TIFFIN - Elyria Catholic won its first Division II boys regional cross country title since 1999 in convincing fashion Saturday afternoon at Hedges Boyer Park.

And the Panthers haven’t even hit full stride yet.

That’s perhaps the best news for EC.

Why? No. 2-ranked EC will need to reach back for a bit more at the Division II state meet next Saturday at Scioto Downs. That’s because top-ranked Peninsula Woodridge, the defending state champ and this year’s Boardman regional champ, is the favorite.

Elyria Catholic looked solid at Tiffin, scoring 68 points to defeat No. 5 Defiance (115), No. 3 Bay (126) and No. 12 Rocky River (127) for the championship.

Senior Marty Coolidge led Elyria Catholic, finishing third overall in 16:07.64.

“We’re peaking at the right time,” said Coolidge, a two-time All-Ohioan. “We need to stay focused next week. We want to win it, for sure. We’re ready for it.”

Junior Dan Kuhman (11th, 16:37.08), junior Matt Wiehe (18th, 16:50.94), senior Bryce Steindl (20th, 17:00.09) and freshman Greg Nagy (32nd, 17:28.34) rounded out EC’s top five.

“There are a lot of people aiming for us, but we just have to run our race,” Kuhman said. “If we run our race, we can beat anybody. It’s what I think. We’ve only graduated four athletes the last two years. Everybody works their butts off. We deserve every win we get.”

Saturday’s trip to Scioto Downs will be EC’s 15th appearance at the state meet.

“I wouldn’t say we ran phenomenal, but we had a good day,” EC boys coach Chuck Lynch said. “Both Nagy and P.J. Foreman were out sick for districts and Ryan (Lynch) wasn’t feeling good that day. Today, everyone ran solid. Everybody had a good day. That’s what you hope to do at the end of the year. I’m pretty happy.”

From 1972 to 1984, Elyria Catholic won four state titles (1973-74, ‘77-78), took second three times (1972, ‘79 and ‘83) and third once (’75).

“Woodridge is a good team and we’ll be chasing them a bit,” Chuck Lynch said. “That’s our goal … to run well against them. The pressure is kind of on them. They’re the defending champs, they’re ranked No. 1. They know we’re a decent team and we know they’re a good team.”

Avon junior Tyler Kvach qualified individually in the Division II race, taking eighth (16:30.04).

“I told myself after regionals last year that I wasn’t going to miss in ‘09,” Kvach said. “I’m just so excited to make it. I just can’t believe it I made it there. I’m just really pumped.”

The Avon Lake boys team in Division I and the Avon girls in Division II both suffered heartbreak, taking fifth in their respective races, one spot shy of qualifying.

The Avon Lake boys scored 149 points, just three behind Toledo Central Catholic (146) for the last spot. The Shoremen were poised for their first state berth since 1996, but it didn’t happen.

Both senior Matt Link (seventh, 16:11.25) and junior Jimmy Adams (15th, 16:18.11) were bummed about their team’s misfortunes despite qualifying to state as individuals.

“Everyone ran an amazing race,” Link said. “Even the guys that are disappointed ran phenomenal. It (the regional) is a whole other world from the Tiffin Carnival meet. This isn’t the way I wanted it to go out. I’m glad it’s Jimmy and I. We started together and we’ll end our careers together, but it would have meant a lot more if we qualified as a team.”

Said Adams: “It’s nice to qualify, but as a team would have been so much better. Hopefully they can next year.”

Five of the state’s top seven ranked Division I teams were in the field. Avon Lake was ranked No. 7. No. 2 Sylvania Northview beat No. 1

St. Ignatius for the win, 70-80. No. 3 Medina was third (113). Toledo Central was ranked only No. 17. Avon Lake beat Northview, Medina and Toledo Central on Sept. 12. at the Tiffin Carnival.

“I had four coaches come up to me before they posted the results that said, ‘I think you got it,’” Avon Lake coach Rob Juergens said. “I wasn’t even looking at Central Catholic. You can’t focus on any team. You just have to run the best that you can. I knew if we weren’t on our games that there would be teams right there. We’re happy for Matt and Jimmy, but the team has been the goal all year.”

The Avon girls hoped to clinch their first state berth since a third-place finish at the 1988 Class A meet. It didn’t happen. Avon ended up fifth with 158 points.

“The girls didn’t run a good race,” Avon coach Tara Gruskiewicz said. “I think the girls got emotionally worked up about this race for some reason. They were fine through the first half-mile. I think they just panicked. It was more of a mental thing than anything else. It wasn’t a tough field. We should have made it. It was definitely a possibility. We just didn’t get the job done.”

In a shocker, No. 16 Shelby (101) won the Division II girls race. No. 5 Van Wert (116),

No. 4 Rocky River (118) and No. 6 Coldwater (138) rounded out the qualifiers.

Avon Lake sophomore Katy Link, Matt’s sister, qualified to the Division I girls state meet, finishing eighth in 19:02.23.

“I got off to much better start the first mile than I did last year,” Katy said. “Compared to last year, I felt a lot better. I was a lot more relaxed.”

Keystone freshman Brittany Gates missed a Division II state berth by three spots, finishing 19th (20:17.91).

“I felt like I started off well, I just didn’t have enough in the middle of the race to pull through,” Gates said.

Contact Paul Heyse at 329-7135 or phheyse@aol.com.

BOYS

Top 4 teams, 16 individuals advance to state meet

Division I

1. Sylvania Northview, 70; 2. St. Ignatius, 80; 3. Medina, 116; 4. Toledo Central Catholic, 146; 5. Avon Lake, 149; 6. Toledo St. John, 167; 7. Lexington, 190; 8. Toledo St. Francis DeSales, 195; 9. Strongsville, 219; 10. Brecksville, 221; 11. Sylvania Southview, 304; 12. St. Edward, 322; 13. Wadsworth, 361; 14. Oregon Clay, 375; 15. Bowling Green, 392; 16. North Royalton, 425

State qualifiers

1. Hunter Heaton (Medina), 15:43.43; 2. Greg Turissini (St. John), 15:56.47; 3. Steve Graver (TCC), 15:57.82; 4. Mike Wallace (Northview), 16:02.90; 5. Jacob Barnes (Northview), 16:05.24; 6. Evan Baum (St. Ignatius), 16:08.19; 7. Matt Link (Avon Lake), 16:11.25; 8. Preston Benjamin (St. John), 16:12.04; 9. Stephen Wernecke (Lexington), 16:12.27; 10. Dave Ryland (Brecksville), 16:13.66; 11. Jordan Tropf (St. Ignatius), 16:14.32; 12. Sean O’Connell (Northview), 16:16.41; 13. Dave Knack (Medina), 16:16.87; 14. Colby Alexander (Strongsville), 16:16.97; 15. Jimmy Adams (Avon Lake), 16:18.11; 16. Dave Jacobson (Brecksville), 16:21.07

Other local runners

20. Miles Pittak (Amherst), 16:27.38; 36. Justin Housley (Avon Lake), 16:44.23; 51. Trevor Norris (Avon Lake), 16:54.23; 58. Mike Parsons (Avon Lake), 16:57.93; 67. Jack St. Marie (Westlake), 17:06.70; 86. Rob Smaldino (Avon Lake), 17:25.39; 101. Brent Milbaugh (Avon Lake), 17:46.16

Division II

1. Elyria Catholic, 68; 2. Defiance, 115; 3. Bay, 126; 4. Rocky River, 127; 5. Lima Shawnee, 162; 6. Shelby, 170; 7. Pemberville Eastwood, 188; 8. Black River, 233; 9. Millbury Lake, 239; 10. Napoleon, 248; 11. Bucyrus, 279; 12. Tiffin Columbian, 284; 13. Van Wert, 307; 14. Mansfield Ontario, 321; 15. Milan Edison, 323; 16. Tontogany Otsego, 338.

State qualifiers

1. Mike Brajdic (Bay), 15:42.14; 2. Andrew Goodwin (Celina), 15:59.13; 3. Marty Coolidge (EC), 16:07.64; 4. Steve Weaver (Napoleon), 16:10.93; 5. Trevin Flickinger (Defiance), 16:28.25; 6. Abel Flores (Defiance), 16:28.50; 7. Tommy Eldridge (Rocky River), 16:29.05; 8. Tyler Kvach (Avon), 16:30.04; 9. Zack Powell (Millbury Lake), 16:33.92; 10. Adam Schroeder (Shelby), 16:35.68; 11. Dan Kuhman (EC), 16:37.08; 12. Nick Banks (Bay), 16:38.85; 13. Garrett Diltz (Shawnee), 16:39.98; 14. Eric Stoddard (Rocky River), 16:42.31; 15. Jared Fleming (Van Wert), 16:42.84; 16. Ryan Gallagher (Buckeye), 16:43.04

Other local runners

18. Matt Wiehe (EC), 16:50.94; 20. Bryce Steindl (EC), 17:00.09; 21. Sam Bickley (Avon), 17:00.92; 25. Dave Kindall (Black River), 17:10.67; 32. Greg Nagy (EC), 17:28.34; 41. Augustine Kazek (Black River), 17:38.15; 48. Ryan Lynch (EC), 17:44.60; 50. Patrick Foreman (EC), 17:46.72; 61. Jared McFadden (Black River), 17:57.11; 69. John Ziebro (Black River), 18:01.27; 93. Tom Ziebro (Black River), 18:38.22; 125. Seth Reaves (Black River), 20:04.67; 130. Alex Vonderau (Black River), 20:38.93

GIRLS

Top 4 teams, 16 individuals advance to state meet

Division I

1. Magnificat, 34; 2. Brecksville, 116; 3. Brunswick, 151; 4. Medina, 154; 5. North Royalton, 164; 6. Wadsworth, 196; 7. Amherst, 211; 8. Perrysburg, 222; 9. Strongsville, 223; 10. St. Joseph Academy, 224; 11. Avon Lake, 265; 12. Sylvania Southview, 269; 13. Anthony Wayne, 308; 14. North Olmsted, 360; 15. Berea, 388; 16. Findlay, 432

State qualifiers

1. Hannah Neczypor (Norh Royalton), 17:33.07; 2. Madeline Chambers (Magnificat), 17:39.78; 3. Clare Fischer (Magnificat), 18:26.71; 4. Abby Fischer (Magnificat), 18:34.60; 5. Dana Tomasello (North Royalton), 18:58.51; 6. Paige Szabat (Wadsworth), 18:59.46; 7. Anna Boyert (Medina), 19:01.52; 8. Katy Link (Avon Lake), 19:02.23; 9. Abbie Marquard (Magnificat), 19:07.54; 10. Andrea Alt (Perrysburg), 19:11.43; 11. Lexi Lopez (Southview), 19:21.62; 12. Alyssa Moran (Strongsville), 19:14.09; 13. Nicole Cargill (Wadsworth), 19:17.99; 14. Loren McDaniel (Brunswick), 19:20.60; 15. Kendra Kezur (Southview), 19:21.62; 16. Erin Riley (Magnificat), 19:23.75

Other local runners

24. Becca Lamb (North Ridgeville), 19:48.64; 25. Maddie Furrer (Avon Lake), 19:49.90; 33. Ali Pittak (Amherst), 20:06.55; 35. Kasey Schuler (Amherst), 20:08.77; 40. Erica Kelly (Amherst), 20:17.00; 47. Sarah Walters (Amherst), 20:24.87; 50. Miranda Weed (Avon Lake), 20:29.79; 52. Haley Reines (North Olmsted), 20:34.45; 74. Alex Goots (North Olmsted), 20:56.18; 78. Devan Molnar (Amherst), 21:00.33; 85. Sarah Martynowski (North Olmsted), 21:11.88; 86. Abbie Hornyak (Amherst), 21:17.77; 93. Nina Hill (Amherst), 21:34.64; 94. Vanessa Gut (North Olmsted), 21:38.32; 95. Melanie Trefny (North Olmsted), 21:38.87; 96. Amy Veverka (North Olmsted), 21:39.67; 103. Kristin Kenny (Avon Lake), 22:02.80; 104. Lauren LeDuc (Avon Lake), 22:03.08; 105. Jane Dusky (Avon Lake), 22:05.20; 107. Kirsten Kessel (North Olmsted), 22:16.09; 117. Anna Knight (Avon Lake), 24:05.25

Division II

1. Shelby, 101; 2. Van Wert, 116; 3. Rocky River, 118; 4. Coldwater, 138; 5. Avon, 158; 6. Defiance, 180; 7. Oak Harbor, 182; 8. Mansfield Ontario, 182; 9. Maumee, 187; 10. Lexington, 196; 11. Napoleon, 264; 12. Bay, 293; 13. Milan Edison, 297; 14. Elyria Catholic, 298; 15. Bellevue, 370; 16. Pemberville Eastwood, 422

State qualifiers

1. Lauren Taylor (Van Wert), 19:08.78; 2. Mattie Moncayo (Lexington), 19:19.34; 3. Megan Vogelsong (Defiance), 19:21.50; 4. Hanna Sterle (Bay), 19:23.04; 5. Madison Connelly (Rocky River), 19:35.26; 6. Ellen Isaac (Lexington), 19:39.44; 7. Rachel Huddle (Napoleon), 19:39.60; 8. Madi McDonough (Rocky River), 19:42.41; 9. Ashley Figel (Celina), 19:42.58; 10. Marin Baird (Wauseon), 19:44.37; 11. Elyse Bierut (Rocky River), 19:48.98; 12. Chelsea Johnson (Ontario), 19:49.52; 13. Alyssa Brunswick (Coldwater), 19:50.14; 14. Anna Meyer (Defiance), 19:57.21; 15. Adrienne Pohl (Shawnee), 19:57.64; 16. Molly Scott (Shawnee), 20:01.15

Local runners

19. Brittany Gates (Keystone), 20:17.81; 21. Alexa Rick (EC), 20:23.87; 27. Emily Starr (Avon), 20:32.34; 35. Kayla Welch (Avon), 20:45.38; 38. Erin Schneider (Avon), 20:50.93; 41. Linda Morales (Avon), 20:56.30; 53. Maddie Toth (Avon), 21:16.19; 64. Katie Schlather (Avon), 21:29.32; 73. Grace Dill (EC), 21:38.98; 80. Andrea Price (EC), 21:47.78; 89. Liz Bruno (Avon), 22:05.00; 98. Kara Cremean (Vermilion), 22:25.83; 99. Nikki Blair (Keystone), 22:27.33; 104. Kristin Concheck (EC), 22:42.14; 126. Morgan Foster (EC), 27:40.61; 127. Mykela Foster (EC), 29:19.01

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