Iler leads Preppers to D-I state berth

BOARDMAN >> Justin Iler won the Division I Boardman regional championship as a sophomore.

As a junior, he placed eighth in 16 minutes, 46 seconds. Yet, seven spots behind his placement last year, the University standout heads to Hebron more excited than a year ago.

This time, he won’t run alone at National Trail Raceway. The Preppers’ boys team finished fifth in the team standings with 189 points to earn a state team qualification.

“It’s great to have company down in Hebron this year,” Iler said. “Considering we got off to a rocky start to the season and slowly progressed into it, I’m proud of how far we’ve come in notching a fifthplace finish as a team here in regionals, especially in Division I.”

Senior Ben Chao (17:00) followed Iler in 28th, sophomore Griffin Walsh (17:39) was 59th, junior Graham Clark (17:50) placed 73rd and senior Michael Castellanos (18:01) finished 86th.

University’s team qualification is the second in program history and the first as a D-I member. Iler hugged Chao as he crossed the finish line, relishing their achievement.

“I feel ecstatic having an opportunity to compete with these guys, especially Ben,” Iler said. “He’s a great kid. His passion about running, he loves the sport just as much as I do. I hope that we can get after it next week in Hebron as a team.”

Defending state champion Hudson won the D-I team title with 65 points. Howland’s Vincent Mauri won the race in 15 minutes, 51 seconds.

Kenston senior Jakob McConnell (16:42) led area runners in fifth place, his best result in four trips to Boardman. The Bombers qualified for their third straight state meet in seventh place with 223 points, edging Solon by two.

Kyle Silk (17:17) was 41st, Casey Pleune (17:41) placed 63rd, Jack Turk (17:55) was 79th and Garrett McConnell (18:09) completed the pack in 104th. McConnell’s placement concluded a race through a muddy course on a cold, wet afternoon.

“I really just focused on not running with my legs but running with my heart,” McConnell said. “I knew everybody else was hurting and that second half, I just really had to push through the pain.”

Mentor junior Nick Kozlowski (16:46) finished 10th to earn a return trip to the state meet.

Riverside senior A.J. Haffa (16:57) gutted out a 27th-place finish to earn his first state qualification after he won the Madison District championship Oct. 20. Arduous conditions mixed with a large pack near the front of the race challenged Haffa, who persevered.

“I didn’t want to push up too hard then slow down in the race,” Haffa said. “I started to get in the groove. I probably should’ve pushed up sooner but I got what I wanted and that’s all that matters.”

A week after Chagrin Falls senior Marshall Sadowski set a new personal-best time by nearly 40 seconds at Madison, he earned a bid to Hebron. Sadowski placed 23rd in 17 minutes, 27 seconds.

The state qualification culminated a year of focus. Sadowski called the Tigers together when they failed to advance past the district level in 2017, setting their sights on a regional berth in 2018. Chagrin Falls reached its goal of a regional berth, where the Tigers missed a state trip by 16 points in eighth place.

Yet, Sadowski’s season will continue. He was overwhelmed when he learned of his qualification.

“I’ve been thinking about this race every single day for the last year,” Sadowski said. “I’m just really happy that everything came together, hard work paid off, all the little things I did paid off for this one big thing, making it to the state meet.”

Woodridge won the D-II team title with 55 points. Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Alex Phillips (16:31) won the race.

Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin’s boys team qualified for its second consecutive state meet in sixth place, with 225 points. Harmond Richardson (17:29) led the Lions pack in 24th.

Gilmour placed three runners in the top 10 to qualify for the state meet in third place. The Lancers placed third in D-III with 78 points.

East Canton’s Demetrius Snellenberger won the race in 16 minutes, 46 seconds. The Bulldogs won the team title with 55 points.

Senior Tyler Clark (17:18) led Gilmour in fifth, senior Connor Gerspacher (17:27) placed seventh and senior Tim Diemer (17:29) was eighth. Diemer will make his fourth state trip in four years.

“I’ve run with those two guys ever since freshman year,” Diemer said. “In practice, we always push each other. In races, it’s always a competition. I always pick it up when Connor comes flying by, that’s for sure, and it’s always fun because we’re always there together.”