CROSS COUNTRY McDonald off to state ranked No. 1 once again

The Blue Devils are again the front runners in Division III.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
Over the past two weeks, McDonald has won district and regional cross country titles, finished first in the Division III state coaches poll and, for the second-straight year, emerged as the front-runner for a state title.
Just don't tell Chris Rupe.
"No, no, no," the Blue Devils coach said, laughing. "There's so many good teams out there. There's a lot of teams that have kind of come out of the woodwork in the past few weeks that are very capable of winning.
"When I saw that we got 11 first place votes [in last week's poll], I was very surprised. I don't know how that happened."
Tradition maybe?
"I don't know," he said. "Either that, or the coaches weren't paying attention to the times across the state."
Unlike the past few years, when the only question was whether Maplewood or McDonald would win the state title, this year's race is wide open. And, after carrying the burden of being the state's top-ranked team, only to finish second to Maplewood last year, the Blue Devils aren't looking for more pressure.
"We don't in any way think we're the favorite," he said.
Reloading
McDonald lost four of its top five runners to graduation and expected this to be a rebuilding year. But sophomores Joe Copploe and Taylor Sowers developed more quickly than expected, finishing 11th and 14th, respectively, at last week's regional meet.
"I've been very surprised," said Rupe. "I can't believe how well some of the younger guys have done. They've just stepped right in.
Seniors Aaron Thornton, Anthony Puntel and Matt McNicholas also finished in the top 20 on Saturday, giving the Blue Devils the type of depth that it takes to compete for a title at Saturday's meet at Scioto Downs in Columbus.
"If I could box this up and sell it, I would," Rupe said. "I think the guys have seen the success we've had over the past few years and they want a part of it.
"It sure is fun to watch."
High hopes
Salem's boys team was ranked first in the Div. II coaches poll after winning the district title, but finished second to Walsh Jesuit at last week's regional meet. The Quakers were ranked third in the final poll.
Salem coach Mike Almond wasn't satisfied with second at the regional -- "Our goal is to win a state title," he said -- but at least it was better than last year, when a scoring mistake led to a week of confusion and court battles.
The Quakers were first told they had placed sixth at last year's meet to earn the final qualifying spot for Columbus. But a scoring mistake vaulted Mooney into the sixth spot, and the Quakers won a court battle in the ensuing days that allowed them to run at the state meet.
They finished third (Mooney was second) but the court decision was later reversed and Salem's finish did not count.
Almond has moved on -- "I don't want to talk about last year," he said -- but he hopes the state meet experience will help on Saturday.
"That experience is very valuable," he said. "Once you've been to the big dance, it helps a lot. You know what to expect."
Satisfaction
Maplewood, which lost its top two runners at midseason because of a rules violation, isn't looking to win its third straight state title.
The Rockets were just happy to keep their streak of 15 straight state appearances alive.
"If you'd have shown me this lineup in the middle of the year, I'd have said no way," said Maplewood coach Ted Rupe. "But we have such a great following here. Our school doesn't have football, so this is the sport. People in the community come out to watch and guys who were here 20 years ago come back and cheer us on.
"It's great to see."
scalzo@vindy.com