COLUMBUS - Fostoria St. Wendelin's Josh Souder won the Division III boys state cross country championship at Scioto Downs yesterday, clocking a 15:57 to edge defending champion Braden Martinez of Stryker, who posted a 15:59.
Holgate freshman Jason Ordway finished sixth.
Eastwood's Ryan Schroeder, meanwhile, finished fourth in the Division II race at 16:25, 31 seconds behind winner Matt Buzek of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, and Sandusky Perkins, led by Ian Michalik's sixth-place finish (16:27), was sixth in the team race with 167 points.
Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit was first with 108.
Rachel Beakas of Anthony Wayne finished 10th in the Division I girls race to lead northwest Ohio's big-school finishers.
The sophomore finished in 18:42, some 55 seconds behind the winner, freshman Angela Bizarri of Mason.
Next among area finishers was Findlay junior Jennifer Spieldenner, 15th in 18:55. St. Ursula's Alli McMaster was 30th (19:09).
Hilliard Davidson captured the team crown with 72 points, becoming the second team in state history to win both the boys and girls' titles in the same year.
Runner-up Cincinnati Turpin scored 93. Bowling Green finished ninth with 220.
Carime Reinhart of Hopewell-Loudon finished third in Division III in 18:52, 24 seconds behind winner Sunni Olding of Minster.
The Chieftains were fourth as a team with 144 points. Fort Loramie won with 56 points and Minster was second with 84.
Liberty-Benton finished ninth (227), Lakota was 10th (267), Edison was 11th (268) and Elmwood 12th (284).
In Division I boys, Davidson had 87 points to runner-up Cincinnati LaSalle's 104. St. John's Jesuit finished in a 12th-place tie with Canton GlenOak.
No local runner finished in the top 10. The top area runner was Paul Lemon of St. John's, who was 23rd in 16:08. Central Catholic's Jeremy Wysocki turned in a 16:20, good for 33rd.
Hudson's Wesley Smith took the individual title by running 15:15.
Cortland Maplewood took the Division III boys team race with 48 points and runner-up McDonald scored 103.
Columbus Grove was ninth (240), Old Fort 11th (267), Edgerton 12th (276) and Elmwood 15th (321).
Huron's Amy Renner ran sixth in the Division II girls race, clocking in at 19:16 and leading her team to a third-place finish with 155 points.
North Bend Taylor won the race with 63 points and Cuyahoga Valley Christian was second at 151.