By Samantha Myers
OHS Journalist
Solid performances keep getting churned out week after week by the Wildcat’s Cross Country teams as both the boys and girls went 2-0 this week.
This week’s Flint Metro League victims were Flint Kearsley and Clio. The boys defeated them by a score of 42-17, moving their FML record to 3-2.
The Wildcats took the top three spots with Junior Captain Dylan Smith finishing first in 17:28. Senior Alex Pollack finished second and Freshman Ryan Gillespie came in third.
Head Coach Ray Sutherland was thrilled with the performance turned in by the guys. ‘It was the first time we went one, two, three? he said.
Junior Curtis Kocher came in eighth, Freshman Ross Chapman finished ninth and Sophomore Alec Smith rounded out the top ten.
Not to be outdone by the boys, the girls went out and beat Kearsley 36-21 and Clio 46-17. Freshman Ashley Burr clocked in first with her time of 20:43, while the other part of the Freshman duo Brooke Kovacic finished third. Junior Captain Megan Seeley finished fourth and Senior Captain Shannon Seeley was eighth, two seconds ahead of Senior Kate Wolanin, who finished ninth.
The victories moved the Wildcat’s to 4-1 in league play. This was the first season where the Wildcat’s topped Kearsley and Clio in the regular season.
The week was capped off on a high note as the boys and girls finished in the top two at the Catholic Central Invite on Saturday morning.
The boys won Division II, beating Dearborn Divine Child and Detroit Renaissance, while the girls took second, losing to Farmington Hills by seven points.
All of the varsity runners medaled individually, which impressed Assistant Coach Chase Tucker. ‘I’m impressed with the determination and effort of all the runners…I’m hoping to see the team strive to improve themselves and work together to achieve victory at every race.
Dylan Smith and Pollack battled throughout the race for fifth and sixth. Smith finished with a time of 17:38, beating out Pollack by one second. Alec Smith and Kocher finished 14th and 15th respectively, while Gillespie finished 17th and Chapman 18th.
‘It was nice to see all the boys pushing each other…the results just keep getting better and better,? said Dylan Smith.
The girls stepped up their performance after receiving the news that Shannon Seeley broke her fibula in gym class earlier in the week and is out for the remainder of the season. Kovacic ran exceptionally well, placing first overall with her time of 19:49. Burr finished third.
Wolanin crossed the finish line in 17th and Megan Seeley placed 21st. Sophomores Jillian Walker and Olivia Hernandez finished 30th and 31st.
‘I am so proud of every single one of my girls,? said Shannon Seeley. ‘Each and every one of them stepped up and gave their 100 percent best effort…I can’t say more. They are a wonderful team and I could not ask for a better group of girls.
The next meet for the Wildcats is Saturday, Oct. 3 at the Waterford Mott Classic. The next home meet is the Oxford Invite on Oct. 16.
Leader Staff Writer Andrew Moser also contributed to the article.