A Devil of a day at regionals

By Joe Scalzo

BOARDMAN — This is a story about the McDonald High girls cross country team qualifying for the state meet, and it begins with the Blue Devils’ coach, a diminutive, big-hearted man named Michael Richards.

Last fall, Richards was still recovering from a series of surgeries to correct a chronic headache problem. The 35-year-old had been diagnosed with two conditions, the first called Arnold-Chiari Malformation Type II and the second called Syringomyelia.

Basically, the tubes in his head developed wrong and weren’t draining liquid correctly, which is why he was getting the headaches. Doctors had to reconstruct some tubes in his head and insert a shunt. He had to shut down his running — Richards was an avid marathon runner — and in the first few weeks of recovery, he leaned on his wife, Carrie, just to help him with basic tasks like walking to the bathroom.

His recovery went well (eventually, anyway), but the season didn’t end the way he wanted as the 2008 Blue Devils missed qualifying for the state meet by just three points. It was the first time they had failed to make it to Columbus since 1998.

A year later, at Saturday’s Division regional meet at Boardman High School, Richards gathered with his team after the Division III race, anxiously awaiting the team results. When McDonald snagged the fourth and final qualifying spot, the girls erupted and Richards had to hold back tears.

“I don’t even know what to say,” he said. “After what happened last year with my health issues, this group of girls put it all out there, not only for themselves but for other people.

“This one means a ton. It means more than the other ones that we’ve done.”

When a reporter asked him whether he felt 5 feet tall, Richards laughed and said, “I feel about 15 feet tall today.”

Clearly, he never lost his sense of humor — or his faith.

“I give God a lot of glory,” he said. “I know that’s a taboo thing to say in a public school.

“Our girls have big-time faith and trust that God will help them through a lot of things and that’s what I have, too.”

Maplewood’s girls team edged Berkshire for the regional crown thanks to a dominant performance from the Rockets’ top four runners, who all finished in the top nine.

“We came in just hoping to make it [to Columbus],” said junior Krystal Williams, who finished a team-best fifth. “Berkshire had a great team. We knew we just had to come to race and we came to race today.”

On Williams’ left arm, written in pen, were the words “Never quit.” It was helpful advice on a wet, windy and muddy afternoon.

“I just kind of live by it,” said Williams. “Don’t give up, just keep fighting.”

On the boys side, McDonald’s boys placed second behind Independence and Maplewood was third as both teams extended state streaks.

The Blue Devils advanced to Columbus for the 11th straight year, while the Rockets made it 20 straight.

McDonald freshman Patrick Kunkel, who won last week’s district title, placed third and again seemed completely unfazed by the surroundings and the pressure.

“I was really used to [the mud], from running the past three weekends at Trumbull County Fairgrounds,” he said. “It’s still tough to run. It’s tiring. It’s really windy out here and there’s stretches with a lot of wind.

“I think you just got to keep your mind straight on what you’ve got to do.”

Junior Jerry Dugan, who rested last week, finished eighth and did his best to keep up with Kunkel for much of the race.

“To tell you the truth, I felt horrible,” he said. “That mud killed me. Patrick ran a phenomenal race. I wanted to stick with him so bad.”

In the end, none of it mattered.

“All I wanted to do was qualify,” he said.

McDonald, ranked third in the latest state poll, has finished in the top three at the state meet every year but one since 1999.

“In my opinion, Coach [Chris] Rupe is greatest coach in Ohio,” said Dugan. “He just builds up the program so much.

“A lot of people would be happy just making it to state. We’re not satisfied with that.”

scalzo@vindy.com