McDonald runners solid at Boardman Invitational | News, Sports, Jobs – Warren Tribune Chronicle

Staff photo / John Vargo McDonald’s Anna Guerra won the girls Division III race Saturday at the Boardman Invitational.

BOARDMAN — Runners toe the white chalked line on the grassy area, only feet away from a sidewalk.

The massive line of young distance runners converge as they funnel toward the Boardman High School football stadium in the distance. There, they turn left and around the baseball field as the path narrows to fit three to four runners across, not much room for maneuvering.

Getting near the lead pack early on is essential for any team, if you want to have a chance of winning an individual or team title.

McDonald’s boys have a different approach. The Blue Devils are the No. 1-ranked team in Division III, according to the latest Ohio Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches state poll.

McDonald rallied to hold off East Canton, ranked third in the D-III poll, 87 to 93.

Staff photo / John Vargo Maria Dellimuti helped Howland’s girls finish sixth in the Divsion I race.

Maplewood’s boys were fifth, while Mineral Ridge’s Timmy Pappagallo and Badger’s Lincon Hopkins were in the top 25. Grand Valley’s John Steimle was in the top 20 in Division II.

As for East Canton, one of the dominant smaller schools in the state, it had Demetrius Snellenberger easily win the individual title — one of many coming this season for the talented senior.

The Hornets’ pack was strong in the first half of the race, buzzing their way through the front of this group of 379 runners.

McDonald junior Brody Rupe, who took second behind Snellenberger by about 21 seconds, knew this Blue Devil team had a knack for playing the underdog despite their ranking and seven state titles in their school’s history. The last state title for McDonald came in 2013.

Seniors Connor Symbolik and Zack Canada, along with junior Greg Dickson placed in the top 20 when it seemed as if Rupe would be the only one there in the first half of Saturday afternoon’s race.

“It’s really hard to come back that second half of the race, but we manage to do it most of the time,” Rupe said. “Doing it today was an accomplishment. This course is such a tough one to get out. You have to get out the first mile. It’s even harder to come back the second mile and third mile.”

McDonald senior Anna Guerra didn’t have to rely on her late kick in the second and final miles. She just outlasted the competition by about a minute, winning the Division III girls race in 19:29.0.

Guerra noticed her race was uncontested as defending D-III state champion and Badger senior Miranda Stanhope was on a college visit Saturday, according to her coach Carrie Albert.

“It’s hard, but I like it at the same time,” Guerra said. “It makes me feel more relaxed. I don’t know why, because nobody is around me. I kind of like it.”

McDonald’s girls team took third, while Maplewood was fourth. Mineral Ridge’s Riley Cowles and Moriah-Ruth Toth placed in the top 25.

Maplewood sophomore Marissa Ventura took third in a field of 302 runners.

“I’m going to see where I need to be and where I need to work harder,” said Ventura, who ran 20:16.2. “I still have a lot of work ahead.”

Howland’s girls cross country team finished sixth in Division I out of 35 teams. The Tigers do not have a standout runner, but can pack up quickly and amass points.

Howland freshman Megan Hipple, junior Molly Yasnowski and senior Maria Dellimuti were in the top 35 out of 278 runners.

Tigers coach Robin Kapalko wants to see Hipple eventually run in the low 19s, with Yasnowski and Dellimuti going in the mid to low 19s later in the season.

If they can have their fourth and fifth runners in the 20s, things will take shape for the Tigers.

Saturday’s performance was much better than finishing a distance 10th in Division II last season in Boardman.

“We’ve talked about this,” Kapalko said. “We’ve tried to get over this mental block. Hopefully this boosts our self-confidence on this course.

“We’re ready for the rest of the year.”

Rupe was walking around with the team plaque about an hour after the race, carefully holding what would be added to McDonald’s full case of distance hardware.

“We’re excited about this, but we’re focusing on later in the season instead of popping off now,” he said. “We’re going to try to get that at the end of the season.

“It’s a great accomplishment to be ranked first now.”