Avon boys cross country earns berth in the Division II state meet

The boys cross country season started with such great promise, only to bottom out about four weeks ago. But after Saturday’s Division II regional meet at Boardman High School, coach Matt Nortz and the Eagles were smiling ear-to-ear. Avon was ranked 15th in the state in the preseason coaches poll, but a season that was plagued with injuries and illness appeared to have derailed the plan of competing in the state meet as a team. But Nortz convinced his squad to keep the dream alive, and it came true at Boardman, as the Eagles earned one of 10 state meet berths by placing ninth with 343 points. “I had my doubts a month ago,” said Nortz. “But you always have to have hope, and I think the boys did. We conveyed to them that we can’t let that dream down, and we have to continue focusing on what we talked about back in the summer.” Jose Alvelo led the Eagles by placing 22nd in 16:35.5. He was backed by Nick Thompson (66th in 17:16.2), Matthew Lochbihler (69th in 17:17.7), Jared Keressi (99th in 17:33.2), Owen Burns (116th in 17:40.2), Blaise Wieber (172nd in 18:00.4) and Dominic Gallo (179th in 18:03.7). “It’s a Cinderella story, right? From rags to riches,” said Nortz with a smile. “We had a lot of injuries, a lot of people getting sick or banged up. Some people were out for eight or nine weeks or even longer. But the last three weeks, we put it together. Knowing who was running, I wasn’t surprised. We knew all along that we could do it. We just needed to be healthy.” The state meet will be held Saturday at Fortress Obetz in suburban Columbus. The boys Division II race is scheduled to start at 2:20 p.m.