Boys OCC Recap #2

With conference meets wrapping up across Central Ohio, the OCC Cardinal and Central divisions delivered exciting performances in the distance events. From dominant wins by top contenders to breakthrough races from rising stars, these races gave us a preview of who’s peaking just in time for the postseason.

OCC Cardinal

4x800: This went about as expected at the top, with Dublin Jerome taking an easy victory. They were the only relay in the conference to finish under eight minutes. Behind them, four teams broke 8:10: Hilliard Darby (8:00), Olentangy (8:04), Marysville (8:05), and Thomas Worthington (8:08).

1600: I was spot-on with the predicted finishing order. Charlie Guerrera jogged to a 4:23 win, followed by Braydon Nix in 4:25 and Cayden McClure just 0.04 seconds behind him. Other sub-4:30 finishers included Vansh Sethi (4:27) and Kole Hyer (4:28).

800: Ty Munroe continues to improve, winning the conference with a 1:54.45. Brendan Steele finished second in 1:56.32, with Ethan Ishida just behind in 1:56.72. Other sub-2:00 finishers included sophomore Jonah Hein (1:58.41) and Tomek Cymbal (1:59.04).

3200: There was no Dublin Jerome sweep here, although Charlie Guerrera still won handily. Logan Behm finished 10 seconds back for second in 9:37, and Graham Tyler took third in 9:43. Other sub-10:00 performances came from Vansh Sethi (9:46) and Ryin Fisher (9:52).

OCC Central

4x800: The Olentangy Orange squad, anchored by Matthew Schroff, looked strong. Even though Olentangy Liberty didn’t run their full A-team, Orange still handily beat them with a 7:51. It will be interesting to see how the two Olentangy schools compare when both bring their best lineups.

1600: Matthew Schroff cruised to the win—no surprise there. The rest of the race, however, was far more competitive. Anton Shishlo ran a big PR of 4:22 to earn runner-up, followed closely by Sam Brockbank, just 0.05 seconds behind. Other sub-4:30 performances came from Sid Sivakumar (4:25), Max Harder (4:28), and sophomore Griffin Ley (4:30).

800: The double was no trouble for Schroff, who easily won with a 1:54.26. Aadi Joshi ran another big PR for second in 1:55.76, while Dylan Willis secured third with a 1:58.23. Additional sub-2:00 finishers included Jacob Ogilbee (1:59.06), Sam Brockbank (1:59.34), and Kaden Walter (1:59.55), who broke the barrier for the first time in his career.

3200: Jacob Bolton earned his first conference title with a two-second win over Bradyn Allender, running 9:20. It was a two-man battle for the top spot, with third place coming in over 20 seconds later. Gordon Kimberly ran 9:41 to edge out Justin Rona for third. Other sub-10:00 finishers included Sam Perez (9:46), Ben Canales (9:50), Charlie Limbert (9:53), Cowen Allender (9:55), Louie Perry (9:57), and Griffin Ley (9:59).

As we head into district competition, the depth and talent across both divisions are clear. Several athletes have put themselves in strong positions to make deep postseason runs, and it’s safe to say that Central Ohio distance running is in good hands.