The boys cross country team at Minerva can be viewed as both a blessing and a curse. Sure, most of the spotlight falls on the Lady Lions, the two-time defending Division II state champion. But therein is the blessing as some cross country teams may just look past the Lions.
And those that overlook Minerva do so at their own peril. For this is a storied program in its own right, and one that is hitting its stride.
Last year, the Lions cruised to the Division II East District team title scoring 44 points and beating the runner-up by 30. Then, at regionals, Minerva finished third, which allowed the Lions to make their fourth consecutive team appearances at the state meet. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, Minerva’s boys won the Eastern Buckeye Conference cross country championship for the first time in 20 years and the Stark County title for the first time in 25.
Yes, Minerva bids farewell to standout runner Grasyn Rettig, who placed 52nd at state last November, as well as Ryan Cassidy. However, there is a lot of youth on this squad, and it is youth with a year of invaluable experience and hard work gained.
The list of returning letter winners begins with senior Rowen Hoffee, who finished 74th at the state meet last year. He leads a pack that includes Owen Yoder, Brady First, Fox Johnson, Kaden Knappenberger, and Tyson Fetty. Yoder, Fetty, Knappenberger, and Johnson also ran at state, with nearly all of them posting season-best times.
Olivia Scott, who returns for her seventh year behind the wheel of Minerva’s cross country program, also has an ace up her sleeve, namely in the form of current OHSAA middle school state champion Anderson Scott, who she describes as “a high impact freshman.”
Add it all together and this is a team that could very well improve on its 17th place showing at the state meet this fall. For what it’s worth, Scott is optimistic.
“Our entire boys’ team has been putting in the miles and this showed at our time trial week,” she said. “With the pack running abilities of Hoffee, Yoder and Scott, we are going to surprise some teams this season. Tyson Fetty, Fox Johnson, Brady First and Kaden Knappenberger all showed how much they have improved this season from last. It is going to be an exciting year.”
