McDonald’s boys finish second in state cross country meet

Monica Ciarniello of
Lowellville placed sixth in the girls Division III meet.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

COLUMBUS — Wearing a T-shirt with the motto “Overachievers, the spirit of McDonald cross country,” Blue Devils coach Chris Rupe stood in the middle of the infield at Scioto Downs at Saturday’s Division III state meet, walked 100 yards from the starting line, exhaled and settled in to watch.

He knew he’d done all he could.

Twenty minutes later, his team could say the same thing.

Three years after winning their fifth state title, the Blue Devils were back on the podium in Columbus, this time as runners-up to last year’s champions, St. Thomas Aquinas.

And Rupe couldn’t have been more proud.

“How about that?” said Rupe, whose team edged third-place Russia 118-124. “These guys are major overachievers.

“It’s just a whole bunch of guys who did not want to be denied.”

It was the sixth runner-up finish in school history for the Blue Devils, who entered the race as the state’s second-ranked team. This team wasn’t as talented as some of Rupe’s previous squads — one of the runners finished last in a junior high race — but they were plenty motivated.

“At practice, these guys are unbelievable,” said T.J. Holland, the lone senior on the team. “They do so much extra. Most coaches have to push their guys to work harder. Our coach has to stop ours.”

Holland, the lone returning member of the 2004 title team, ran one of the best races of his career, finishing 15th with a time of 16:20.93 to earn All-Ohio honors.

The rest of the guys stayed patient — at the mile mark, McDonald’s top five runners were behind Russia’s third runner — and stayed with the pack mentality Rupe had preached.

“They were true to their character,” said Rupe, who was wiping tears from his eyes after the race. “They just inched their way up. They know how to race.

“For a coach, it’s just fun to step back and watch.”

Lakeview junior Tyler Ames placed 40th in Div. II, while Struthers senior Robert Zanni was 59th.

In Div. I, Boardman senior Matt Moore placed 35th in 16:12.

The top two teams and the top 15 runners made the awards podium. The top 25 individuals earned All-Ohio.

On the girls side, Lowellville sophomore Monica Ciarniello ran a personal-best (and school-record) time of 18:53.05 to finish sixth in Division III. Ciarniello finished 18th last year as a freshman at Springfield High.

“I’m real surprised,” said Ciarniello. “I was just focused on trying to pass more people. I didn’t think I’d do this well.”

Lowellville’s cross country program is just four years old and Ciarniello’s finish, combined with the first boys regional appearance last week by Sam Slaven, gave the Rockets a boost.

“I had so much confidence in her,” said Rockets coach Jerry Tarcy. “I knew she was peaking at exactly the right time.”

Warren JFK senior Audrey Maheu placed 24th.

McDonald’s girls, who have made it to Columbus every year since 1999, finished 16th.

“We were just happy to be here,” said Blue Devils coach Mike Richards, whose top six runners will return next year. “We had three girls PR [set personal records] and that’s exciting. We’re just building for the future.”

After winning back-to-back state championships, Salem’s girls finished sixth in Division II. The Quakers returned four of their top five runners from last year.

“We’ve been here three years in a row and that’s awesome for a public school,” said coach Russ Hopple, who took over the program on the first day of school. “I know the girls are so used to winning, so of course they’re upset, but they worked their tails off.

“I’m proud of them.”

In Division I, Worthington senior Claire Durkin broke the state record with a time of 17:10.51, snapping the previous mark of 17:15.3 set by Salem’s Jenn i Brown in 1992.

scalzo@vindy.com