Sheridan CC continues MVL domination

Wilke, Hambel win individual titles

Brandon Hannahs
Zanesville Times Recorder
Sheridan junior William Wilke leads Tri-Valley senior Ryan Meadows and John Glenn sophomore Chris Tooms during the boys race of the MVL Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Foxfire. Wilke won the race in 15:27.

ZANESVILLE - Sheridan has been the pacesetter in the Muskingum Valley League for more than a decade.

It was no surprise on Saturday when the boys took home their 12th straight title with 36 points, besting runner-up John Glenn's 49, while the girls reclaimed the crown, edging Tri-Valley 40-45, at the league's cross country championships at Foxfire.

General junior William Wilke went back-to-back by posting a winning time of 15:27, while New Lexington sophomore Sydney Hambel became the first Panther female to win the league since 1984 in a time of 20:00.

Sheridan's Levi Sweazy finished fourth (16:42) and Job Covey sixth (17:04) to also earn All-MVL honors, which go to the top 10 finishers.

Lance Grosse placed 11th (17:50) and Ross Emmert 14th (17:52) to round out the Generals' scoring.

Those results were due to each runner doing what was asked, said Sheridan coach J.D. Walters.

"We knew John Glenn and Tri-Valley would be in the mix, but each person did their job. We executed our race strategies well," Walters said. "It was fun to watch Wilke perform like that, especially against (Ryan) Meadows and (Chris) Tooms. He seems to run better when he gets to the front. He does really well on hills, and he was excited because (Matt) Bromley was in the crowd."

Meadows, of Tri-Valley, finished second in a school-record time of 15:53 and Tooms, from John Glenn, placed third (16:13).

Wilke knew those two would challenge him. He also attributed his success to a practice run on Thursday at the course, as well as the cooler weather.

"I did a progression and talked to my coach about strategy and kick surge, and where I live, there's a ton of hills so I utilized the downhills and uphills after the first mile," Wilke said. "I ran faster than I thought I would, but it felt good and I just kept going. I love the cold and run so much better. It's why I like cross so much."

The All-MVL boys team also featured Tri-Valley's Nathan Sauerbrey in sixth (17:01); John Glenn's Skyler Bates (17:32) and Vince Griffin (17:34) in seventh and eighth, respectively; Crooksville's Lee Osborn in ninth (17:41); and New Lex's Caden Gibson in 10th (17:45).

Tri-Valley came in third (69), New Lex fourth (111), Morgan fifth (128), Crooksville sixth (148) and West Muskingum seventh (190) to round out the boys teams.

The girls race had more suspense. Katelyn Heath led the Sheridan charge in third (20:24), while Jensen Wolfe was sixth (20:41), Addison Smith ninth (20:59), Drea Nihiser 12th (21:41) and Faith Covey 18th (22:36).

Tri-Valley's scorers were Riley Moore in fourth (20:31), Josey Johnson 10th (21:34), Hainsley Hatfield 11th (21:40), Skyley Jacobs 13th (21:46) and Ava Harris 16th (22:25).

An early season talk allowed the Generals to refocus, and their dedication was rewarded, noted coach Troy Wolfe.

"We knew it would be tight. Earlier in the year, there was complaining about the courses and temperatures, but I told them no more, we just had to go," Wolfe said. "I never heard another complaint, and they just worked. They had to work hard to get this.

"A lot of the girls put the mileage in over the summer, and they pushed each other," he added. "They did what we asked them to do. It's been a few years since we won, and we were able to take it back. Now, we'll focus on districts and try to reach the regionals."

New Lexington sophomore Sydney Hambel paces the girls field during Saturday's MVL Cross Country Championships at Foxfire. Hambel won with a time of 20:00.

The race for the top spot was close early, but Hambel pulled away from Crooksville's Savannah Moorehead, who finished second in 20:13.

"I've been training to beat Savannah and (Megan) Judson. They were my main goal," Hambel said. "I knew I had a chance to win. I came in wanting to stick with Savannah, but I got in front early. Now, I want to continue to work as hard as I have been (with districts next week)."

The other All-MVL girls placers were John Glenn's Grace Lawrence (20:35) and Sydney Johnson (20:47) in fifth and eighth, respectively, and West Muskingum's Megan Judson in seventh (20:45).

John Glenn girls were third (72) followed by New Lex (103), Morgan (105) and Philo (159) to round out the teams.

Sheridan won both middle school titles. The boys claimed the top five spots for 15 points, as Simon Conrad was first in 11:16, and the girls tallied 27 with Grace Householder leading the way in third.

Tri-Valley's Taylor Crozier won the girls middle school race in 13:05.

Walters credited the program's success to the dedication of everyone involved.

"We have five coaches, and I don't think any other team has that in the MVL so it makes a difference to have so much support," Walters said. "Everyone consistently shows up in the summer and works year round. I'm looking forward to that middle school group coming up."

bhannahs@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com

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