Staff report
HEBRON — Fort Loramie boys cross country coach Dennis Prenger said the Division 3 state championship his team won Saturday morning wasn’t just for him and the seven runners who pulled it off.
“This day was a long time in the making and this title is for every guy that ever wore the Fort Loramie cross country uniform,” he said. “The program has a long, proud tradition and coaches like Ken Ruth, Ken Sowards and especially Steve Stickley have their fingerprints all over who we are today. They laid the foundation and these kids just built on that strong base.”
The Redskins finished the season ranked third in Division 3 in the state behind No. 1 Maplewood and No. 2. St. Thomas Aquinas. And it was Maplewood that was leading the points race after both the first and second miles.
But Maplewood’s fifth runner faded from 28th after two miles to 50th at the end, and that was all the opening Loramie needed, since Redskin runners took three of the top seven spots among the team runners. Sophomore Jake Rethman was eighth overall, senior Tom Ballas placed 10th and sophomore Joe Ballas was 13th.
When it was over, the Redskins had 97 points to 120 for Aquinas and 125 for Maplewood.
“We went to the course on Friday to run through it and we discussed each phase of the race,” said Prenger. “I told the boys that they didn’t have to do anything extra to have an exceptional day. The race unfolded exactly as we had discussed. Jake, Tom and Joe did what we have come to expect. To put three runners on to the All-Ohio podium was a tremendous accomplishment.
“The front three put us in great position but it was the effort of our four and five (Noah Siegel and Alan Holdheide) that closed the deal,” Prenger added. “When we went to the podium the other guys wanted Alan and Noah to be on the top of the podium to receive the trophy. I’ve said it before, there are no egos on this team. When I look back at that picture 20 years from now, that’s what I will remember.”
Siegel was 66th overall and Holdheide 87th, and that translated to 34th and 48th among the team runners. Collin Luthman was 145th overall and Gavin Schulze 166th.
“We don’t shy away from our program’s tradition so they know all the names,” Prenger said. “Now Jake, Tom and Joe are three of the five fastest guys to wear our uniform. That’s crazy, because guys like Mitch Meinerding, Jason Simon, Marcus Turner, Scott Barga and others set a heck of a standard.
Prenger was reminded of what Anna’s longtime coach Dean Stewart said in preseason, that Fort Loramie should be favored to win it all.
“Earlier this week I was asked about coach Stewart’s prediction,” Prenger said. “And I said I hoped he would be right. You won’t find anyone more knowledgeable about cross country in the area, and his endorsement meant a lot. There have been some really good teams in the area and Anna was one of those teams we chased the last few years. It takes great competition to draw the best out of teams. Our schedule helped us gain confidence, and our guys are excited to end the Northeast reign in D-3 boys cross country and to bring back a state title, not only to the Fort Loramie community but the Shelby County League.”
Anna also ran as a team in the D-3 boys meet and placed ninth with 251. That’s the same number as eighth-place Summit Country Day, but Country Day was awarded eighth on the sixth runner tiebreaker.
Lucas Huber led the Rockets, placing 27th overall, and Bradley Axe was 13 spots behind in 40th place.
Among individuals, Joe Spitzer of Versailles put the finishing touches on an outstanding season by placing ninth overall and earning All-Ohio honors.
In the Division 3 girls meet, Minster, top-ranked all season long, dominated with just 38 points, 57 better than the runner-up team.
It was Minster’s first state championship in girls cross country since 2010. The Lady Wildcats were runner-up last season.
Freshman Emma Watcke led the Lady Wildcats, placing fourth in 18:36.9. Senior Morgan Pohl was second for Minster and 13th overall in 18:52.9, and sophomore Kaitlynn Albers was 14th in 18:56.3.
Another freshman, Gwen Meiring, was 25th in 19:15.5, junior Cassie Francis was 36th in 19:31.9, freshman Mackenzie Bohman was 40th in 19:39, and Madeline Magoto, also a sophomore, was 80th overall in 20:14.5.
The Russia girls were 14th in the final team standings and led by Megan Frazier, a junior, who was 33rd in 19:29.1.
Fort Loramie’s girls placed 17th and got a strong run from freshman Paige Rethman, who finished 37th in 19:33.2.
BOYS
Division 3
1, Fort Loramie — 8. Jake Rethman 16:07.4; 10. Tom Ballas 16:09.5; 14. Joe Ballas 16:14.3; 66. Noah Siegel 17:04.2; 87. Alan Holdheide 17:17.7; 145. Collin Luthman 18:00.6; 165. Gavin Schulze 18:25.9.
9. Anna — 27. Lucas Huber 16:30.6; 40. Bradley Axe 16:40.5; 92. Joel Gaier 17:20.9; 114. Matthew Burden 17:36.7; 138. Kyle Christman 18:50.4; 149. Dylan Berner 18:05.1; 187. Patrick Toller 19:38.4.
Division 2
Versailles — 9. Joe Spitzer, 15:53.2; 51. Noah Pleiman 16:41.5.
GIRLS
1. Minster — 5. Emma Watcke 18:32.1; 13. Morgan Pohl 18:52.9; 14. Kaitlynn Albers 18:56.3; 25. Gwen Meiring 19:15.6; 36. Cassie Francis 19:31.9; 40. Mackenzie Bohman 19:39.0; 80. Madeline Magoto 20:14.5.
14. Russia — 33. Megan Frazier 19:29.2; 100. Audrey Gariety 20:35.5; 105. Claire Meyer 20:40.4; 121. Anna Fiessinger 21:04.0; 130. Shae Goubeaux 21:16.8; 149. Becky Pinchot 21:59.3; 157. Clare Caldwell 22:23.2.
17. Fort Loramie — 37. Paige Rethman 19:33.2; 116. Hannah Siegel 20:55.4; 122. Jenna Thomas 21:04.2; 135. Avory Smith 21:31.7; 150. Kennedi Gephart 22:02.7; 165. Erin Chaney 22:42.1; 167. Kaitlyn Luebke 22:42.3.
Marion Local — 48. Kelsey Broering 19:43.8.
Lehman — 92. Alanna O’Leary 20:28.6
