Scott HennenThisWeek
We’ve announced our early season Super 12 boys cross country team and the early season Super 7 rankings of the top teams.
Now for a look at the teams from Coffman, Jerome and Scioto:
COFFMAN
•Coach: Joe DePalma, fourth season
•Top athletes: Jacob Bolton, Zac Heyob, Will McGraw, Caden Ozbun, Jackson Roe, Liam Shaughnessy
•Key losses: Noah Clemens, Isaac Frank, Merrick Shorter and Broderick Spurgin
•2021 OCC-Central standings: Hilliard Davidson (23), Dublin Coffman (40), Olentangy Orange (61), Hilliard Bradley (128), Upper Arlington (150), Olentangy Liberty (157)
•2021 postseason: First at district, second at regional, second at state
•Outlook: Coming off their best performance since winning the 2011 Division I state title, the Shamrocks will build around seniors Liam Shaughnessy and Will McGraw after they finished fifth (15:24.8) and 37th (15:57.5), respectively, at state to lead the team to a runner-up finish with 144 points behind champion Mason (106).
Sophom*ore Jacob Bolton was Coffman’s No. 5 runner at state and also has returned along with senior Jackson Roe.
Juniors Max Erhsam, Zac Heyob and Caden Ozbun and sophom*ore Dylan Mastny are expected to be among the next group of runners, while juniors Jeremy Bons, Aidan Peebles, Brady Potts, Jayce Scholler and Elliot Toland are others looking to crack the lineup.
Isaac Frank and Noah Clemens were the top runners lost to graduation, with Frank finishing 28th at state and Clemens coming in 61st.
•Quotable: “We know what we have at the top. Liam and Will are two of the best runners in the state, so we feel confident in what they’re bringing to the table. Jacob has continued to improve and should have a great year, while Jackson Roe is back to his top form. I believe we have a lot of other talent that could fill in the remaining spots, but it remains to be seen just how good we’ll be. The focus will be on keeping the gap from Liam and Will to the end of our varsity as small as possible.” — DePalma
—Jarrod Ulrey
JEROME
•Coach: Dave Wadenstierna, 11th season
•Top athletes: Pranav Khadkikar, Jayden Randolph, Josh Razor and Sam Ricchiuti
•Key losses: David Hartman and Carson Smith
•2021 OCC-Cardinal standings: Dublin Jerome (24), Olentangy (70), Thomas Worthington (77), Olentangy Berlin (88), Marysville (93), Hilliard Darby (146)
•2021 postseason: First at district, fourth at regional, 17th at state
•Outlook: The Celtics again should be led by junior Sam Ricchiuti, who finished 45th at state last season. He opened the season by finishing second (15 minutes, 56.4 seconds) in the OHSAA Early Season Invitational on Aug. 20 at Fortress Obetz. After also playing soccer his first two years, Ricchiuti has opted to focus on cross country.
Other returning state competitors are seniors Jayden Randolph and Josh Razor, junior Pranav Khadkikar and sophom*ore Charles Guerrera.
Junior Alexander Sudal and freshmen Ethan Ishida and Graham Tyler also are competing for top-seven positions for the Celtics, who are seeking to win a district title and advance to state for the third consecutive year
•Quotable: “Sam is definitely motivated this year. He’s ready to be in the conversation for being one of top runners in the state. … We’re deeper this year than we’ve ever been. The two freshmen (Ishida and Tyler) are ready. They were really good cross country runners and track runners as eighth-graders. They’re definitely ready to come in and make an impact for us.” — Wadenstierna
—Frank DiRenna
SCIOTO
•Coach: Jack Schlabig, second season
•Top athletes: Weston Day, Bryce Page and Reece Page
•Key losses: Jonathan Carr, Spencer McClellan and Justin Ward
•2021 OCC-Capital standings: Worthington Kilbourne (47), Westerville North (55), Dublin Scioto (79), Big Walnut (90), Westerville South (98), Delaware (125), Canal Winchester (213)
•2021 postseason: Fifth at district, 10th at regional
•Outlook: Coach Jack Schlabig enters his second season expecting continued growth from his team.
Junior Weston Day is Scioto’s only returning state qualifier, and he has emerged as the team’s top runner in the early season.
Seniors Bryce and Reece Page, who are brothers, are competing for the second spot. Sophom*ore Owen Kockentiet and freshman Michael Kinzer are also contending for top-five positions.
•Quotable: “Our culture has grown a lot from last year to this year. It was a little bit harder to get it going last season, but now we’ve had a good summer and in track (during the spring). The captains are a good voice that I have as well, so that’s been really helpful. The captains have bought into the program. They worked really hard this summer. We’ve had a big improvement from last year to this year, just with dedication and effort.” — Schlabig
—Frank DiRenna
