FREDERICKTOWN – Up until Tuesday, Mansfield Christian’s Clay Reynolds hadn’t been able to shake Fredericktown’s Thomas Caputo.
The two elite runners had raced side by side twice already this season – at the Ashland Invitational on August 31 and the Galion Cross Country Festival on September 14 – but Caputo came out on top both times. The Fredericktown junior outpaced the Mansfield Christian senior by two seconds at Ashland, which made the difference between fourth and fifth place; then 10 seconds at Galion, which separated first and second place.
On Tuesday, however, Reynolds bridged the gap.
Using unbeatable stamina and the will to win, Reynolds separated from Caputo on the home stretch of Tuesday’s Denny Stevens Invitational and won the race with a time of 16:30. Caputo placed second with a time of 16:34.
“It feels good,” Reynolds said afterwards, reflecting on his first win of the season. “Whenever you can get a win, no matter what the time, it always feels good.”
The Denny Stevens Invitational, held at the Kokosing Dam in Fredericktown, is known for two daunting slopes. The first occurs just seconds after runners hear the starting gun, when they scale the steep part of the dam. The second occurs near the beginning of the third and final mile, when runners must trudge up a quarter-mile incline intended to test their will power (or, maybe more accurately, break their souls).
Reynolds and Caputo hung close at 1-2 the entire race. By the time they reached the final hill, Reynolds said he still felt fresh. The Flames hadn’t raced for 10 days, and his legs still felt springy heading into Mile 3. That didn’t make it any easier.
“It definitely sneaks up on you,” Reynolds said of the final hill. “It’s so long, the closer you get to the top, the more you’re questioning why you do cross country. But I just knew, if I just stayed on him, it was going to make it easier.”
Reynolds held tough against the hill and once he reached the top, he felt good enough for one final kick.
“I realized, ‘I’ve gotta make a move at some point,’” the senior said. “I figured it was better sooner than later.”
Reynolds beat Caputo down the home stretch, outlasting his Knox County foe for the first time this season.
While they may appear rivals on paper, both boys held each other in high regard following the race. They don’t know each other well off the course, but Reynolds said they have developed a sort of bond through the first two months of the season. They talked to each other during Tuesday’s race, Reynolds said, which made it go quicker.
“I know he’s a hometown boy, so he’s pretty good with the hill,” Reynolds said with a smile. “I’ve raced against him before, he’s a great runner. We talked while we were out there, it’s a good time. He’s a nice guy. It was fun.”
“He’s just a great worker, he’s got the right mindset, and he’s really talented,” Caputo said of Reynolds. “He’s going to do some good things.”
Tuesday’s gold medal is just another chapter in Reynolds’ already-storybook senior season. He set a personal record his first race of the season and has built from there. The college hopeful has shown startling improvement from last fall, when he qualified for the state meet for the first time. Reynolds placed 42nd at state last year with a time of 17:28; so far this season, he’s been running in the mid-to-low 16s.
“It’s encouraging, the times I’ve been doing this season,” Reynolds said. “I want to keep on dropping it down as low as I can. But each race I’ve been getting better, compared to my races last year, so it’s encouraging.”
Reynolds expects to make it back to state this year. This time, however, the stakes will be elevated.
“I’m already ahead of where I was last year, so I’m looking to place better at state this year,” he said. “It’s my last year, my last time to wear a Mansfield Christian uniform, so don’t take any race for granted… gotta leave everything on the course.”
Reynolds led Mansfield Christian to an 11th-place finish in a 20-team field on Tuesday. Senior Kuane Whitt finished second on the team and 12th overall with a time of 17:14, which Reynolds said was a PR by 15 seconds. He was followed by Ben Crouch (19:46), John Adams (20:44) and Cooper Stigall (22:07).
Mount Gilead won the boys race with a score of 38 points, followed by Fredericktown (94) and Ashland Crestview (117). Mansfield Christian placed highest among Richland County teams, followed by Clear Fork (16th), Lucas (19th) and Mansfield Senior (20th). The Colts were paced by freshman Kaden Wilson (20:03), the Cubs were led by freshmen Nathan and Nicholas Pfeiffer (20:14), and the Tygers’ top runner was sophomore William Payne (19:58).
In the girls race, Mount Gilead once again emerged as victors. The Indians led with a score of 43 points, followed by Fredericktown (64) and Centerburg (64). Fredericktown won the tiebreaker for second place because its sixth runner placed higher (only the top five typically score). No Richland County schools participated in the girls race.
For a full list of results, click here.
