GEISS BRINGS A CHAMPIONSHIP HOME TO HEARTLAND

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COLUMBIANA OH- State championships are hard to get to, and even harder to win.  When an individual or team bring a championship trophy home to a school it brings pride to the whole community.  Pride being the biggest of key word when it comes to Heartland Christian. It’s a pride of Lions that band together in Heartland and show everyone what it means to have an attitude of a champion.  After the cross country season concluded, not only do they have the attitude of a champion, but now Heartland Christian has a brand new trophy of a champion.

Sophomore runner Rebecca Geiss has brought the glory home to the Purple Palace with a great showing in Columbus at the state championships.  She finished with a time of 17.55.0 to win the gold.  It finished a strong season for Geiss in the most tremendous way it could end. For Geiss though, it’s all about running for more than herself. She runs for her family, she runs for her community, and she runs for her faith.  She still has plenty of time to get even better before she graduates high school. We at YSN are so excited to see what Rebecca’s future holds.

Rebecca took the time to talk with YSN’s Anthony Hartwig to recap her season, and the championship feeling.  You won’t want to miss this exclusive interview with the newest YSN member to bring home a state championship!

Presented By:

 

 

SOUTH RANGE CROSS COUNTRY STANDS TALL

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CANFIELD, OH- The South Range Boys Cross Country team has been making impressive strides in their 2023 season. In a series of standout performances, they have consistently showcased their talent and determination.

At the Salem Early Bird Invitational, the team started strong, securing a remarkable 1st place victory. Emmitt Slabach took 2nd place, while Chuck Reigrut earned an impressive 4th place finish.

The Walsh Jesuit Invitational proved to be another significant milestone, as the team clinched 2nd place overall. Once again, Emmitt Slabach stood out, finishing in 2nd place, with Chuck Reigrut close behind in 3rd.

The Cardinal Middlefield Invitational saw the team at the top of their game, securing a 1st place victory. Emmitt Slabach continued to shine, capturing 2nd place, while Chuck Reigrut maintained his strong performance with a 4th place finish.

What sets this team apart is their collective effort and teamwork. During their victories at the Salem Early Bird and Cardinal Middlefield Invitationals, the 3 through 6 runners – Max Freeze, Caleb Baun, Cam Ward, and Xavier Winner – displayed remarkable resilience, overtaking opponents down the stretch to secure the victories.

The team also faced stiff competition at the Boardman Invitational, where they secured a 10th place finish. In this event, Chuck Reigrut particularly stood out, finishing an impressive 6th out of 483 runners.

Last weekend, The South Range Boys Cross Country team achieved a remarkable 6th place finish at the highly competitive Madison Invitational, where a total of 32 teams participated. Notably, they emerged as the top DII (Division II) team in the event.

Emmitt Slabach, one of the team’s standout runners, delivered an outstanding performance by securing 1st place in the race. Additionally, Chuck Reigrut displayed his strong running capabilities, finishing in 12th place among a field of 245 boys, further contributing to the team’s impressive overall performance.

With these outstanding performances, the South Range Boys Cross Country team is undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with this season. Their dedication and competitive spirit have earned them well-deserved recognition, and they continue to inspire with their achievements on the cross-country course.

TIGERS XC NEVER GETS CROSSED UP!

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NEW MIDDLETOWN, OH – The Springfield Tigers cross country team has been making great strides this year not only in their meets as a team but also as individual runners! The Tigers have seen a lot of successful times and are led by two seniors, Aidan Robinette and Ben Polonus, who are not only leading the team with stellar times, they are taking care of business in the classroom, and leading with support for their teammates during meets.

YSN’s own, Steve Leslie, had the opportunity to catch up with Aidan and Ben this week at the Tiger’s Table to talk about how their season’s have been going so far, what they want to do after high school, what a typical day and week are like for a cross country runner, and a rapid fire questionnaire where we get to learn about the little things that make Aidan and Ben the student-athletes they are today.

All that and so much more in this very special, dual player profile with Springfield Tigers cross country star runners, Aidan Robinette and Ben Polonus!

PRESENTED BY:

SPRINGFIELD TIGERS CROSS COUNTRY COACH’S CORNER WITH MIKE RUBOSKY

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NEW MIDDLETOWN, OH – Head coach Mike Rubosky and the Springfield Tigers cross country program have been making some noise in the community after some solid outings recently! The Tigers have been able to control their meets and have been posting great times. YSN’s own Steve Leslie, was able to sit down with Coach Rubosky at the Tiger’s Table this week to talk about what goes into running the Tigers cross country program, what Coach thinks this year’s squad is capable of, what he wants to see out of the Tigers as the season progresses, and so much more!

Check out this exclusive coach’s corner with Springfield Tigers cross country head coach, Mike Rubosky on YSNLive!

PRESENTED BY:

MEYER CLOCKS BEST TIME FROM OHIO IN CROSS COUNTRY TOWN USA MEET

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TERRE HAUTE IN- Louisville freshman Kylah Meyer already has a fantastic high school season under her belt. In her first year with the Leopards she managed to become a state qualifier. The numbers don’t lie, Kylah is one of the best runners in the area.  In the state meet, Meyer finished 37th out of 173.  Over the weekend Meyer put her skills to the ultimate test as she traveled to Terre Haute Indians to compete in the Cross Country USA meet. Terre Haute is known to be the hotspot for cross country in America, and attracts some of the top runners you can find. Kylah ran well finishing with a time of 19:08 which was good for 3rd overall, and the best time clocked by a runner from Ohio.  This accomplishment only adds to the excitement of what we are going to see out of Kylah’s future.

TSAMAS GETS HERSELF TO REGIONALS

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CANTON OH- Cardinal Mooney’s stand out runner Sylvia Tsamas had a great showing at the Division III Northeast District meet over the weekend at Csnton GlenOak.  Tsamas placed 5th to earn a spot in the upcoming regional meet.  The entire cross country team will train with her over the week to help get her ready for the challenge ahead. Everyone at YSN wish Sylvia the best of luck moving forward.

THREE BLUE JAYS QUALIFY FOR REGIONALS

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CANTON OH-

After a 5k long battle at GlenOak High School, 3 high school cross country runners finished at the top of their races and earned themselves a spot at Regionals.

 

Lucas Sokol took 7th place overall running a time of 17:36

Faith Sullivan took 8th place overall running a time of 21:24

Serenity Perrine took 16th place overall running a time of 22:44

 

**In tournament meets there are 2 qualifying races leading up to the State race. Districts is the first race in tournaments, the top 20 boys and 16 girls as individuals qualify and move on to the Regional meet this season. At the Regional meet the top 16 individuals will move on to the State Championship race.**

 

Lucas, Faith, and Serenity will race again next Saturday 10/29 at the OHSAA Regional Championship meet for a chance to move on to state!

 

Congratulations!!

 

*Contributed By Kayla Malmfedlt at jacksonmiltonathletics.org

DON’T CROSS THE LADY SPARTANS XC SQUAD

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BOARDMAN, OH- In his first year at the helm, Rick Sypert has led his Boardman Girls Cross-Country team to the “Trifecta” of XC Championships: The Suburban League, County, and AAC.

Not bad for a rookie.

Except that Sypert is anything but a newbie, his track coaching experience has made him a prime candidate to help these young student-athletes maintain and excel their goals and ambitions throughout the year.

We caught up not only with Coach Sypert, but the entire team of champions at Boardman for a combination of Spartan Coach’s Corner, and Player Profile on YSN.

PRESENTED BY




BOARDMAN’S D’ALTORIO TAKES FIRST AT LEGENDS MEET

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BAZETTA, OH- Boardman’s David D’Altorio raced to a 1st place finish out of 254 competitors in a career-best time of 15:34 to lead Boardman High School to an 8th place finish at The Legends Meet this past Saturday in Trumbull County. Junior Brock Farris placed 4th overall at 15:43 and became the 6th fastest Spartan in BHS Cross Country history.

“This was a great day for us,” said Spartan Head Coach John Phillips.  “18 out of the 20 athletes that ran today earned a new personal best time. We, unfortunately, have a couple of seniors injured, but our young guys stepped up big time today to fill the void. Very proud of the efforts that our underclassmen put forth today against a very talented field.”

Earning career bests were D’Altorio, Farris, senior Jason Sweder at 18:23, junior Ethan Boots at 17:20, junior Antajuan Hightower at 18:41, junior Evan Sweder at 20:23, sophomore Josh Belgin at 19:28,  sophomore Isaiah Doyle at 20:31, sophomore Noah Gonzales at 19:36, sophomore Danny LaCivita at 17:28, sophomore Frank Quinlan at 19:18, freshman Connor Boots at 19:48, freshman Adam Nigro at 18:20, freshman Logan Poulakos at 19:44, freshman Jonah Stevens at 21:45, freshman Quinton Swavel at 21:27, and freshman Dom Theodore at 18:30.

Also earning a new career best was sophomore Drew Kornbau with a time of 19:09, a drop of over 2:30 from his last race. Kornbau’s effort has earned him this week’s‘ Runner of the Week award.

“Drew has battled injury all season and he appears to finally be healthy,” explained Phillips, “he could have easily shut down due to frustration from his injury, but instead he worked hard to get healthy and improve. I am very proud of his efforts and happy his season is ending in a positive manner-he has a bright future in our program.”

Next up for the Spartans will be The AAC Championship held at Boardman High School, the Spartans will race at 9:45am.

The Legends Meet

Trumbull County Fairgrounds

Erie McDowell-121

Massillon Perry-122

Austintown Fitch-136

CVCA-139

Cleveland St. Ignatius-157

South Fayette (PA)-233

Lakewood St. Edward’s-243

BOARDMAN-251

Lakeview-262

Tallmadge-268

Maplewood-276

Pittsburgh North Catholic-285

Madison-311

University School-348

Canfield-366

Solon-415

Shaker Heights-431

Cleveland Heights-438

Howland-467

Pine-Richland-473

Mt. Lebanon-480

Berea-Midpark-581

Warren G. Harding-652

Geneva-749

Niles McKinley-912

*Story contributed by John Phillips

RIDGE CROSS COUNTRY BREAKS SCHOOL RECORDS

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MINERAL RIDGE OH-

Dominic Pappagallo Wins Runner-up Honors v. 418 Division 2 & Division 3 Athletes at the Prestigious “Legends Meet”

Sean Williams Finishes as Jr. High Boys Legend’s Meet Open Race Champion

Saturday 8 October 2022, Trumbull County Fairgrounds, 52* & overcast (IDGABTT!)

NEW SCHOOL RECORD – MEN’S CUMULATIVE TEAM TIME

Total team time – 1:27:23.7
2022 The Legends Meet at Trumbull County Fairgrounds

15:57.2 Dominic Pappagallo, 10, PR
16:39.5 Timmy Pappagallo, 12, PR
17:34.2 Josiah Toth, 9, PR
18:03.1 Dax Dota, 9, PR
19:09.7 Dominick Russell, 10, PR

OLD SCHOOL RECORD – MEN’S CUMULATIVE TEAM TIME

Total team time – 1:28:56.8
2022 Lordstown Invitational at Lordstown Park

16:05.6 Dominic Pappagallo, 10, PR
17:37.7 Timmy Pappagallo, 12
17:45.6 Josiah Toth, 9
18:16.9 Dax Dota, 9 PR
19:11.0 Kaden Shaffer, 9, PR

TEAM HIGHLIGHTS

VARSITY MEN – 8th of 58 D-2 and D-3 schools (2nd best D-3 team)
School Record and Seasonal Best Team Time of 1:27:23.7

JR. HIGH GIRLS – 24th of 34 D-1, D-2 and D-3 schools (6th best D-3 team)
Seasonal Best Team Time of 1:24:15.8

TOP INDIVIDUAL RAM FINISHERS

Dominic Pappagallo – Runner-up v. 418 D-2 and D-3 Varsity Men
Timmy Pappagallo – 14th Place Medal winner

Sean Williams – Meet Champion v. 81 D-1, D-2 and D-3 Jr. High Boys

Delaney Dota – 23rd Place Medal winner v. 230 D-1, D-2 and D-3 Jr. High Girls
Angel Coonce – 24th Place Medal winner

TOP VARSITY MEN

1. Dominic Pappagallo – Meet Runner-up, Personal Record, Course Record
#22 The Legends Meet All-Time Top 25 List (D-1, D-2 and D-3 runners)
#2 MRHS All-Time Top 10 List (~12 seconds behind Logan Smith’s 15.46.7 record set in 2014)
MRHS Sophomore Record

2. Timmy Pappagallo – PR, CR
#4 MRHS All-Time Top 10 List
#3 MRHS Senior Top 10 List

3. Josiah Toth – PR, CR
#9 MRHS All-Time Top 10 List
#3 MRHS Freshman Top 10 List

4. Dax Dota – PR, CR
#6 MRHS Freshmen Top 10 List

5. Dominick Russell – PR, CR
6. Kaden Shaffer – CR
7. Isaiah Cottrill
8. Noah Potts – PR, CR
9. Owen Penick – PR, CR

TOP VARSITY WOMEN

1. Danielle Grazier – Personal Record, Course Record
2. Abby Miller, Seasonal Record, CR

UPCOMING MEET DETAILS

D-3 NEO District XC Championships at Madison High School
Saturday 22 October 2022
Men – 9:30am
Women – 10:15

D-3 NEO Regional XC Championships at Boardman High School
Saturday 29 October 2022
Men – 11:00am
Women – 11:45

D-3 State XC Championships at Fortress Obetz
Saturday 5 November 2022
Men – 11:00am
Women – 11:45

*Contributed By Ron Toth at ramsathletics.org