The area’s best will get an early test against some of the top teams in Ohio.

September 12, 2008 at 12:07a.m.

BOARDMAN — Always an early test for November’s state meet, area athletes will go against some of the state’s best runners in the Spartan Invitational Saturday at Boardman High School’s 5000-meter cross country course.

Fourteen runs are scheduled with boys and girls Division III races at 9 and 9:30, a.m., respectively, followed by Div. II boys and girls junior varsity open and varsity runs. The boys and girls Div. I, junior varsity, open and varsity races are set to begin at noon, with middle school races starting at 2 p.m.

Boardman’s boys, with three straight Suburban League, East Palestine Invitational and Salem Early Bird victories going for them, will find the competition a lot tougher in the Div. I run with 250 runners representing 40 schools.

The Spartans’ Sam Deskin (16 minutes, 21 seconds) should be among the challengers. Thirty-one boys were timed between 15:57 and 16:56 at the 2007 run, a race that Boardman finished sixth, Canfield 29th and Fitch 50th.

Senior Lauren Agnew (20:59) and Katie Heney (20:15) of Boardman and Shannon Rech (20:54) of Fitch are entered in the girls Div. I run.

Six area schools — Mooney, Poland, Struthers, Girard, Struthers, Lakeview and West Branch — will compete in Div. II boys and girls runs. Veteran Lakeview runners Tyler Ames, Heath Harris, Sam Jenkins, Andy Innocenzi and Nick Trippi should contend.

Salem’s girls didn’t compete a year ago, but should be among the favorites in the Div. II run with Lauren Shivers (19:25), Lexi Shivers (20:45), Bethany Huston (21:03) and Alexis Thorne (21:06), as well as Poland’s Anna Popeo (20:58) and Alexis Begezda (21:47) and Mooney’s Christine Oles (21:11).

McDonald’s Jerry Dugan and Lace Ronghi, Maplewood’s Tom Bottorff and Eric Rupe and East Palestine’s David Chick are entered in a strong field of Div. III runners.

Stephanie Case (20:23) of Columbiana, Samantha Hamilton (20:56) of Jackson-Milton and Leighann Kelvington (21:19) of East Palestine are entered in the Div. III girls race.