CROSS COUNTRY | RYAN ROUSH | SOUTH RANGE

11His biggest impact, though, came during the offseason.

Roush kept with his traditional high mileage runs, as he’s been a fan of the mild, unseasonably warm temperatures. Still, it’s not what he did for himself — it’s what he did for others.

As part of his senior English project, Roush shared his passion for running with members of the community. He put on a 5K road race at the Canfield Fairgrounds on Nov. 19th, drawing nearly 100 participants. It was a major success — Roush raised almost $2,000 for Akron Children’s Hospital.

He worked tirelessly on the event, but couldn’t see it through as was unable to attend the race, since Roush was chosen as one of Ohio’s top 12 runners for the Mid-East Cross Country Championship held in Kettering. Joining the best-of-the-best from Indiana, Illinois and Michigan, Roush came in seventh, running a 16:02.

“We talked about it my sophomore year that one day I could make it there,” he said. “It was a lot more interesting than the high school schedule because it was set up like a small meet, but every single guy there was the best I’ve ever ran against.”

Roush has yet to decide on a college, but a cross country scholarship is likely to come along. He wants to study business or exercise physiology and sees himself as a running coach in the future.