Akron Ohio News – Springfield boys cross country team sets school record – Akron Leader Publications
Akron Ohio News – Springfield boys cross country team sets school record Akron Leader Publications
11/21/2019 – South Side Leader 
By Sean Patrick
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| Shown are coaches and members of the Springfield High School boys cross country team, which set a school record for most wins in one season. |
| Photo courtesy of Kevin Gorby |
LAKEMORE — Head coach Kevin Gorby said this year’s Springfield High School boys cross country team set a school record for most wins in one season.
“They had 170 wins and 92 losses, so they set that record for the program,” he said. “And we did it against a very difficult schedule, which I set up because we knew it would be a big year and we wanted to be challenged. The competition our kids saw this season got them ready for the postseason.”
According to Gorby, Springfield had “a very successful season” overall.
“We qualified for the regional championship as a team for a second year in a row, which was nice,” he said. “At regionals, we finished 17th, and we had our best all-time performance at the course. We had a great day there, but the bad news is that so did everybody else. But we did qualify a boy to the state championship for the first time since 1973. To crack that seal and get someone to the state meet has been a big goal and we finally got to do it. It showed our kids that it’s possible if you run the way you’re supposed to run.”
Senior Blake Hillyard, who qualified for state, was Springfield’s MVP for the season and also earned first-team all-Portage Trail Conference (PTC) honors, Gorby said.
“The time he ran at regionals was unbelievable,” the coach stated. “He ran a 15:54, which was his all-time best. A month earlier, he had run right around 17:30, so it was quite the turnaround. His last month of the season was, hands down, one of the best months I’ve seen a runner have. He had just an amazing finish to his senior year. And it was incredible to see him make it to the state championship. He finished 110th in the state.”
Seniors Carter McCollum and Colin Leporis also had “great seasons” for Springfield, Gorby said.
“Carter was one of the major factors in us getting to the regionals as a team. He had a top-10 finish at the district championships, and put us in a great position all year long. He was named second-team all-PTC,” the coach said. “Colin battled all season and had his best race of the season at the regional championships. He really ran strong for the team and it was nice to see him finish on such a strong note. He was honorable mention all-conference.”
Gorby said other key runners this season included sophomores George Hennigin, Nate Ford and Will Jones.
“George really stepped into the zone toward the end of the season and was another key factor for us. I can’t wait to see his upside going forward. He also earned honorable mention all-PTC honors,” the coach stated. “Nate ran very solid this season. He’s a competitor. And Will did such a great job, too. We have a nice young crew of distance runners who have done a good job of learning from the seniors and I think that’s going to put us in a great position for next year.”