Bobcat Harriers Shine At Ridgway Invitational (10/15/16)

There were more great Clarion Area performances at the Ridgway Invitational X-C Meet on Saturday, October 8, 2016.

(Photos by Mark Bettwy) Five Bobcat that placed as top runners in their Divisions

138 athletes from 24 schools competed in the Varsity Girls race. Chelsea Mason (21:44) led the team and came in 22nd overall while Katie Craig (21:54) came in next for the Bobcats at #26th with her best performance of the season. Gabby Fleming finished 77th at 24:59 and Emma Spitz (25:57) cut significant time to round out the Bobcat field with an 89th place finish.

195 boys from 24 schools ran in the Varsity Boys race. Adam Bettwy (17:41) finished in 12th place overall with Nathaniel Lerch (18:00) coming in at 15th in a very fast field of runners. Jimmy Smathers (19:39) crossed third for Clarion in 56th place followed by Frank Weber (19:53) in 63rd. Marshall Powers (20:00) crossed in 70th place shortly after Weber to complete team scoring. Nick Schill (20:03) took 73rd while Daniel “Kitten” Ketner (20:09) ended in 76th place. Rounding out the field for Clarion were; Noah Schill (20:33), Jacob “Smitty” Smith (20:33), Alex Cussins (22:05), Nate Datko (22:47), and Victor Stahlman (24:50.)

Coaches Keith Murtha and Tammy Lerch push Chelsea Mason as she heads toward the finish.

62 athletes from 16 schools competed for the Junior High girls. The Bobcats won 2nd place in team scoring behind St. Marys Middle School. Eva Lerch (11:13) finished as the 2nd place finish overall and Bella Scott (11:50) came in at 5th. Joyce Kim (12:23) was the 13th overall finisher with Parker Boyden (13:03) coming in 20th. Grace Adams (13:56) closed out the Clarion scoring while ending in 29th place. Aliyah Dittman (14:28) and Kaylee Hiles (14:55) crossing in 33rd and 35th respectively. Rounding out the field with strong performances were; Jordan Best (15:21), Noel Anthony (15:59), Livia Weckerly (16:00), and Grace Schrader (16:49.)

84 Junior High boys from 17 schools competed last. The Bobcats were lead by team captain Don Cunningham (10:17) who came in 3rd place overall. Gavin Hoover (11:22) finished 25th followed by Keagan Phillips (11:32) in 32nd. Kade Phillips (12:15) finished 50th with Charlie Franchino (14:46) closing out the field with a powerful sprint to the line to take the 76th spot.

Junior High boys captain Don Cunningham preps to get his teammates psyched-up before the race

Several runners achieved overall or season Personal Records again. Nathaniel Lerch, Jimmy Smathers, Marshall Powers, Daniel Ketner, Jacob Smith, and Nate Datko all lowered their best times for the boys. Chelsea Mason, Katie Craig, and Emma Spitz all cut more time for the girls.

Complete race results are available at: https://catchmetiming.rsupartner.com/results

(Thanks to Mark Bettwy for this article and photos. Great Job Cats!!!!)