CROSS COUNTRY Moore survives challenge to qualify

Boardman's Jessica Moore placed eighth in the district to make it to the regional.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
CANTON -- Boardman High junior Jessica Moore was nearing the finish line on Saturday when she noticed a runner from North Canton Hoover starting to pass her.
Then she heard the Hoover fans.
Then she got irritated.
"I was like, There's no way this girl is gonna pass me," Moore said. "My only inspiration at the end was to beat the girl from Hoover, because I hate them so much from basketball."
Moore accomplished her goal, and in the process, finished eighth in the Division I district meet at Malone College to advance to next week's regional meet at Boardman High School.
"I just wanted to qualify," Moore said.
Not entirely true. She also wanted Spartan senior Brittany Durkin to qualify. Durkin, who won last week's Federal League meet against many of the same runners, struggled with her breathing and fell back from sixth at the 2-mile mark to 18th at the finish.
Top 20 advanced
Fortunately for Durkin, the top 20 runners advanced.
"When I passed her, she told me she couldn't breathe," Moore said of Durkin. "I wanted to stay back, but she just said, 'Go.' "
Durkin hung on (there were a few tense moments before the results became official) and has a chance to advance to the state meet for the second time in three years. She also made it as a sophomore.
Canfield junior Regina Bresson also advanced to the regional by finishing 16th, although her teammate, junior Hayley Ramunno, just missed qualifying by placing 21st.
Div. III
Lisbon senior Lindsay Brickner placed fourth and Leetonia junior Melissa DiPanfilo was eighth in the Div. III race, which qualified them for Saturday's regional.
"I was hoping to do a little better -- I was hoping to get top three," Brickner, whose older sister, Katrina, advanced to the state meet two years ago. "This isn't my favorite course and it was a little hard to breathe.
"But my goal was to make it to regionals and I made it."
Boys
Leetonia senior Sean Hulburt placed 15th in the boys Div. III race, becoming the only area boy in either division to advance.
But it wasn't easy.
Hulburt, who has been bothered by a stress fracture in his leg and torn tendons, has had to cut back on training. The injury has hurt his times and he's just hoping he has enough left to make it out of the regional meet.
"Today I wasn't going to go too hard, but it didn't matter," Hulburt said. "I was just happy to make it."
With so little time left in the season, Hulburt has no choice but to go easy on his leg and see what happens.
"If I can run close to my times from earlier this year, I think I can make it," Hulburt said. "I'll just have to rest up and see what I can do."
Boardman junior Jim Hlebak finished 31st in the Div. I race and Fitch freshman Ross Lenehan was 32nd to lead the area boys.
No area boys or girls teams in either division advanced to the regional meet.
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