Sidelines: Delta, Elmwood among state s cross country best

12/4/2008
St. John s senior Kevin Yarnell finished third at the Division I state meet and led the Titans to a City League championship
St. John s senior Kevin Yarnell finished third at the Division I state meet and led the Titans to a City League championship

The top local teams in the state cross country meet were concentrated in the Division III boys race.

Northwest Ohio Athletic League champ Delta finished sixth, while Suburban Lakes League winner Elmwood took eighth and a pair of Buckeye Border Conference schools, Hilltop and Stryker, placed ninth and 15th, respectively.

Junior Cody Livensparger of Hilltop was the top local finisher in that race, placing eighth with a time of 16:08.94, while Liberty-Benton s Seth Butler took 14th with a 16:18.53 clocking.

The top 15 runners in each event received All-Ohio honors.

St. John s Jesuit senior Kevin Yarnell posted the top individual finish among area runners, placing third in the Division I boys race with a time of 15:42.26 to lead the City League champ Titans to sixth in the team race. Stephen Mackell of Findlay also earned All-Ohio honors with a 16:00.68 clocking good for 15th.

In the Division II boys race, Defiance placed third while a young Central Catholic team took 13th.

The top finishes in the girls side also came in the Division III race, where Elmwood placed eighth and Liberty-Benton ninth. Woodmore sophomore Lacy Nagy earned All-Ohio honors by finishing 14th with a 19:24.86 clocking.

In Division I, Northern Lakes League champ Northview placed 10th and City League champion Notre Dame took 15th. Two local runners earned All-Ohio honors as Findlay s Brier Sterling placed 10th (18:40.31) and Meredith Wagner of Northview took 12th (18:46.69).

The Wauseon girls, winners of the NWOAL for the fifth straight season, took ninth in Division II. TheIndians were led by senior Holly Baird, who placed 11th with a time of 19:08.79.