Mooney and Salem both run, finish 2-3

Both teams qualified for the state meet after Salem won an 11th-hour appeal.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
COLUMBUS -- Cardinal Mooney High senior Dan Finnerty was sitting at home last Saturday, trying to cope with the end of his cross country career.
"It was a terrible feeling," Finnerty said. "We had tried so hard."
At the regional meet hours earlier, the Cardinals had lost a tiebreaker to Salem for the sixth and final spot in the state meet.
Then Mooney senior Colin Durina discovered a scoring error, and the Cardinals successfully appealed to have the results reviewed.
Then Finnerty got a call from his coach, Adrian Mangino.
The Cardinals had made it.
"I was so excited," Finnerty said. "We knew we had one more chance."
Then things got really crazy. Salem filed a lawsuit trying to get back into the meet. A Franklin County judge refused to hear the case on Thursday, but the Quakers tried again on Friday, this time in Columbiana County.
"I got a call from our superintendent [Dave Brobeck] at 2:20 [p.m.] and he said, 'Mike, you're in,' " said Salem coach Mike Almond. "When I told my guys, they just stared at me. And I was like, 'No, I'm serious."
Strong showing
At Saturday's state meet, both teams proved they belonged.
Durina finished seventh overall as the Cardinals ran their best race of the year to finish second in Division II, just ahead of third-place Salem.
"We had one of our worst races of the season last week," Mangino said. "But we had a team strategy [Saturday] and we followed it.
"I knew we ran well."
Senior Ben Garchar placed 44th for the Cardinals, who had not been in the state meet since winning the title in 2000.
"It was really tough for us seniors [last Saturday] because we still had goals; it was too abrupt an end," Garchar said. "We were expecting to make it because of all the hard work we had put in."
Salem freshman Patrick Gorby finished 22nd as the Quakers placed third in their first trip to the state meet since finishing 13th in 1994. Salem won the state title in 1993.
"They ran awesome," Almond said. "I thought [the uncertainty] worked to our advantage. We weren't nervous. I just tried to keep everyone together."
Taking advantage
Girard senior Bobby Caldwell placed 15th to earn the final spot on the awards podium.
"This is the greatest feeling in the world," Caldwell said. "I was just happy to be here. Nothing could have made me upset. The podium is just an extra for me."
Both Salem and Mooney have young teams that have a chance to make it back next season.
But Durina isn't ready to think about that yet.
"Cross country season is over," he said. "It's time to watch TV."
scalzo@vindy.com