2015 State Cross-Country Feature: Lions roar back to state
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
There is no doubt there is something special happening at Fairfield High School with their cross-country program. The Lions have gone from not producing much in the victory column in years gone by to a five-year streak of wins, awards and championships.
The 2015 season will be the third consecutive season the Lions have qualified as a team to the OHSAA State Cross-Country Meet held at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, but this year will be a lot different than last season.
This year, the Lions have very high expectations and are not satisfied to just be a part of the events, and for good reason. During the 2015 regular season, Fairfield lost to just two opposing teams (in the same event) and were undefeated against Division III competition all season. They won all but one meet they competed in, won the Southern Hills Athletic Conference championship and district championship for the fifth consecutive seasons, and this year were named regional runners-up, being just inches away from winning that event.
Being a team made up of mental toughness, quality character and a very high level of talent, the Lions have a good chance at placing on the podium at the state meet this Saturday, but they will be first to tell you getting to this point of the season wasn't an easy task, even if their results state otherwise.
At regionals this season, the Lions scored 92 points for the regional runner-up finish, and the seven runners who raced in that event will represent the Lions at state. Those runners include: sophomore Matthew Mangus, sophomore Andrew Davis, sophomore Noah Richmond, junior Dillon Burley, junior Trent Swisher, freshman Austin Setty and junior Wyatt Evans.
[[In-content Ad]]"It's not easy making state, but these guys have earned it in the summer by putting in the miles and working very hard," FHS head coach Raymond Friend said. "As for this weekend, I really believe if we run a good race, we can be in the top half of the teams in the state, and that's a good accomplishment. Since we don't have any seniors, we can build on that for next year."
Assistant coach Bill Mangus also spoke about how the Lions have worked to get to this point of the season for a second consecutive year.
"It's always exciting getting back to this point, and if you look back at our program, it has evolved very quickly," Coach Mangus said. "Coach Friend and the kids have gotten this program to a high level very quick.
"If you look back to 2009, we had two kids race at the conference meet, and the very next year the kids were district runners-up.
“In 2011, we were conference and district champs and haven't lost since in those races. This is the fifth year in a row we've taken individuals or teams to state. Coach Friend has built a program to get very athletic kids, and anytime you get athletic talent in a program, the program will get better. We want to continue to build on what we started already."
One of the Lions runners qualified as an individual for his race at regionals, as Mangus placed 10th overall at the regional race, finishing with a time of 16:47.5 at Pickerington North. This postseason, the sophomore also raced to a time of 16:56 at the district meet held at Rio Grande, and in the SHAC championships, his time was 16:28, with that race being held in Manchester.
The sophomore Mangus spoke about his season and what it took for him and his team to return to state.
"This year has been really exciting with our new freshmen coming up, and to have one freshman make state in the Top 7 and explain to him how to do things here is exciting," Mangus said. "I feel like more of a veteran now, and I like the fact our team is close-knit.
"It was very exciting to qualify as an individual. It was one of the tougher regions we've seen, and to be in the Top 10 was exciting because I beat people who have beaten me all year, and I was happy I made it."
Already having the experience at the state level (he ran a 17:45.25 in cold and windy conditions last year), Mangus is drawing off that experience to not only make himself better, but his teammates as well.
"My mindset going into this is there is no pressure on us now, we made it," Mangus said. "We are just ready to get out there and have our best race. We need to beat all the teams we beat at regionals and get in the Top 10 at state.
"Comparing this to last year, my experience was the first mile was extremely fast, so I just want to teach my teammates who haven't run there what I know and what the course is like."
Coach Friend also spoke about his sophomore runner making it state as an individual and just how competitive it is to make the team when the postseason arrives.
"Matthew has come on to a point this year where he is almost our leader," Friend said. "We follow him. In a majority of the races he's been our number-one runner, and a big reason we are so much better is it is competitive to be on our Top 7. You can't just show up on the first day of practice and expect to have a spot on the team that goes to districts.
"We had 11 kids who legitimately had a chance to make the district team, and it kind of hurts to only take seven. That gets kids to run the miles in the offseason, and that's one of the biggest reasons for our success this year."
Again, when it comes to the Lions, competition between each other is just as competitive as it is with their opponents in each race.
"By leaps and bounds, the competition on the team itself is key," Friend said. "They knew after last year it was freshmen and sophomores. They knew they had a choice that either you were going to run in the summer and put the miles in, or you are not going to have a chance in late October and November to run."
The runners for the Lions are not just solid athletes, but just as good, or even better, students in the classroom.
"These kids are also solid students," Coach Mangus said. "Wyatt, Matthew and Andrew made Academic All-Ohio, and if Nick Price was in the Top 7, he would have made it as well (he's an alternate). You have to have a 3.5 GPA, so you find these kids are very top-notch individuals, good character individuals and the type of people you want to be around."
This season, Evans has also excelled on the cross-country course, and for basically the entire season, he's battled numerous injuries, including bronchitis, as he still ran a time under 18:00.00 during the district run with the illness.
The sophomore racer has been able to overcome obstacles this season, and he spoke highly of his teammates. Last year at state he ran a time of 18:31.62, and this year at regionals his time was 18:18.3. At the district race, Evans finished with a time of 17:53.8, and at the SHAC race his time was 17:03.
"This season, the team has been much better," Evans said. "We've accomplished many goals, others have stepped up, and when one of us isn't at our best, someone has been there for that person.
"Going through my injuries, it has made me more determined. I'm looking forward to running at state again and being there with my teammates."
Davis is also another returning racer to the state tournament this season, as he had a time of 19:02.9 at state in '14.
"Last year, I didn't try as hard as I should have," he said. "I came in as a freshman and didn't think I was going to make it in the Top 7, but as the year went on, I realized I could try harder and make it as a freshman.
"I was very nervous, but very excited. It was a different experience, and the regional race was my best finish on the team, and if I can be No. 1 sometime, that would be great too. My expectations this year at state is I expect a lot out of myself. I want to get a 17 flat or lower and do much better than I did last year."
Another returning racer to reach state for the second consecutive year is Richmond, and he qualified for the state meet once again with times of 17:29.1 at regionals, 17:09.8 at districts, and his SHAC time was 16:48.
At state last year, he was the second-highest FHS finisher at 17:54.24.
"This season, compared to last year, has been a lot more competitive and a lot more serious, and we're just trying to prove a point this year," Richmond said. "Looking back to last year, I know this year I have to start off stronger.
"My run at regionals … I didn't feel like I did my best. I want to race Saturday and improve. At state though, the amount of people that come there to watch and cheer is overwhelming, but something we've worked for to experience again. We just have to stay as serious as we've been all season going into Saturday and take that into next year."
A fifth runner for the Lions who is back on the state-qualifying team is Swisher, and he, like his teammates, wants to be better than he was one year ago. At the state meet in '14, Swisher had a time of 18:38.82. In racing his way back to the state team this year, at the SHAC meet his time was 17:08, followed by a time of 17:31.7 at districts and a regional time of 17:54.6.
"The biggest difference from last year to this year is I'm trying a lot harder, as I know what it takes to reach this point," Swisher said. "My time was about 12 seconds different from last year at regionals.
"I used the experience of state last year as motivation this season, and it is amazing to go there for a second time."
New to the state team for '15 are Burley and Setty, and they, too, are looking to experience what it is like to race at the highest level of racing the state has to offer this Saturday.
At regionals, Burley had a time of 17:46.1, and other moments this postseason saw him with times of 17:43.7 (districts) and 16:54 (SHAC).
"It has been very competitive trying to stay in the Top 7 and extremely hard to make Top 5 on the team," Burley said. "We are very happy to make state once again. To run it this year, it is a great pleasure to run at state since I didn't make it last year.
"Regionals was very tough, and I felt like I should have done a lot better. With state this weekend, I'm looking forward to running the course, and I hope we can make it to Top 7 or even Top 5."
As for Setty, he had a time of 17:03 at the SHAC meet, followed by a district time of 17:41.1 and a regional time of 17:50.4.
"It has been a good experience this season," Setty said. "I have run in the Top 7, and it has been an unreal experience for me to not be out of the Top 7 all year and to qualify for state as a freshman with the team.
"I've been in the 17s all but two times this year. Regionals wasn't my best race, but as for the state race, it will be a good experience. Just being with the team and seeing what other teams are there will be exciting. I didn't really expect to make state at the beginning of the year, because I knew there are good runners on the team. I just trained hard in the offseason."
Even with all of the talent in the Top 7, the Lions have runners who are capable of running at state, if not for the fact their team is just so competitive. The three alternates for the '15 team are Nick Price, Brandtson Duffie and Bennett Hodson.
One of the alternates spoke about the season, as Price said he'll be there for his teammates. Last year, Price raced in the state event, finishing with a time of 18:43.33.
"My season could have been better, but on this competitive team, it is tough to make the Top 7, but I'm glad I was as close as I was," Price said. "It is fun to get out here during practice and push the other guys and push myself.
"It is important to me to race against the best guys in the league and region, and even state. I ran at state last year, and it was a good experience. It is hard not to make it this year, but it is good to see my team pick it up and make it to state."
Coach Friend closed out by speaking highly of his alternates, freshmen and the future of the program.
"Our alternates are our next three finishers from the All-Conference race, and they were also All-Conference," Friend said. "Even with a low chance of racing after the conference race, they have been here at every practice, running and pushing themselves.
"That is the team attitude … pushing each other. In speaking about our freshmen, I would race my freshman team against a lot of other schools. They are that talented, and that bodes well for the future."
The 2015 season will be the third consecutive season the Lions have qualified as a team to the OHSAA State Cross-Country Meet held at National Trail Raceway in Hebron, but this year will be a lot different than last season.
This year, the Lions have very high expectations and are not satisfied to just be a part of the events, and for good reason. During the 2015 regular season, Fairfield lost to just two opposing teams (in the same event) and were undefeated against Division III competition all season. They won all but one meet they competed in, won the Southern Hills Athletic Conference championship and district championship for the fifth consecutive seasons, and this year were named regional runners-up, being just inches away from winning that event.
Being a team made up of mental toughness, quality character and a very high level of talent, the Lions have a good chance at placing on the podium at the state meet this Saturday, but they will be first to tell you getting to this point of the season wasn't an easy task, even if their results state otherwise.
At regionals this season, the Lions scored 92 points for the regional runner-up finish, and the seven runners who raced in that event will represent the Lions at state. Those runners include: sophomore Matthew Mangus, sophomore Andrew Davis, sophomore Noah Richmond, junior Dillon Burley, junior Trent Swisher, freshman Austin Setty and junior Wyatt Evans.
[[In-content Ad]]"It's not easy making state, but these guys have earned it in the summer by putting in the miles and working very hard," FHS head coach Raymond Friend said. "As for this weekend, I really believe if we run a good race, we can be in the top half of the teams in the state, and that's a good accomplishment. Since we don't have any seniors, we can build on that for next year."
Assistant coach Bill Mangus also spoke about how the Lions have worked to get to this point of the season for a second consecutive year.
"It's always exciting getting back to this point, and if you look back at our program, it has evolved very quickly," Coach Mangus said. "Coach Friend and the kids have gotten this program to a high level very quick.
"If you look back to 2009, we had two kids race at the conference meet, and the very next year the kids were district runners-up.
“In 2011, we were conference and district champs and haven't lost since in those races. This is the fifth year in a row we've taken individuals or teams to state. Coach Friend has built a program to get very athletic kids, and anytime you get athletic talent in a program, the program will get better. We want to continue to build on what we started already."
One of the Lions runners qualified as an individual for his race at regionals, as Mangus placed 10th overall at the regional race, finishing with a time of 16:47.5 at Pickerington North. This postseason, the sophomore also raced to a time of 16:56 at the district meet held at Rio Grande, and in the SHAC championships, his time was 16:28, with that race being held in Manchester.
The sophomore Mangus spoke about his season and what it took for him and his team to return to state.
"This year has been really exciting with our new freshmen coming up, and to have one freshman make state in the Top 7 and explain to him how to do things here is exciting," Mangus said. "I feel like more of a veteran now, and I like the fact our team is close-knit.
"It was very exciting to qualify as an individual. It was one of the tougher regions we've seen, and to be in the Top 10 was exciting because I beat people who have beaten me all year, and I was happy I made it."
Already having the experience at the state level (he ran a 17:45.25 in cold and windy conditions last year), Mangus is drawing off that experience to not only make himself better, but his teammates as well.
"My mindset going into this is there is no pressure on us now, we made it," Mangus said. "We are just ready to get out there and have our best race. We need to beat all the teams we beat at regionals and get in the Top 10 at state.
"Comparing this to last year, my experience was the first mile was extremely fast, so I just want to teach my teammates who haven't run there what I know and what the course is like."
Coach Friend also spoke about his sophomore runner making it state as an individual and just how competitive it is to make the team when the postseason arrives.
"Matthew has come on to a point this year where he is almost our leader," Friend said. "We follow him. In a majority of the races he's been our number-one runner, and a big reason we are so much better is it is competitive to be on our Top 7. You can't just show up on the first day of practice and expect to have a spot on the team that goes to districts.
"We had 11 kids who legitimately had a chance to make the district team, and it kind of hurts to only take seven. That gets kids to run the miles in the offseason, and that's one of the biggest reasons for our success this year."
Again, when it comes to the Lions, competition between each other is just as competitive as it is with their opponents in each race.
"By leaps and bounds, the competition on the team itself is key," Friend said. "They knew after last year it was freshmen and sophomores. They knew they had a choice that either you were going to run in the summer and put the miles in, or you are not going to have a chance in late October and November to run."
The runners for the Lions are not just solid athletes, but just as good, or even better, students in the classroom.
"These kids are also solid students," Coach Mangus said. "Wyatt, Matthew and Andrew made Academic All-Ohio, and if Nick Price was in the Top 7, he would have made it as well (he's an alternate). You have to have a 3.5 GPA, so you find these kids are very top-notch individuals, good character individuals and the type of people you want to be around."
This season, Evans has also excelled on the cross-country course, and for basically the entire season, he's battled numerous injuries, including bronchitis, as he still ran a time under 18:00.00 during the district run with the illness.
The sophomore racer has been able to overcome obstacles this season, and he spoke highly of his teammates. Last year at state he ran a time of 18:31.62, and this year at regionals his time was 18:18.3. At the district race, Evans finished with a time of 17:53.8, and at the SHAC race his time was 17:03.
"This season, the team has been much better," Evans said. "We've accomplished many goals, others have stepped up, and when one of us isn't at our best, someone has been there for that person.
"Going through my injuries, it has made me more determined. I'm looking forward to running at state again and being there with my teammates."
Davis is also another returning racer to the state tournament this season, as he had a time of 19:02.9 at state in '14.
"Last year, I didn't try as hard as I should have," he said. "I came in as a freshman and didn't think I was going to make it in the Top 7, but as the year went on, I realized I could try harder and make it as a freshman.
"I was very nervous, but very excited. It was a different experience, and the regional race was my best finish on the team, and if I can be No. 1 sometime, that would be great too. My expectations this year at state is I expect a lot out of myself. I want to get a 17 flat or lower and do much better than I did last year."
Another returning racer to reach state for the second consecutive year is Richmond, and he qualified for the state meet once again with times of 17:29.1 at regionals, 17:09.8 at districts, and his SHAC time was 16:48.
At state last year, he was the second-highest FHS finisher at 17:54.24.
"This season, compared to last year, has been a lot more competitive and a lot more serious, and we're just trying to prove a point this year," Richmond said. "Looking back to last year, I know this year I have to start off stronger.
"My run at regionals … I didn't feel like I did my best. I want to race Saturday and improve. At state though, the amount of people that come there to watch and cheer is overwhelming, but something we've worked for to experience again. We just have to stay as serious as we've been all season going into Saturday and take that into next year."
A fifth runner for the Lions who is back on the state-qualifying team is Swisher, and he, like his teammates, wants to be better than he was one year ago. At the state meet in '14, Swisher had a time of 18:38.82. In racing his way back to the state team this year, at the SHAC meet his time was 17:08, followed by a time of 17:31.7 at districts and a regional time of 17:54.6.
"The biggest difference from last year to this year is I'm trying a lot harder, as I know what it takes to reach this point," Swisher said. "My time was about 12 seconds different from last year at regionals.
"I used the experience of state last year as motivation this season, and it is amazing to go there for a second time."
New to the state team for '15 are Burley and Setty, and they, too, are looking to experience what it is like to race at the highest level of racing the state has to offer this Saturday.
At regionals, Burley had a time of 17:46.1, and other moments this postseason saw him with times of 17:43.7 (districts) and 16:54 (SHAC).
"It has been very competitive trying to stay in the Top 7 and extremely hard to make Top 5 on the team," Burley said. "We are very happy to make state once again. To run it this year, it is a great pleasure to run at state since I didn't make it last year.
"Regionals was very tough, and I felt like I should have done a lot better. With state this weekend, I'm looking forward to running the course, and I hope we can make it to Top 7 or even Top 5."
As for Setty, he had a time of 17:03 at the SHAC meet, followed by a district time of 17:41.1 and a regional time of 17:50.4.
"It has been a good experience this season," Setty said. "I have run in the Top 7, and it has been an unreal experience for me to not be out of the Top 7 all year and to qualify for state as a freshman with the team.
"I've been in the 17s all but two times this year. Regionals wasn't my best race, but as for the state race, it will be a good experience. Just being with the team and seeing what other teams are there will be exciting. I didn't really expect to make state at the beginning of the year, because I knew there are good runners on the team. I just trained hard in the offseason."
Even with all of the talent in the Top 7, the Lions have runners who are capable of running at state, if not for the fact their team is just so competitive. The three alternates for the '15 team are Nick Price, Brandtson Duffie and Bennett Hodson.
One of the alternates spoke about the season, as Price said he'll be there for his teammates. Last year, Price raced in the state event, finishing with a time of 18:43.33.
"My season could have been better, but on this competitive team, it is tough to make the Top 7, but I'm glad I was as close as I was," Price said. "It is fun to get out here during practice and push the other guys and push myself.
"It is important to me to race against the best guys in the league and region, and even state. I ran at state last year, and it was a good experience. It is hard not to make it this year, but it is good to see my team pick it up and make it to state."
Coach Friend closed out by speaking highly of his alternates, freshmen and the future of the program.
"Our alternates are our next three finishers from the All-Conference race, and they were also All-Conference," Friend said. "Even with a low chance of racing after the conference race, they have been here at every practice, running and pushing themselves.
"That is the team attitude … pushing each other. In speaking about our freshmen, I would race my freshman team against a lot of other schools. They are that talented, and that bodes well for the future."