher for the Royals, placing 16th in 17:45.8.
In the second Division III race, Crestview won the team title with 40 points. Leo Ringler led the Cougars, finishing second in 16:47.6. Jacob Littleton (17:15.6) and Ian Trent (17:18.4) were fifth and sixth, respectively.
“I felt good going in,” Ringler said. “I wasn’t expecting to go in the 16:40s. That’s my fastest time.”
Plymouth’s Levi Robinson and Justin Robinson both earned individual berths to next week’s regional meet. Levi Robinson was fourth in 16:59.2 and Justin Robinson was 11th in 17:37.4.
St. Peter’s Luke Henrich and Colonel Crawford’s Braxton James also earned regional invitations. Henrich was seventh in 17:21, while James was 10th in 17:34.1.
