The Eureka Hornets were not missing around when it came to earning a state title (Jorge Espinosa photo)
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There was still a buzz in the air right before the start of the boys' race. As predicted and delivered, the girls' race was one for the ages, setting a class record and also producing the most sub-18:00 times in 1A history.
So how would the boys strike back?
The heavy individual race favorite,
Chaz Oberkfell (Sr., Gillespie), is the defending champion and an eye sore. He was good enough to challenge for the win in 2A or 3A, already cruising to a slick 14:38 at the Cumberland Sectional.
The key challenger was
Evan Knobloch (So., Stark County), whose personal best was 14:48. So it would be interesting to see how things played out.
Oberkfell took charge right away, possessing a two-second lead at the first mile checkpoint in 4:41 over
Caiden Cook (Jr., Duquoin).
Expecting to run in the low 14:20s, Oberkfell was 7:19 at the halfway point. He was on pace to run under 14:30, possibly better than 14:25 if he could maintain his pace over the second half of the race.
At the second mile marker, Oberkfell's lead grew to 13 seconds over the field, passing in 9:34.
Oberkfell covered the final mile in 4:47, cruising through the finish line and improving on his season best with a time of 14:32.
Knobloch held off a hard-charging Blake McLeese (Sr., Tuscola) 14:46.3 to 14:46.5 for the runner-up spot. In some ways, McLeese's effort was a victory after finishing 126th in last year's sectional round.
Luca Bryja (Sr., Elgin Christian Academy) finished fourth in 14:48, and Elijah Teefey (Sr., Pleasant Plains) completed the top five in 14:49.
#1 Eureka sleptwalked throughout the qualifying round. The Hornets lost to Elmwood at sectionals, and the feeling was that it would be more of the same at state.
Eureka had the advantage of running a tight pack that had run under 30 seconds numerous times. In a larger field, that could be an advantage. The Hornets led at the first mile by 13 points over Elmwood. Things began to tighten up over the second mile, dropping to two points 155-157.
Senior Gavin Stalter would eventually finish 23rd overall. However, it was the fifth runner, Timothy Rogers (Sr.), picking up 11 spots in the final mile, which placed him 60th, bringing his teammates home with another title.
The Eureka Hornets were not missing around when it came to earning a state title (Jorge Espinosa photo)
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There was still a buzz in the air right before the start of the boys' race. As predicted and delivered, the girls' race was one for the ages, setting a class record and also producing the most sub-18:00 times in 1A history.
So how would the boys strike back?
The heavy individual race favorite,
Chaz Oberkfell (Sr., Gillespie), is the defending champion and an eye sore. He was good enough to challenge for the win in 2A or 3A, already cruising to a slick 14:38 at the Cumberland Sectional.
The key challenger was
Evan Knobloch (So., Stark County), whose personal best was 14:48. So it would be interesting to see how things played out.
Oberkfell took charge right away, possessing a two-second lead at the first mile checkpoint in 4:41 over
Caiden Cook (Jr., Duquoin).
Expecting to run in the low 14:20s, Oberkfell was 7:19 at the halfway point. He was on pace to run under 14:30, possibly better than 14:25 if he could maintain his pace over the second half of the race.
At the second mile marker, Oberkfell's lead grew to 13 seconds over the field, passing in 9:34.
Oberkfell covered the final mile in 4:47, cruising through the finish line and improving on his season best with a time of 14:32.
Knobloch held off a hard-charging Blake McLeese (Sr., Tuscola) 14:46.3 to 14:46.5 for the runner-up spot. In some ways, McLeese's effort was a victory after finishing 126th in last year's sectional round.
The Eureka Hornets were not missing around when it came to earning a state title (Jorge Espinosa photo)