CROSS COUNTRY Saturday's state meet

Where: Scioto Downs, Columbus.
Race schedule: Boys-- 11:05 a.m. (Div. III); 11:50 (II); 12:35 p.m. (I). Girls -- 1:20 (III); 2:05 (II); 2:50 (I).
Cost: $7. Parking is free.
If you go: Take 1-71 South to Route 270 East on the south side of Columbus to Rt. 23 (High Street) south. Continue two miles and you will see Scioto Downs on your left.
DIVISION I
Area team/individual qualifiers: None.
DIVISION II
Boys
Area individual qualifiers: Erik Moss (Mooney), Aaron Allison (East Palestine), Shane Harding (Salem).
Girls
Area individual qualifiers: Lisa Davies (West Branch), Megan Cingcade (West Branch), Raina Keppler (Southeast), Val Zajac (Mooney).
DIVISION III
Boys
Area team qualifiers: Maplewood (Derek Armstrong, John Palmer, Terry Rush, Paul Moser, Craig Rupe, Luke Bottorff, James Hall); McDonald (Joe Kunkel, Jason Corman, Nick Testa, Kevin Stonestreet, Jason Witkoski, Tyler Lunn, Aaron Thornton); South Range (Dan Nemergut, Doug Miller, Jared Oliver, Jim Kusiowski, Chad Fusco, Jeff Schindler, Ritchie Schuler).
Area individual qualifiers: Luke McCluggage (Jackson-Milton), Danny Simpson (Leetonia).
Girls
Area team qualifiers: McDonald (Jenn Wenhold, Jess Wenhold, Nicole Booth, Ashleigh Tondo, Nicole Tondo, Erin Koppel, Genny Jerome); Badger (Samantha Bonar, Christine Miller, Sarah McGee, Ashley Miller, Elizabeth Burr, Annah Trunick, Christi Stahl).
Notebook: Scioto Downs has plenty of seats, but be sure to bring your binoculars if you want to see the runners. The grandstand sits far back from the course. Maplewood is the top ranked boys team in Division III and is favored to win their first state title since 1997. The Rockets finished second to McDonald last year. This is Zajac's fourth straight trip to the state meet and the third straight for Davies and Cingcade. McDonald's girls team has qualified all four years -- and seven of the past eight -- making the senior years of Jenn Wenhold, Jess Wenhold and Nicole Booth extra special. Jenn Wenhold finished sixth overall as a freshman and a sophomore, and placed fifth last year.
-- Joe Scalzo