If you happen to be a fan of Russia boys or girls cross country, this is going to be a fun year. If you're not a fan, now would be a good time. The bandwagon takes off tonight in Russia at the Shelby County Preview and ends, with a little luck, on November 3rd in Hebron at the state meet. Raider fans have more reasons than ever to be excited this season and here's why.
The Russia boys return practically their whole nucleus from last year, having graduated only one senior from their top five scorers. Back from 2011's state qualifying team are Bryan Drees, Steven Stickel, Jordan Gariety, Brandon Barlage, Alex Herron and John Heuing. Those boys, combined with some strong returners from the junior varsity, will push one another to win their fair share of meets throughout season. The Raiders also have a group of fast freshman coming in that you'll be hearing about in the future. There's really not one particular standout among these boys which means you can expect 3-4 different Raiders to cross the finish line first for the team on any given Saturday. The Raiders biggest challenge in the Shelby County Athletic League won't be for a team championship, rather for individual honors. Although Lehman's Joe Fuller will be the favorite in tonight's SCAL preview, the league's top runners include Ft. Loramie senior Jacob Siegel, Anna junior Adam Larger, Botkins junior Roger Miller and any one of the top Raiders. Looking across Ohio however, there are plenty of other D3 teams with better preseason times than Russia - on paper. Locally, Minster and St. Henry will be tough. Last year's state champ McDonald is still loaded, as are familiar names like Seneca East and Columbus Grove. The Russia boys program has made going to the state meet somewhat of a tradition recently. Having run there the last six consecutive years, it's safe to say none of the current runners remember the last time Russia didn't make it to state. Qualifying hasn't been an issue, placing high among the elites has been the bigger challenge. During that six year stretch the Raiders finished a very respectable 3rd in 2007 and 4th in 2008, but the last couple of years have ended with finishes of 12th & 13th. None of those trips or prior appearances have earned a banner on the wall in Clair C Naveau Gymnasium, and that's really the only thing missing from all their success. Is this the season? Time will tell, but the talent is there, and as the season wears on the boys will gain motivation - motivation from the success of their girls team which should be outstanding.
The 2012 Russia girls team may have more depth and talent than any Raider teams in recent history. Like the boys, the girls program lost only one graduating senior from last season. Back this year are senior veterans Lauren Francis and Becca Meyer. Lauren has established herself as one of Ohio's best runners and will be looked upon to lead a lot of young talent for the Raiders. Becca and returning junior teammate Kirsten Voisard regularly battled for the 2nd and 3rd positions last season and, along with Lauren, are the only runners remaining from a memorable 2010 team that finished 5th at the state meet. Sophomores Claudia Monnin, Hannah Bornhorst and Emily Borchers also return from last year's varsity team and will provide some great competition, as well as some new talent that's bound to make a splash. As good as Russia can be, one thing is for sure - this area is loaded. The Raiders don't have to travel far to find another good team in Ft. Loramie. Expect these two schools to duel for the county championship and watch for a fun individual battle between Lauren Francis and Meg Westerheide for the Redskins. Looking at Russia's schedule, they will be tested almost weekly against powerhouses like Minster, Coldwater and West Liberty-Salem, as well as Ft. Loramie. Our bet is that one of those five teams mentioned will be hoisting a state championship trophy in November. Will it be the Raiders? If Russia remains healthy they could be right in it. Minster has already been bit by the injury bug and it's rare for any team to go injury free, but cross country is unique because the regular season doesn't really matter that much - peaking for the post season is what counts. Get ready for a fun season Raider fans.
Note: As we mentioned above, it all starts tonight with the SCAL Preview in Russia Park at 5:00pm. Expect a fan-friendly course that allows spectators to see much of the race, including a challenging hill that high school runners will climb twice! There's also an Elementary Mile fun run taking place after the high school races at approximately 7:00pm. Don't miss this opportunity to see some of the best cross county runners in the state!
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