GALION — The state-ranked Lexington boys and girls cross country teams served notice to the rest of the state Saturday at Amann’s Park.
The Minutemen and Lady Lex didn’t just win Division II district titles. Both squads dominated.
The boys took three of the top four spots and finished with 37 points, easily outdistancing runner-up Sandusky Perkins (71). Willard (72) and Bellevue (107) also earned berths to next week’s Tiffin regional.
On the girls side, Lady Lex swept the top three spots and finished with 22 points. Bellevue (85), Sandusky Perkins (89) and Edison (94) also punched their tickets to next week’s regional meet.
Junior Dominique Clairmonte, who missed most of last season with a foot injury, ran a remarkable 17:43.20. Sophomore Mackenna Curtis-Collins (19:03.08) was second and junior Keelie Speckert (19:34.30) was third. Junior Abby Miller (19:46.67) was seventh, while sophomore Whitney Wendling (20:06:16) was ninth. Juniors Emily Taylor (20:25.83) and Ashley Basham (20:41.82) were 15th and 17th, respectively.
Junior Nick Stricklen (15:51.79) won the boys race and freshman Ryan Johnston (16:00.76) was second. Senior Zane Sturts (16:26.51) was fourth. Freshman Forest Volz (16:53.43) was 10th, while senior Quinton Glenn (17:24.80) was 20th and senior Mitch Bastin (17:25.41) was 22nd. Freshman Josh Mueller (17:50.30) was 30th.
Moving On: Ontario senior Brett Cortelletti finished third at Galion in 16:05.88 to earn a spot in next week’s Tiffin regional meet. Meanwhile, Mansfield Senior senior Matt Brown (16:59.80) finished 14th in the Division I race in Oregon to advance to Tiffin.
The Plymouth and Crestview boys teams placed third and fourth, respectively, at Galion and will be in action in the Youngstown regional next week.
Plymouth was led by senior Daren Gies (17:38.92, 12th) and sophomore Nathaniel Redden (17:42.88, 15th). Junior Jacob Beckner (18:08.99) was 21st, while senior Josh Reese (18:11.00) was 22nd and senior Matt McKenzie (18:24.29) was 26th. Junior Austin Campo (19:19.73) was 50th and senior Joey Williams (19:59.56) was 72nd.
Senior A.J. Trent finished third in 16:28.97 to pace Crestview. Senior Brennen Nalley (17:40.39) was 14th, while junior Carson Chronister (18:25.39) was 27th and junior Keegan Graybeal (18:48.68) was 39th. Senior Eli Sauder (18:55.30, 42nd), junior Jayson Littlefield (19:01.04, 45th) and senior Aaron Mohr (19:27.70, 54th) rounded out the field for the Cougars.
In girls action, Mansfield Christian sophomore Claire Reynolds (21:08.70) was 11th and Lucas freshman Abbie Johnson (21:20.78) was 13th in the Division III race at Galion. Both will advance to the Tiffin regional.
