Healthy Sanders now able to show her stuff

The South Range sophomore runner placed second in the Division III race.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- As a freshman last year, the issue wasn't what Andra Sanders could do. It was what she couldn't do.
Sanders struggled with hip and shin injuries last season. Now the South Range High sophomore is healthy, and she's emerging as one of the area's best runners.
"She's coming along well," Raiders coach Jack Nemergut said. "She was hurt last year and didn't really get a chance to shine. Now she's starting to come into her own."
Sanders placed second in the Division III race at Saturday's Boardman Invitational behind Pymatuning Valley's Tracee Gruskiewicz.
"She had a lot to overcome injury-wise, but she's gotten all that straightened out," Nemergut said. "She's been very solid."
Strong showing
St. Thomas Aquinas won the team title, while Maplewood placed second.
"This meet has incredible competition," said Maplewood coach Dave Deeter. "We're obviously excited."
Since every area Div. III team ran in the meet, it gave Deeter a chance to measure his team against the region's best. He liked what he saw.
"This tells us where we are at now," Deeter said. "This gives us a lot of confidence and it makes it a lot easier down the road."
Badger sophomore Samantha Bonar placed sixth, while Lisbon senior Lindsay Brickner placed eighth.
"There's so many more people here -- you might have 20 or 30 people around you and that really pushes you," Bonar said.
Badger, which advanced to the state meet last season, placed seventh overall. McDonald, also a state qualifier last year, placed fifth.
"We have a lot of inexperienced runners, a lot of freshmen and sophomores," Bonar said. "We're working our way back and hopefully we'll make it back to state."
Div. II
Salem's Deirdre Clary placed fifth in Div. II, running a personal-best time of 20:22.10.
"It was a hot one -- this is the first time I've run in the dead of the afternoon," Clary said. "But I'm excited. Track season really helped me and this year has just been a progression. I've gotten a lot smarter as a runner."
Cleveland Heights Beaumont senior Maggie Infeld cruised to the overall title with a time of 18:46.30. Minerva won the team title.
Poland's Colleen Moran placed 10th.
Div. I
Jessica Moore placed 20th in Division I to lead the Spartans to an area-best fifth place finish.
Kaitlyn Chambers of Magnificat won the individual title and Massillon Jackson won the team title.