The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
What’s next for the Demons?
After a historic 2017 season, Westlake looks to build on and maintain success
Coming off a historic season in which Westlake won the Southwestern Conference girls title for the first time since 1998 and qualified for regionals for the third time in the same timespan, it begs the question: What can it do for an encore?
If the Demons want repeated success, it’s going to be tougher than simply repeating. It’s going to be a matter of having two of their top runners ready and available.
No. 1 runner and reigning district champion Erica Francesconi suffered a concussion at the Boardman Regional last year when she tripped seconds into the race, ending her season. Fifty to 70 girls ran over Francesconi, bruising her up. It took her the rest of the school year to recover.
Francesconi erupted onto the scene last year as a firstyear runner, blowing her competition away in most meets. She instantly became the team leader, often uniting the girls behind her. If she didn’t go down, she likely would have made it to state and would have had a serious case for Morning Journal girls cross country Athlete of the Year.
No. 3 runner Emma Jaros won’t compete in most meets as she’s prioritized soccer this season. But if Jaros can sneak in a couple meets, the Demons are getting a runner who finished fifth in the SWC last year (20:21.1).
For Francesconi, good news is she ran a couple 5Ks over the summer and is getting closer to her normal self.
“It’s one of those crazy things where when she went down at Boardman, it was pretty bad,” said Westlake coach Travis Haselswerdt, who is in his 15th season in charge of the Demons. “It was no one’s fault and she went down hard. Physically, right now she feels good and she’s pumped to come back.”
If Francesconi can come back healthy, she is undoubtedly the favorite in the SWC and district again. Already the fastest Demons’ runner as the record holder with a time of 18:59.81, she can further etch her name in Westlake lore with a comeback unlike any other.
Expected to step up as the No. 2 runner is junior Teagan Walsh, a two-time first team SWC runner and regional qualifier. Sophomore Ashley Boyd came on at the end of last season to finish AllSWC, junior Olivia Irwin is a darkhorse and sophomores Alex Fernandez, Lila Sucher, Jane Protos round out the top seven.
“Teagan will go down as one of the best runners in school history,” Haselswerdt said.
Westlake boasts 26 athletes — three seniors, 10 juniors, eight sophomores and five freshmen.
The Demons open the season Aug. 25 at Lorain County Community College in the SWC Preview meet. The meet provides a litmus test for what to expect the rest of the season. Additionally, Westlake will compete at Boardman, Brecksville and Medina during the regular season to prepare for the postseason.
The SWC is far from a cakewalk, with deep programs like Avon and Amherst that always challenge. But Westlake has as good of a chance as anyone to repeat and return to the regional.
“Making it back to regional is our main goal,” Haselswerdt said. “What happened last year was just so awesome. It sounds cliche, but it was magical. Everything happened at the right time, the girls ran great. I think we’ve got the talent on that day to line up with any other team that is there. And that’s saying something because Avon, Amherst and Avon Lake are awesome. But I think we’ve got as good of a chance as anyone else.”