Russia Taking Care of Unfinished Business

After coming up short a year ago, this past Saturday the Russia boys cross country team won their first regional championship since 2009

Bixler and Bennett. Two of
the best in southwest Ohio.

A year ago last October, I wrote about the possibility of Russia rewriting history. The Raiders were coming off a district championship and appeared to have a legitimate shot at winning their first regional title in 16 years. Unfortunately, things didn't quite go as I thought. Russia finished a distant second to Cedarville at the regional meet and were actually just three points away from third. In hindsight, maybe that experience created some motivation.

Fast forward one year and the Raiders got another chance with their history assignment. This past Saturday, Russia captured the Division IV southwest regional championship in Troy, putting an end to a 17-year drought. They didn't just sneak away with it either.

Head Coach Zach Bell's Raiders posted 57 points, comfortably ahead of state qualifiers Legacy Christian (86), Botkins (89), Cedarville (139), and Lehman Catholic (153). Leading the way was Paxson Bixler, who continued his super sophomore campaign by blazing a school-record 15:32.9. His runner-up individual finish was just 4.9 seconds behind Ansonia senior Bennett Lehman, the 2025 defending state champion. Lehman is also college bound next fall for D-I Youngstown State University. The rest of Bixler's teammates included senior Samuel Phlipot finishing 7th in 16:06, junior Evan Smith 12th in 16:28, senior Owen Sargent 16th in 16:41, and rounding out the top five scorers was senior Keagan Baldridge 27th in 16:58. Freshman Francis Phlipot was 33rd in 17:10 and senior Eli Schmitmeyer 46th in 17:27. 

Something left to accomplish

Back in August when the season began, I wrote that Russia was on course for a big 2026. They returned their entire state roster from 2025 after a 5th-place finish at last year's state meet. That marked the third-highest finish in program history behind 4th-place in 2008 and 3rd-place in 2007. Last year Samuel Phlipot also earned First Team All-Ohio honors, while Paxson Bixler earned All-Ohio recognition. As respectable as all that was, most of Russia's squad will now tell you their 2025 performance felt like unfinished business. Cue up the most important race of the season this weekend where legends are made.

The state-ranked #2 Raiders will perform on Ohio's biggest stage at Fortress Obetz this Saturday in the last race of the day, a 4:10 start time. Their stiffest competitor according to the coaches poll is #1 Mount Gilead. The Indians won the southeast regional in Pickerington last Saturday, placing all five scorers in the top 11 finishers. They are led by junior Henry Bartlett who won the race in 16:04. 

The chart on the right compares last Saturday's regional times from Russia at Troy versus Mount Gilead at Pickerington. It's important to note that course conditions are perhaps the biggest influence on those results. While I didn't get any reports from Pickerington, I attended the race in Troy and it's my opinion that course was fast. Meaning the ground was firm after seven earlier races. There was even dust flying in a few spots behind the ATV leading the race. The runners in Troy had one tough climb up the Great Miami River levee bank at the 2-mile mark, but were otherwise running back-and-forth laps in front of the spectators. Here are links if you'd like to compare Troy's course to Pickerington's course (page 3). It's also worth noting the Pickerington D-IV boys race was the eighth race of the day as well.

As they say in cross country, "all it takes is all you got". And that's what will likely determine the winners on Saturday. There will be 24 teams plus 48 individual qualifiers in the small school boys race. For everything you need to know, check out the OHSAA website here. Enjoy the show race fans.

Russia will be running for a small town celebration on back-to-back Saturdays

Moving Through Life in Russia

For years, a golf cart has been just one way of getting around town

Sophie Francis, CT

This may not be a question we've ever asked ourselves, but perhaps we should. Are some of the things that make life easier as we grow older inadvertently making it harder to stay healthy? I was inspired last week after listening to a presentation by Russia alumni Sophie Francis, a Clinical Mental Health Counseling graduate student. Sophie came to my workplace at Superior Aluminum to speak about general wellness. During her talk, she explained that one of several factors to a healthy mind and body is physical movement. While that statement is certainly obvious to most, Sophie spurred me to reflect on myself and my community. 

This past spring my wife and I were working the scoreboard and sound system for a baseball game at Russia Community Park. Between innings the home plate umpire came over to ask us a question. He smiled and smugly inquired if buying a house in Russia included getting a golf cart for free. I smiled back as we looked at the long line of personal golf carts watching the action outside the left field fence. I then quipped back, "How else do you expect us Russia fans to get to the baseball game?" I also wasn't about to mention my Honda scooter parked just 50 feet away for my three block ride back home!

Even when the distance might be short enough to walk, I can reason that our motorized toys make getting around town a lot more fun. Likewise, it's hard to argue against the convenience of today's technology, such as ordering groceries from our phone and having them delivered right to our door. As we age, comfort and safety naturally becomes much more important. However, I wonder if folks like me sometimes focus too much on eliminating the physical challenges of everyday life and overlook the value those challenges might provide?

Exercise without realizing it

Bolotana’s hilly streets encourage residents to walk as part of their daily routines

Earlier this week I read an interesting story about Bolotana, a small village on the Italian island of Sardinia with a strong Catholic tradition. It's a little larger than Ft. Loramie and a little smaller than Versailles. Bolotana has attracted attention for its unusually high number of residents living to 100 and beyond. Researchers are investigating what might explain the village's remarkable longevity. One particular observation caught my attention. Residents regularly walk the village's steep streets to visit shops, cafés, workplaces, and friends. Their environment and daily routines encourage them to move. Walking isn't something they schedule into their day like an exercise class. It's simply part of living there.

There were a couple other observations as well. The village also has a largely plant-based traditional diet and residents enjoy strong social connections among family, friends, and neighbors. Researchers have not established that any one of these habits causes people to live longer. Yet, the combination offers some interesting food for thought.

I do believe people in Russia and the surrounding area generally have strong social connections. Our diets surely may be different, but again, what struck me hardest was the idea that Bolotana people can remain physically active without necessarily thinking of themselves as exercising. They walk because they have somewhere to go. They climb hills because that's where the road takes them. They visit friends because relationships matter. Physical movement is woven into their daily lives rather than becoming another task on some to-do list.

I try to imagine what that physical movement equivalent looks like here in my village. Do we walk or drive for leisurely trips and errands? Do we safely navigate stairs at home or avoid our second floor and basement? Do we hand clean our vehicles in the garage and driveway or pay for the automatic car wash? Simply said, when we have a choice between sitting and moving, which do we tend to choose? These decisions alone are not likely to determine how long we live. However, our daily habits repeated over many years, can shape how well we move through life.

Aging well starts today

Russia's Ed Borchers finished a 5K at age 87

I don't believe there's a magic formula for living to 100. As a Human Resources Manager in charge of health benefits at my company, I'm fully aware that genetics, medical care, nutrition, social relationships, environment, and plenty of factors beyond our control all influence how long we live. I also don't believe that everyone needs to take the same approach to aging. Yet, I do believe it's worth asking ourselves another question: What can I do today to give myself the best chance of remaining active and independent tomorrow? Maybe this weekend I'll use the rake for 30 minutes before bagging my fallen leaves with the mower. Maybe I'll attend at least one high school sporting event on Saturday versus scrolling for those same results on social media. Maybe I'll go for a short bicycle ride and enjoy the Autumn weather instead of watching football on television the entire day. These answers will be different for everyone.

The important thing I learned from Sophie's presentation is NOT to assume getting older means giving up movement and the activities we enjoy. Sometimes, the ordinary physical demands of everyday life are helping us maintain the very abilities we want to preserve. I think about those residents in Bolotana walking up and down their steep streets. They aren't necessarily climbing those hills because they believe doing so will help them live to 100. They're climbing them because that's how they get where they want to go.

There's a lesson in that for all of us. We don't have to live on a hillside in Italy. We simply need to recognize that our bodies benefit from being used, in ways that are safe and appropriate for us. As we get older, making life easier certainly has its place. At the same time, we should also think about making it possible to keep doing the things that matter. After all, the goal isn't just to live longer. It's to live well for as long as we can.

A healthy mind and body allows us to enjoy things that matter - like family

Golf, Life, and the Wisdom We Pick Up Along the Way

We were proud of our nephew after wrapping up his high school golf career

A couple Mondays ago on Columbus Day to be exact, my wife and I journeyed up to Firestone Country Club in Akron to watch our nephew, a senior at Alter High School in Kettering, play golf at the OHSAA state tournament. His team finished state runner-up after a previous four-year streak of consecutive state championships. Despite their remarkable accomplishment that afternoon, the boys were initially disappointed given the program's historical success. Getting to follow my nephew around the course brought back all the feels of watching my son compete in golf at Russia High School not so long ago. It also reminded me that the sport of golf has a funny way of teaching us some of life’s most important lessons.

The beautiful and scary hole #17

Lesson #1: You can hit a bad shot and think you’ve ruined the whole round. However, the next shot is always an opportunity to get back on track. My nephew scored a fantastic 5-over 77, in spite of one triple bogey on hole #16. The following hole #17 was an intimidating par-3 island green that could have been disastrous with the wrong mindset. Instead, he focused on the present and parred the hole! Life is a lot like that. Things won’t always go the way you planned and you’re going to make mistakes along the way. Don’t let one bad shot ruin the rest of your round and don’t let one bad day define your life. 

Lesson #2: Golf also teaches you about character. There are no officials following high school golfers around the course, and sometimes competitors can't see where your ball landed or whether you gave yourself a little better lie than you deserved. I preached this repeatedly to my son when he first started playing at a young age and throughout his high school career. Those are the moments when your integrity matters most. Life is the same way. Who you are when nobody is watching says a lot more about you than what people see on the outside. Always do the right thing, even when it’s not the easiest thing.

Lesson #3: In golf you can’t control everything. You certainly try to make the best decisions possible. I've witnessed instances where both my nephew and son have taken brilliant shots, only to have the ball take an unexpected bad bounce and make them second-guess their choices. Life will throw you some unexpected challenges too. You can’t always control your circumstances, but you can control your attitude and how you treat the people around you. Focus on those things and trust that God has a plan for you, even when you can’t see the whole picture.

Lesson #4: Perhaps the biggest lesson golf teaches is to enjoy the game. It’s so easy to get caught up in the score, that you forget to appreciate your surroundings and the opportunity to be there with others. My nephew got the day off school to play a PGA course with kids that love the game as much as him! Find that same positivity in life. Don’t get so focused on where you’re going that you forget to appreciate where you are. Make time for family, build friendships, and never take your blessings for granted.

Life isn’t about shooting a perfect round. It’s about the kind of person you become along the way. Remember to keep your head up after the bad shots, stay humble after the good ones, and enjoy walking with the people God puts alongside you. Even if it doesn't go according to plan!

High school golf eventually ends, but the lessons learned last a lifetime