ELYRIA, Ohio (Oct. 19, 2024) -- The Double-R will be double-barreled in sending athletes to the regional round of the 2024 Buckeye State postseason. On Saturday, both Pirate teams graduated through the first stage of the process with top-8 performances at the DI/DII Lorain District Qualifier at Lorain Country Community College. [
Results]
Competing in a field of 23 teams on a clear, autumnal day in Elyria, the Rocky River boys posted a team score of 115 points. That landed the Buccaneers a third-place finish in the DII race held at Lorain Country Community College. Senior Henry Lange and sophomore Ryan Stirm were the lead edge of the Pirate sword. Lange and Stirm crossed the wire in fourth and fifth, respectively, both clocking sub-16:30 times.
River finished with five athletes in the top-50 of a 136-runner field, and the team notched a fine average time of 17:12. The balance of the Pirates' scoring runners were Jackson Rood (27P), Vincent Valente (36), and Simon Baum (43P). Only Woodridge (54 points) and Cuyahoga Valley (90) undercut Rocky River's score.
In the girls DI competition, the Maroon & White registered five top-20 times in posting a runner-up 53-point performance. Avon edged Rocky River 50-53, but the Pirates easily sailed under the top-8 qualification standard. River took 3P (Grace Lavelle), 7P (Katie Stirm), 10P (Jane McCann), 14P (Jane Rathbun), and 19P (Anna Buehrle) and logged an average time of 20:08.
Both Pirate teams will compete in regional qualifiers at Youngstown Boardman High School Oct. 26. They'll be looking to advance to the Buckeye State championships at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz, on Nov. 2.
by Skip Snow
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