MENTOR, Ohio -- The Pirate Boys' and Girls' teams posted impressive performances at the Mentor Cardinal Classic on Saturday. The boys' team clocked a third-place finish in a talented 14-team field, while the River girls earned sixth among as many competing squads in the Mentor High School-hosted event at Garfield Park. [Results: Boys | Girls]

 

Senior athlete Luke Kishna led the fine Rocky River effort on the boys' side. For a second straight event to start the fall, Kishna led Pirate runners in getting to the wire. He finished with a final time of 16:44.56, which was ninth in a field of 123 runners.

 

Leading a tightly packed bundle of Buccaneers, Kishna was followed by senior Seth Williams (16th), sophomore Greg Ganor (19th), junior Sam Buehrle (23rd), and sophomore Luke Dorenkott (25th). The Pirates finished with 92 team points.

 

In the girls' competition, Rocky River tallied 176 points. The Maroon & White were paced by freshman Brianna Chaves who posted a time of 20:02.85 in taking 10th place. Counting finishes for a youthful Pirate crew were also logged by freshman Carolyn Wanosik (17th), senior Alison Ritvo (33rd), freshman Reagan Connelly (51st), and sophomore Ella Rochester (65th). The scoring runs for Connelly and Rochester were career firsts.

 

The host Mentor Cardinals won on both sides in their home event which dates to 1973. In the boys' race, Mentor boasted five top-15 finishes in scoring 38 points. On the girls' side, the Cardinals scored 49 points on the strength of three top-10 slots.

 

 

JV LEADERS: In Saturday's junior varsity runs, sophomore Isaac Linville (seventh) and freshman Grant Preto (eighth) led the way for the River boys in a third-place finish for the Pirates. The girls were led by sophomore Anna Rouphail (49th).

 

 

by Skip Snow

 

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