The Lake Orion boys? cross country squad won the first OAA Red Jamboree with relative ease.
Winning the second, held last Tuesday at Stoney Creek Metropark, was even easier.
Ryan Ziolko (16:24) took first place for the second time in two league races. Teammates Sean Bone (3-16:30), Jeremiah Hargett (7-16:46), Nathan Ziolko (8-16:48) and Doug Mack (17:06) rounded out the scoring for Lake Orion.
‘If we just keep them together like that it’s awesome,? Ford said.
‘It doesn’t matter to me what order they finish in if they’re all in a pack like that,? he added with a laugh.
Ian and Zach Prochaska finished 23rd and 24th, respectively, both cracking the 18-minute barrier.
The team’s 28 points, were 48 ahead of second-place Rochester Adams (76). Clarkston and Troy tied for third with 85 points.
‘We know we can run faster,? Ford said. ‘Just to have all five of them run healthy is a good feeling.?
The key from meet one to meet two, according to Ford, was having the senior Hargett back in the lineup.
‘The first meet we didn’t have Jeremiah, so that was the big difference,? he noted.
Both Ford, and girls? Coach Debi McDonald said their respective teams are on the right course at midseason.
The girls? finished sixth overall, up from seventh at the first league meet, led by Lisa Bandico’s 21st-place finish (21:04). Sammie Kaufman (30-21:27), Sydney Gutierrez (32-21:29), Rebecca Dow (34-21:38) and Ashley Bartreau (35-21:51) were the team’s top finishers.
‘They looked like they were a much tighter pack than in the first meet,? McDonald said.
Abbey Ernatt (36-21:51) and Kathryn Miller (38-22:25) just missed out on contributing to the team score, and McDonald said she was still trying to figure out just who her top seven runners were.
‘It’s both good and bad,? McDonald said, noting she likes the competition, but would like to see more consistency.
‘I think we still have potential to improve this season,? she added, citing Bandico in particular, whom she called her most consistent performer.
Lake Orion’s 152 points were well ahead of seventh-place Troy Athens? 215, but were 25 back of fifth-place Stoney Creek. Troy, 41 points, edged Rochester Adams, 53 points, for first place.
The league meet (which accounts for half of the final standings) is at Bloomer Park on Oct. 16.