Shelby County boys in Ohio spotlight again

The sign says it all (Picture via Facebook)

This Saturday the Shelby County Athletic League will be well represented in the 96th Annual Boys Cross Country State Championships at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park just outside of Columbus. Botkins and Russia are two of just 20 teams that earned six-foot wide starting boxes in the Division III race. They'll also be joined from the SCAL by individual runner and sophomore Titus Young of Anna, making his first state appearance for the Rockets. Botkins won the D-III Southwest Regional Championship last Saturday at Troy in a thrilling tiebreaker against runner-up Cedarville. Russia captured 3rd-place to grab one of the top four qualifying team spots and Anna's Young secured 7th-place overall, nabbing an individual qualifier for finishing in the top 16.

It's no surprise to see Botkins back on Ohio's biggest stage. This weekend will mark the sixth straight state meet for the boys team, who are state-ranked 6th coming into the finale. Head coach Ryan Gutman, now in his 16th season, and former longtime coach Dave Mielke reported some interesting history on social media after this year's rare regional title:

Fast forward to last Saturday. Botkins was led to victory on the Troy levee bank by seniors Carson Brown and Collin Doseck. Brown was the individual runner-up in 16:20 and Doseck wasn't far behind in 9th-place with a 16:49. The rest of the Trojan's roster is underclassmen and rounding out the top five scorers were sophomore Lucas Arnold, junior Ryan Koenig and sophomore Wesley Manger. Their sixth runner, who broke the tie with Cedarville's sixth runner, was junior Carson Heuker. Less than one second behind was the final Trojan, freshman Wesley Gutman in 17:55. It's been quite a postseason for the Botkins boys racking up championship hardware from the county meet, district meet and regional meet. One more history note. The highest the Trojans have ever finished in 11 state appearances is 4th. That was back in 2022 when Carson Brown and Collin Doseck were budding sophomores.

This fall tallies six sports seasons in a row that Russia boys teams have celebrated advancing to state tournaments

Once upon a time, Russia cross country fans had an annual standing hotel reservation in Columbus for the first Saturday in November. That's back when their boys teams advanced to the state meet nine consecutive years from 2006 through 2014. Over the next nine years the program qualified just two individual runners in 2015 and 2021. Sometimes small school talent pools can resemble the ocean, with high and low tides, and it appears the sea is starting to rise once again in Russia. The resurgent Raiders have been energized by third-year head coach Zach Bell. Once a running Raider himself, Coach Bell was a freshman alternate on that last team that went to state 10 years ago.

2014 was the last year the Russia boys went to state. It was also the first of three times in SCAL history that three boys teams from the league all qualified.

Much like their rivals from Botkins, the 2024 state-ranked #15 Russia team features senior leadership with a boatload of rising stars. Steering the ship is senior Jacob Schmitmeyer who paced the Raiders on Saturday in 16:43 for 4th-place overall. Nipping on Schmitmeyer's heels was first mate and sophomore Samuel Phlipot in 16:59 for 15th-place. The other three scorers were sophomores Keagan Baldridge and Eli Schmitmeyer, along with freshman Evan Smith. The sixth and seventh Raiders were freshman Quinn Hoying and sophomore Owen Sargent who finished in 18:27. This stealthy group has all the feel of perhaps Russia's return to glory days. If so, they might point to the program's best ever 3rd-place finish in 2007 as the beacon to surpass.

What else to watch in D-III: 

• Keep your eye on Mount Gilead senior Will Baker in the D-III boys race. Baker leads the heavily favored Indians who won the Pickerington regional last Saturday. Baker was individual medalist in a blazing 15:08.21 which makes him a threat to break the course record in Obetz.
• The state-ranked #1 Minster girls have won three straight D-III titles and seven of the last eight. They've also been on the podium as champions or runner-up nine consecutive years and have a total of 16 gold trophies and 6 silvers. Leading the Wildcats to the regional championship last Saturday in Tiffin was junior Maria Niekamp in 2nd-place with a 18:39 and sophomore Claire Bohman in 4th-place with a 18:46.

D-III Boys start time: 10:00am
D-III Girls start time: 10:45am

Live results: 

• https://milesplit.live/meets/574747

Boys Individual Records D-III:

• SITE: Fortress Obetz, Obetz (2020-present) Braden Yingst, Lima Perry 15:29.4 (2021)
• SITE: National Trail, Hebron (2011-19) Sam Prakel, Versailles 15:16.62 (2012)
• SITE: Scioto Downs, Columbus (1985-2010) Brian Hesson, Caldwell 15:20.4 (1992)

Girls Individual Records D-III:

• SITE: Fortress Obetz, Obetz (2020-present) Paige Steinke, Anna 17:46.1 (2022)
• SITE: National Trail, Hebron (2011-19) Addie Engel, Catholic Central 17:46.9 (2019)
• SITE: Scioto Downs, Columbus (1985-2010) Stephanie Morgan, Barnesville 17:27.3 (2007)