RUNNING Spartan Invitational to attract 3,968 long-distance runners

Saturday's 14 races in Boardman are for high school and middle school athletes.
BOARDMAN -- Not only will some of the area's best high school runners compete Saturday in the Spartan Invitational at Boardman High School, but some of the state's top 5000-meter runners are entered in the event.
Fourteen races are scheduled, with a boys Division III run set for 9 a.m., girls Div. III at 9:30, boys Div. II at 10, girls Div. II at 11:30, boys Div. I at noon and girls Div. I at 1:30 p.m.
There also will be Div. I and II boys and girls JV runs as well as middle school races for boys and girls.
A total of 3,968 athletes representing 368 teams will compete in the meet, with Boardman High boys expected to be a contender in Div. I. The Spartans finished fifth last year with 224 points.
Host team
The Spartans took team honors in the Suburban League championships Tuesday, with Rick Lape, Tim Weaver, Jim Hlebak and Adam Haushalter placing sixth, eighth, 19th and 25th, respectively.
Mooney sophomore Colin Durina won the Suburban League run in 16 minutes, 42 seconds. He was sixth (17:07) in the 2003 Spartan Invitation Div. II run as he helped the Cardinals to sixth place.
Colleen Moran (19:54), Lauren Fithian (20:28) and Molly Noll (20:57) of Poland won the girls Suburban League title and should contend for Div. II laurels at Boardman.
McDonald, 2003 defending champ, will be challenged by Maplewood and South Range as the team to beat in the Div. III boys race.
Sophomore Andy Arnio of Maplewood, with the area's top time (15:57), and teammate Andy Morgan (16:13) will be among the top contenders, as well as South Range's Dan Nemergut (16:18) and Doug Miller (16:54).
McDonald will be counting on Aaron Thornton and Joe Copploe in its effort to repeat as champ.
Ashtabula Edgewood is 2003 Div. II defending boys Spartan and state champs.
Cleveland St. Ignatius, which has won four invitational meets this season, is the team to beat in boys Div. I.
Outstanding girls teams entered include Brecksville in Div. I, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy in Div. II and Gilmour Academy in Div. III.