By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor
Four local runners took their talents to the state cross country meet in Hebron, Ohio, this past weekend, with one of them finding a spot on the podium.
Amelia sophomore Maddie Walker finished fourth in the girls’ Division I race, crossing the line in 17:42.6. For reference, Hilliard Davidson senior India Johnson posted the fastest time, finishing in 17:28.6.
Walker’s effort shaved eight spots and roughly 40 seconds off her performance in last year’s state meet, where she finished in 12th place with a time of 18:22.8.
Teammate Morgan Walsh also ran a solid race, finishing in 106th out of 178 runners. Walsh finished the 5K run in 19:49.3.
Two other local runners competed at the state event.
Williamsburg senior K.C. Jones was the first local runner to hit the trails at National Trail Raceway, competing in the boys’ Division III event. Jones posted a time of 16:54.0 to finish in 55th place. Junior Chad Johnson won the event for Colonel Crawford High School, finishing in 15:18.4. There were 188 runners competing with Jones in the race.
Bethel-Tate’s Jackson Coates also competed in the state tournament in the boys’ Division II race. The junior crossed the line in 16:59.5, good for an 87th-place finish out of the 186 runners in the boys’ meet.