Central District Section One Breakdown

The Central District Section 1 races featured a mix of expected outcomes and exciting surprises. Tate Ruthers from Sheridan took the boys individual title, while the Olentangy Liberty Patriots won the team championship, alongside strong showings from St. Francis DeSales, Marysville, and Gahanna Lincoln. Hilliard Davidson secured the final qualifying spot, leaving the Pickerington North Panthers out of contention. In the girls' race, the Lancaster Golden Gales claimed the team title, with Katy Zang of Teays Valley dominating the individual competition. Overall, the races highlighted fierce competition and set the stage for the upcoming regional and state championships.

Boys Race

Individual Champion: Tate Ruthers (Sheridan)

Team Champion: Olentangy Liberty Patriots

Team Qualifiers: Olentangy Liberty

St. Francis DeSales

Marysville

Gahanna Lincoln

Thomas Worthington

Hillard Davidson

In our District 1 Preview Article, I stated, "Barring any unforeseen injuries or illness, five of your six qualifiers will be Columbus DeSales, Olentangy Liberty, Gahanna Lincoln, Marysville, and Thomas Worthington." Sure enough, those five schools all advanced to this weekend’s regional championship (although not necessarily in that particular order). 

Here’s where things get interesting: the fight for the sixth and final spot. Going into the weekend, I had picked the Pickerington North Panthers for the final bid, but they had an unfortunate off day, and it looks like the Panther faithful will now have to place all their postseason hopes on individual runner-up Mick Temple. Ultimately, it was the Hilliard Davidson Wildcats who delivered arguably their best race of the season, securing 6th place. They were led by senior Justin Rona, who had a breakthrough race of his own.

Olentangy Liberty’s upset over St. Francis DeSales also deserves special recognition. Entering the week as a team on the bubble for state qualification, Liberty surged ahead with a breakout performance from Louie Perry, supported by strong contributions from their top five runners, to comfortably claim the district title. Meanwhile, DeSales faces a crucial challenge: unless their fourth and fifth runners match their regular-season form, their hopes of advancing to states could be in jeopardy.

Several squads had great performances that, while not enough to make the regional meet, are certainly worth discussing. The two teams that really stood out to me were the Chillicothe Cavaliers and the Upper Arlington Golden Bears. Chillicothe seemed to come out of nowhere—I’ll admit they were nothing more than an afterthought before this weekend—but I was pleasantly surprised by their 7th-place finish, thanks in large part to standout races by Jayden Beverly and Daniel Hurff, both of whom advanced to regionals as individuals. I was less surprised by Upper Arlington’s performance, though that’s not to downplay how strong their race was. All season, they’ve had one of the best 1-5 spreads in the state but have lacked a low stick to complete the perfect package. Led by junior Kyle Hughes, who ran a sizable personal best to qualify for regionals, the Golden Bears certainly delivered this weekend.

Turning to the individual races, things unfolded largely as expected, with all the key contenders comfortably advancing to the regional meet. However, we did witness a surprise in the battle for the individual title, as Tate Ruthers claimed the crown in an impressive 15:17, outpacing our predicted winner, Mick Temple. After a quietly consistent season and a commanding performance at districts, Ruthers is emerging as a dark horse for both the regional and potentially even the state title.

Girls Race

Individual champion: Katy Zang (Teays Valley)

Team Champion: Lancaster Golden Gales

Team Qualifiers: Lancaster

Gahanna Lincoln

Marysville

Teays Valley

Big Walnut

Granville

On one hand, the results of this race were no surprise. All four favorites—Lancaster, Gahanna Lincoln, Marysville, and Big Walnut—advanced with relative ease, and the teams filling the final two qualifying spots, Teays Valley and Granville, had both shown solid form earlier in the season. However, a closer look at the results reveals there’s plenty to learn from this weekend.

To start, Lancaster is rapidly closing the gap between themselves and the top team in the region, Hilliard Davidson. Lancaster put all five scorers under the 19-minute mark for 5,000 meters, with standout performances from Marissa Heil (17:28) and backend scorers Brooke Derringer (18:46) and Ava Parrett (18:55), both of whom hit personal bests. While I’m still hesitant to pick Lancaster over Hilliard in a head-to-head matchup, the decision is becoming increasingly difficult as they continue to improve.

Another team that impressed me last Saturday was the Teays Valley Vikings, who I had initially pegged as a "bubble team." They exceeded expectations, comfortably qualifying with a 4th-place finish. We already knew Katy Zang was a standout, but it was the rest of the Vikings’ scoring lineup that made the difference, particularly sophomore Resse Galinger, who had a breakout performance, running 18:46 for 5,000 meters.

Although the individual race didn’t produce any major surprises, all the athletes I consider strong contenders for All-Ohio honors advanced as expected. Leading the charge was Katy Zang, who delivered a commanding performance, dominating from the start and winning by an 18-second margin.

In summary, the Central District Section 1 races provided valuable insights and set the tone for the upcoming regional and state meets. The standout performances from both individuals and teams showcased the depth of talent in the district, with both emerging competitors like Tate Ruthers and known competitors like Katy Zang making a strong impact. As the season progresses, it will be intriguing to see how these athletes and teams build on their momentum and navigate the challenges ahead. With the intensity ramping up, the road to the state championships promises to be an exciting one.