Rocky River girls impress at Spartan Invite

The Rocky River girls cross country team took on a talented and deep field at the Spartan Invite at Boardman High School and the Pirates delivered.

“Really happy with our performance,” Rocky River coach Dee Zuercher said. “I told them to be controlled in the first part of the race because you have that uphill start and I just wanted them to be controlled and run together.

“The second part of the race was just about moving up as many spots as they could,” Zuercher added. “It was all about teamwork today and running as a team. Every point counts. We just wanted to work together as a team and they executed it so well. They moved up nicely.”

Samantha Coleman led the way for the Pirates, finishing ninth with a time of 19:41.7. Rocky River sophomore Brianna Chaves ran a great race as well, finishing 12th with a time of 20:05.7.

“I felt pretty good,” Coleman said. “I am glad I didn’t go out too fast. This course can be really intimidating and it is mentally challenging. I ran a good race and caught people at the end so it was good.

“I am so proud of the team, especially because we have so many underclassmen this year who are stepping up, especially Bri (Chaves),” Coleman said. She was close to me the whole way and it was great.

Coleman added about the team, “we feel good. We are all pretty exhausted considering how hard we are working but we feel pretty good and healthy. I am really excited.”

“Sam ran really controlled and finished in the top 10,” Zuercher said. “In the second half (of the race) she got about five girls. Our number two Bri (Chaves) she just ran an awesome race. I can’t say enough about her race today.

“I feel very confident with this group of girls,” Zuercher added.

Also in the D-1 girls race, Bay finished in ninth place and Avon finished in tenth.

In the D-1 boys’ race, the talented Amherst duo of Luke Bowlsby and Ty Perez led the way, with Bowlsby finishing in 19th place with a time of 16:48.9 and Perez finishing in 31st place with a time of 17:08.0. Bowlsby was fighting through an injury as well.

“In the beginning of the week, I was having a real bad problem with my gluteus maximus and we just decided like 15 minutes before the race that I would run,” Bowlsby said. “I was happy with how I ran today; I thought the course was a little slower but I am happy with how I ran.”

Bowlsby knows that him and Perez are two of the top runners in the area and is excited for the journey.

“A couple years ago we were just two kids that no one really knew and its so crazy where we are now and I wouldn’t want to do this with anyone else,” Bowlsby said about Perez. “He’s my best friend so if there was one person I would choose to do this with, it is him.

“This week was our hardest week,” Bowlsby added. “We had a lot of tired legs today but we are going to start pulling off. We have Vermilion in two weeks and try to be fresh for that.

In the D-2 boys’ race, Bay’s Michael Muccio finished in seventh place with a time of 17:25.7. Patrick Melvin finished in 14th place with a time of 17:49.1 and helped Bay to a fifth place team finish.

In the D-3 girls’ race, Columbia star Madeleine Finton finished in fourth place in tough conditions with a time of 20:07.3. Columbia finished in tenth place as a team.

In the D-3 boys’ race, Open Door Christian’s Michael Couture finished in 11th place with a time of 18:09.0 Columbia’s Sam Sikorski finished in 12th place with a time of 18:13.8.

“I felt really good actually through the first mile,” Couture said. “I died a bit in the second mile but tried to give it all I had to finish. The conditions weren’t too terrible. A little breeze kind of helped.

“It is a great preview for our regionals meet,” Couture said about the race. “That is where we are hoping to make it as a team this year so to be able to prepare ourselves for that and compete against these teams is amazing.”