Boys State Recap (Rest of State)

After recapping the Central Ohio results in a previous article, it’s time to shift our focus to the rest of the state, where we saw many impressive performances at the state meet. The Southwest Ohio region stood out, dominating with both the top individual and team finishes, as well as a majority of the top finishers on both sides. In this article, we’ll go over all of those results and share our thoughts on the very exciting meet that took place.

Individual Champion: Landon Kimmel (Tippecanoe)

Team Champions: Mason Comets

It was truly anyone’s game heading into the weekend, both on the individual and team sides. However, I was able to accurately pick both winners. It’s always a safe bet to predict Mason or St. Xavier as the team champion, and this year was no different. Mason captured the team title in dominant fashion, outscoring the next best team by 69 points. Their depth was simply unmatched in this contest. Mason’s 7th runner scored an impressive 46 points, placing ahead of all but one team’s 4th man—a remarkable feat. Coming into the meet, they weren’t even the top team on paper, but the Comets peaked on the right day, undoubtedly thanks to strong coaching.

As we mentioned, St. Xavier is usually a smart choice given their history as a powerhouse, and they ultimately finished as runner-up behind Mason. While their depth was moderate, they were boosted by top scorer Alex Bruns, along with two other runners within the top 40 scorers. They narrowly edged out Little Miami by three points. Although Little Miami had a stronger top three scorers, they ultimately lost ground with their 5th runner, who scored 75 points.

Toledo St. Francis and Beavercreek rounded out the top five finishing teams at the state meet. St. Francis’s impressive 21-second spread left them just five points behind Little Miami. Beavercreek’s team spread was somewhat larger than St. Francis’s, but thanks to stronger high-end performances, they finished within two points of St. Francis. The only other team to score below the 200-point threshold was Hudson, which placed 6th with 199 points.

On the individual side, our predicted champion, Landon Kimmel, ran away with the victory. His time of 14:33.81 set a new state meet record, making it the 5th best mark in the country right now. Remarkably, Kimmel is still a junior and has another season of cross country ahead of him. Although he won by nearly 15 seconds, Kimmel faced strong competition for much of the race. By the first mile, it was clear that the individual title would come down to a three-man race between Kimmel, Alex Bruns, and Eli Ilg. Many saw Ilg, last year’s state runner-up, as the favorite to win the title. He started strong, holding the lead until about the 2-mile mark. However, as the race progressed, he began to fall behind Kimmel and Bruns. Bruns was able to stay with Kimmel until they reached the bottom of the hill, but Kimmel’s surge proved too much, allowing him to pull away and finish with a blazing kick.

The rest of the top 10 finishers were Centerville’s Kasem Kaheal, St. Ignatius’s Maxwell Friedrich, Mason’s Caden Winship, Piqua’s Noah Burgh, Springfield’s Sam Darmanie, Dublin Jerome’s Charlie Guerrera, and Sheridan’s Tate Ruthers. The most impressive race among them came from Friedrich, who always seems to peak at the state meet. During track season, he had a breakout performance, setting a personal record of 9:05 in the 3200 meters and placing 3rd in the state. He followed that up with a 5th place finish at this year’s cross-country state meet, achieving a nearly 20-second PR with a time of 15:06. While it is unlikely anyone will challenge Kimmel next year, Friedrich has a strong shot at earning runner-up honors in cross country next season.

The most significant storyline of the day was the dominance of the Southwest region on both the team and individual sides. They placed all of their qualifying teams within the top seven, including each of the top three teams. On the individual side, they claimed the top two finishers and six of the top ten overall. Their top-end talent appears to be unmatched, leaving the rest of the state striving to catch up as we head into track season.

In conclusion, the Boys State Meet showcased the exceptional talent across Ohio, with the Southwest region firmly establishing itself as a powerhouse on both the team and individual fronts. Mason’s commanding team victory and Landon Kimmel’s record-breaking performance were highlights of a highly competitive field. With rising stars like Kimmel and Max Friedrich poised for future success, the depth and skill of Ohio’s cross-country athletes remain stronger than ever. As we turn our attention to the upcoming track season, it will be exciting to see how teams and individuals build on these impressive performances.