TIFFIN — One more step for Marty Coolidge.
The Elyria Catholic junior added a Division II regional championship to the district title he won a week ago, easily outdistancing the field Saturday at Hedges-Boyer Park, and helped EC win a trip to next week’s boys state meet.
The Panthers finished third with 132 points. Defiance won the division handily with 80 points. Bay, which edged EC on a tie-breaker for the district championship last week, was comfortably in second place with 116.
 “I didn’t expect to win, but I knew I could,” Coolidge said. “I was happy with the way I ran. I wanted to get that first spot for the team.”
Coolidge did it in 15:42.95, nine seconds faster than Bay’s Michael Brajdic (15:51.94). It was well off his personal best of 15:17, but Coolidge said the 50 degrees and strong wind might have slowed everyone.
Jordan Hawkins of Bay was fifth at 16:17.86.
“We placed about where I thought we would,” EC coach Chuck Lynch said. “Our No. 5 guy was far back, but our sixth runner, P.J. Foreman, ran a really good race and got fifth for us.”
Foreman came in 67th. The rest of the Panthers’ scorers were Dan Kuhman (23rd), Bryce Steindl (27th) and Matt Wiehe (40th).
Two other Division II boys will be headed to the state meet at Scioto Downs this coming Saturday. Nate Rodriguez of Vermilion, who was seventh at the district, took eighth place Saturday with a time of 16:24.31.
 “This is my favorite course,” said Rodriguez, a regional qualifier in 2007. “I think having better competition here pushed me to a faster time.”
 Andy Ventura of Avon (16:40.32) earned a state berth by coming in 16th. The first 16 runners, whether or not they go with their entire teams, get to go to the state meet.
 Amherst put two runners in the Division I state meet. Kyle Lowry (16:06.69) finished in 11th place, while Miles Pittak (16:15.01) was No. 14.
 “The first mile here is really fast,” Lowry said. “A lot of guys go too fast and burn out. I wanted to hold back and pick guys off at the end.
 “They call the second mile Death Valley,” Lowry said, a reference to it being the doom for many runners. “I’ve been one of those guys in years past. It’s not fun, let me tell you.”
 “I mapped it out and figured I had to equal my personal record at the 2-mile mark,” Pittak said. “I was three seconds slower, but I was 15th so I was all right.”
 Two area girls, both in Division II, will be headed to state. Erin Schneider of Avon finished ninth at 19:37.42 and Elyria Catholic’s Michelle Clark was No. 11.
 “Yeah, I’m very happy, although I could have done better,” said Schneider, who was second in the district meet. “The first two miles were tough, but I tried to kick it in for the third mile. This is one of my favorite courses. All the girls on the team love it.”
For Clark, Saturday was her first time on the Hedges-Boyer course. Clark, a senior, is running cross country for the first time in her high school career.
“It’s a nice course,” Clark said. “I think if it had been warmer I would have liked it better, but it’s a fast course with all the hills.”
The lowest team score of the day went to the Medina boys, who won Division I with 71 points.

DIVISION I

BOYS
TEAM SCORES
Medina 71, Green 94, St. Ignatius 96, St. John’s Jesuit 129, Hudson 152, Brecksville 167, Cuyahoga Falls 208, Revere 237, Stow-Munroe Falls 247, Avon Lake 259, Amherst 282, St. Edward 297, Sylvania Southview 319, Perrysburg 339, Whitmer 372, Brunswick 373.
CHAMPION: Julian Meyer (Revere) 15:19.81.
LOCAL QUALIFIERS: 11. Kyle Lowry (Amherst) 16:06.69, 14. Miles Pittak (Amherst) 16:15.01
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES
Notre Dame Academy 95, Sylvania Northview 103, Hudson 118, Medina 140, Brecksville 159, Stow-Munroe Falls 159, Brunswick 166, Wadsworth 186, Sylvania Southview 190, Amherst 233, Findlay 271, Perrysburg 298, Avon Lake 303, Sandusky 355, Toledo Central Catholic 380.
CHAMPION: Angela Williams (Hudson) 18:08.46.
LOCAL QUALIFIERS: None.
 

DIVISION II

BOYS
TEAM SCORES
Defiance 80, Bay 116, Elyria Catholic 132, Toledo Central Catholic 134, Rocky River 166, Vermilion 193, Shelby 196, Edison 226, Willard 236, Clyde 236, Van Wert 252, Ontario 259, Eastwood 295, Shawnee 313, Bellevue 322, Napoleon 323.
CHAMPION: Marty Coolidge (Elyria Catholic)
BAY: 2. Michael Brajdic 15:51.94, 5. Jordan Hawkins 16:17.86; 31. Brian Zeuch 17:15.58, 43. Nick Banks 17:25.69, 55. Jeremy Farver 17:37.03.
ELYRIA CATHOLIC: 1. Marty Coolidge 15:42.95, 23. Dan Kuhman 17:03.53, 27. Bryce Steindl 17:06.31, 40. Matt Weihe 17:22.24, P.J. Foreman 17:45.71.
OTHER LOCAL QUALIFIERS: 8. Nate Rodriguez (Vermilion) 16:24.31, 16. Andy Ventura (Avon) 16:40.32.
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES
Edison 108, Rocky River 121, Wauseon 128, Tiffin Columbian 145, Defiance 148, Maumee 149, Avon 165, Napoleon 201, Bay 223, Galion 225, Van Wert 264, Hathaway Brown 265, Lexington 272, Oak Harbor 300, Otsego 365, Eastwood 406.
CHAMPION: Jessica Zangmeister (Fairview) 18:04.51.
LOCAL QUALIFIERS: 9. Erin Schneider (Avon) 19:37.42, 11. Michelle Clark (Elyria Catholic) 19:39.91.
 

DIVISION III

BOYS
TEAM SCORES
Elmwood 101, Delta 104, West Unity 156, Stryker 169, Pettisville 177, Sandusky St. Mary 182, Lima Central Catholic 185, Fayette 196, Old Fort 215, Liberty-Benton 215, Toledo Christian 251, Monroeville 257, Tinora 276, Hopewell-Loudon 293, Ottoville 352, Ottawa Hills 361.
CHAMPION: Jim Heider (Lima CC) 16:04.04.
LOCAL QUALIFIERS: None.
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES
Ottoville 84, Liberty-Benton 126, Elmwood 143, Old Fort 144, Lakota 149, Woodmore 150, Toledo Christian 202, Carey 208, Pettisville 233, Liberty Center 248, Fayette 252, Huron 258, Stryker 261, Lima Central Catholic 276, Fairview 341, Montpelier 360.
CHAMPION: Shayla Siefker (Ottoville) 19:00.86.
LOCAL QUALIFIERS: None.

   

 

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