Basilone ahead of schedule, Will progressing nicely after strong showing at Ashland Invite

ASHLAND — Lexington senior Chance Basilone is on the fast track.

After Saturday's strong showing at the Ashland Cross Country Invite where he took second overall in the Division I race with a blistering time of 15:42.9, Basilone is progressing as if he is in mid-season form.

The 2024 cross country season is just three weeks old. There is no telling how low he might go by the time the postseason rolls around in October.

XC NEWS: Richland County Cross Country Scoreboard: Busy Saturday brings big results for runners, teams

"Last year, at this course, I went 16:23 and ended up at 15:34 at the end of the season," Basilone said. "So it was a 50-second improvement. So, the goal was to break 16 today so by the end of the year, I could be really moving."

Basilone finished behind Stow-Monroe Falls's Nathan Hartenburg who ran a 15:37.7 but he easily posted the best time of any runner who will be competing in the Division II postseason in six weeks.

"I knew it was going to be a great race with some tough competition, but I never expected to be leading after the first mile," Basilone said. "These first three weeks of the season, I am just focusing on racing techniques for state because I want to win a state title. I need to learn how to race up front and with people next to me and this meet helped me achieve that."

With a goal of getting into the 16-minute range, Basilone blew past that. Last week at the GlenOak Golden Eagle Invitational, he ran a 16:02.68 just a week after running a 16:09.98 at the Ohio High School Athletic Association Early Season Invite. In three short weeks, he has shaved nearly 30 seconds off of his first-week time.

Lexington coach Denise Benson, who is meticulous when it comes to her runners' progress from day to day, is seeing a completely different level out of Basilone.

"He is ahead," Benson said. "Last year, he ran 16:23 here and has been consistently 30 seconds ahead of his pace from last year. If he can stay the course, that puts him in a great spot at the end of the season. Low 15s will be the goal for him. Every week, I want him challenged. You have to race the best to be the best."

And Basilone wants to be the absolute best both individually and as a team. The Minutemen won the team championship on Saturday with 64 points finishing ahead of Stow which had 67. The Minutemen went into the meet ranked No. 2 in all of Division II and Basilone vows to make sure they live up to the billing.

"We are at a great spot," Basilone said. "This summer was amazing so we are just going to keep pushing every single day. The state rankings came out this week and we are No. 2. Pressure is a privilege. If we are not running with pressure, we aren't running for anything special."

Lexington junior Latrell Hughes took third overall with a 16:07.3 while Lincoln Rice finished in 13th with a 16:45.7, Gage Devaney took 17th with a 16:49.8 and Luke Haring rounded out the scoring runners with a 29th-place finish in a time of 17:22.9.

"Latrell Hughes, look out," Benson said. "His freshman year, he was 16-teens and now he is well into the 15s and it is super exciting. We are tightening up the pack and that is a great feeling."

Ontario finished fifth as a team with 180 points. The Warriors were led by Xavier Trent in sixth with a 16:26.5 while Dean Morrison took ninth with a 16:37.7. Rylan Baker (35th, 17:34.5), Ashton Drozda (68th, 18:34.5) and Michael Ward (82nd, 18:45.0) posted scoring positions for the Warriors.

Shelby's Anna Will posts gutsy performance in girls Division I race

When Shelby sophomore Anna Will approached the starting line of the Division I girls race on Saturday, she looked down the line and saw what she has been chasing all summer.

The Lexington Lady Lex team, which comes into the 2024 season with state title aspirations, is what Will has been thinking about during her summer workouts. She has a desire to be the best in Richland County and it will take competing with some of the best in the state.

"Lexington is such a tough team and coming in, I really wanted to test myself to match up with their girls," Will said. "I wanted to compete with them and knew it was going to be tough. My goal was to get with that front pack and save a kick for the end."

She saved a kick for the perfect time as she took sixth overall in a loaded race and was the top finisher of all Richland County runners with a time of 19:38.9.

"This week, I wanted to be in the 19s so I was really happy with my time," Will said. "That is where I want to be moving forward. I feel like I am moving in the right direction."

She finished just ahead of Lexington junior Brailey Slone, who is working her way back from a hip injury after two All-Ohio seasons. Slone took seventh with a 19:41.4 and the two runners pushed each other until the every end.

"I really wanted to compete with her and she pushed right until the end," Will said. "She is such a great runner and one of the best in the state and one I strive to be like so to run with her is only going to make me better."

Lexington took second as a team with 86 points. Kayta Prykhodko finished in ninth with a 19:56.4 while Jenna Halfhill finished in 12th with a 20:21.2. Brynn Bruner (23rd, 20:52.9) and Hallie Durbin (40th, 21:58.5) posted scoring positions for Lady Lex which finished behind Wadsworth's 54 points.

Shelby took fourth with 154. Emma Montgomery helped Will by taking 21nd with a 20:45.5 while Kendall Bowman took 34th with a 21:43.4. Emma Mahek (36th, 21:50.0) and Courtney Stiving (69th, 23:04.7) rounded out the scoring runners for the Whippets.

Ontario's Ava Zehe was the top runner for the Warriors in 41st with a 21:59.3.

Crestview Cougars win Division II/III girls team championship

Crestview senior Leyna Gerich led the Cougars to a team championship by taking fourth overall with a 20:10.2 while Alina Durbin finished in sixth with a 20:56.5. Audrey Wolford (12th, 21:16.1), Laynie Kemp (17th, 21:51.3) and Emmie Kemp (20th, 21:57.8) rounded out the scoring runners for the Cougars.

Mansfield Christian's dynamic duo of Riley Patrick and Meagan Them had a huge day for the Flames finishing No. 2 and 3, respectively. Patrick took second with a 19:34.0 and Them took third at 10:37.5. The Flames did not have enough qualifying runners to post a team score.

Mansfield senior Tilia Ames took 16th overall with a 21:44.6.

Emily Musgrove was the top runner for Madison with a 23:08.9.

Crestview's Brockway took sixth place individually in the Division II/III boys race with a time of 16:39.1. The Cougars finished in seventh as a team with 163 points.

Mansfield Christian took eighth as a team with 181 points led by Davis Delorenzo (18th, 18:08.3) and Landin Cyphers (19th, 18:12.7).

Shelby finished 10th with 209 points as Evan Reed led the Whippets in 45th with a time of 19:46.5.

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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Basilone ahead of schedule, Will progressing nicely after strong showing at Ashland Invite