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Saturday’s Spartan Invitational is largest
By Greg Gulas
BOARDMAN
The Boardman High Spartan Invitational traces its roots to the 1986 season when Bruce Breunig, the head girls and assistant boys cross country coach at the time wanted the school and its cross country programs to host its own invitational.
Six years later, Jim Fox, former Boardman High director of athletics was able to secure the regional meet.
Runners make it a point to enter the Spartan Invitational in September in order to prepare and get to know the course for the regional meet, always held in late October (this year the event will take place Oct. 30).
It should only be fitting, then, that Saturday’s Invitational, now in its 25th year, will welcome largest ever field when with over 4,700 entrants.
“The regional meet is one of the top two in Ohio and remains second to just the Tiffin Invitational, which draws over 6,000 runners in many different age groups.
“We also expect to attract close to 15,000 spectators. For Boardman Township, that means that it will be the second largest event in the community; a close second in both participation and spectatorship to the annual Oktoberfest celebration,” Denise Gorski, co-director of this year’s event noted.
Fox, who served as director of the Spartan Invitational and regional meet for 17 years, turned the leadership over two years ago to Gorski, the Spartan girls track and field coach and Dave Pavlansky, the school’s boys track mentor.
“There are 112 boys teams and exactly that many girls teams or a total of 224 squads between the two programs that will be taking part this year.
“We will also have 115 middle school squads and 339 varsity and middle school cross country programs that will comprise the 4,700+ field,” Pavlansky added.
Teams to keep an eye on this year include Richfield Revere (third last year) and North Canton Hoover (fourth) in boys Division I while Woodridge (first); Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (third); St. Clairsville (fourth last year) and Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (fifth) are the teams to keep an eye on in Div. II.
In Div. III, Maplewood (tops last year), McDonald (second), Gilmour Academy (fifth) and Garfield Heights Trinity (sixth) are the frontrunners.
In girls Div. I, Hoover (first a year ago); Hudson (second) and Brunswick (third) are the teams to watch while in Div. II, CVCA (first); St. Vincent-St. Mary (second) and St. Clairsville (third) are considered the teams to watch.
In Div. III, Hawken (first last year); McDonald (second) and Burton Berkshire (third) should be 1-2-3 once again, but who will win and in which order they finish is the reason they will once again race on Saturday.