Outstanding performances at Kalida Invite

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

KALIDA — Just five points separated Lincolnview and Van Wert at Saturday’s highly competitive Kalida Cross Country Invitational at the Kalida Fish and Game Club.

When it was all over, the Lancers won the team title with 89 points and had three top ten finishers, while Van Wert finished with two top eight runners, including the runner-up and 94 team points. In addition, the Cougars edged Bryan by a single point for second place.

Lincolnview was led by Conner Baldauf, who finished fourth overall with a time of 16:12.8. Teammate Evan Johns was seventh (16:41.9) and Kreston Tow 10th (16:50.6). Maddox Norton (22nd, 17:18.5) and Kaleb Denman (46th, 18:01.2) rounded out the scoring for Lincolnview.

“The boys ran a very consistent and solid race today,” Lincolnview head coach Matt Langdon said. “We are still searching for that perfect team race so we hope as the regular season comes to a close and we get near conference and tournament that we can get everyone where we know they can race. The boys have done a great job this season of being steady no matter the race or competition. That was one of our season goals.”

“We also had a great performance from our 8-12 group who just keep getting faster every week, Langdon added. “It is exciting for the future of the program.”

Van Wert’s Owen Scott was the runner-up to Ottawa-Glandorf’s Ty Rogengarten (15.49.50). Scott, a junior, finished with a time of 15:50.2. Andrew Laudick played eighth overall (16:46.6) and John Kramer recorded a 16th place finish (17:08.2). Rylan Miller (28th, 17:27.3) and Johan Gemmer (40th, 17:49.2) closed out the scoring for Van Wert.

“Owen and Drew are great leaders on our team and push these guys to be their best,” Van Wert head coach Kimberly Laudick said. “Having them both finish in the top 10 each race helps our score as a team and they continue to reach their individual goals. They were both strong runners and as a coach I am glad they are both on our team.”

“We were very excited with our performance, especially nudging out Bryan by one point, giving our guys a confidence boost for the next few weeks to come,” she added. “We continue to see times dropping and competitive races all around.”

Crestview scored 259 points and finished ninth out of 20 teams. The Knights were led by Lincoln Smith (21st, 17:17.5), followed closely by Andy Heth (23rd, 17:19.7), Drayden Hoffman (61st, 18:31.0), Payton Scott (75th, 18:53.5) and Jake Heth (79th, 18:57.5).

On the girls’ side, Lincolnview finished third (132 points) behind Ottawa-Glandorf (60) and Liberty Center (85). Van Wert finished 10th out of 20 teams (301) and Crestview placed 16th.

The Lady Lancers set a new school record top five average (20:37) were paced by Brynleigh Moody, who finished sixth (19:14.4) and Ava Milligan, who placed ninth with a time of 19:36. Keira Breese finished 23rd overall (20:56.6), and Kendall Hoffman (41st, 21:26.3) and Kassidy Hammons (55th, 21:54.6) rounded out the scoring.

“The girls really took a big step forward today,” Langdon said. “We knew that there were many state-ranked teams in our race and we needed to see how close we were to Liberty Center and Patrick Henry, who are both top 10 in the state. Beating Patrick Henry validated what we know to be true about our team.”

“We have the depth and the ability to run with some of the best teams in the state,” the veteran coach continued. “It was fun to see the smiles on the faces of the girls. They have been working incredibly hard this season and it was great to see the positive results of some of that hard work. Now we have a few more weeks to get better and then we take prepare for tournament.”

Van Wert’s Harmony Schuerman and Alyssa Knittle finished 44th and 45th, with times of 21:34.0 and 21:36.0. Noelle Byrum was the third finisher for the Lady Cougars (68th, 22:33.2), followed by Lizzie Spath (70th, 22:41.1) and Lexi Deitemeyer (80th, 22:53.8).

“We continue to see growth and improvement each race as they become stronger and more confident in themselves,” Laudick said.

First for the Lady Knights was Anna Garner (43rd, 21:32.4), followed by followed by Mackenzie Harting, (76th, 22:47.0), Kate Sawmiller (83rd, 23:05.4) and Ava Motycka (113th, 25:16.4).