Fairfield Lions return to state by exceeding expectations
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The more things change, the more they stay the same for the Fairfield Lions boys cross-country team, as many names and faces have gone through the elite running program of the team from Leesburg, but the results always end up seeing the Lions qualify for the state championships.
That is the case for the Lions, as they have qualified for the OHSAA Division III State Cross-Country Championships for a seventh straight season as a team.
In each of the past six years, the Lions have raced in the state championships, starting in 2013 with a 15th-place finish (1:31:11.64), followed in 2014 with a 16th-place finish (1:31:33.26). In 2015, the Lions had an eighth-place finish (1:26:25). In 2016, FHS was fourth at 1:24:41, and in 2017 the Lions finished fourth again with a time of 1:24:47. Last season, Fairfield was sixth place overall with a time of 1:28.04.
[[In-content Ad]]
Four of the seven runners who raced at state last season are returning to state once again, as this ’19 team consists of Cohen Frost (junior), Ethan Davis (senior), Blake Haines (junior), Gavin Campbell (senior), Landry Hattan (freshman), Brant Haines (junior) and Nathan Vidourek (junior).
Also with the Lions, runners who are sophomores through seniors are eligible for Academic All-Ohio status, and the six runners on the team who are in grades 10 through 12 have earned that honor for both their success in the classroom and on the cross-country course.
“I knew that the potential was there for them to qualify, but it was definitely unexpected. Probably about five weeks ago, we had a little sit-down with the team because we were not a team that was going to qualify for state,” FHS boys head coach Raymond Friend said. “We still had some guys that were running 19 minutes, and you’re not going to even come close with some of your top guys running in high 18s and low 19s. I think they really bought in and said ‘Hey, let’s get this done.’ They had some excellent training the last four or five weeks, and they got it done when it counted. I’m just extremely proud of them.
“The reason we qualified is we have two phenomenal runners this year [Frost and Davis] who’ve really stepped up, and then we had some on the back end really come alive. We’re trying to peak at the right time of the year. To come from mid-19s and drop it down to the high 17s, that’s pretty good. Those guys made it happen, and it’s a lot to do with summer running, too, so that’s part of it.”
This group is also a part of a program with a legacy that has won nine straight Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC) championships and nine consecutive SE District championships.
Frost — who was 40th with a time of 17:25.7 at state in ’18 — has been one of the leaders of the Lions this season, winning the SHAC championship, being a district runner-up, and he also placed sixth at regionals. In the SHAC race, Frost finished with a time of 16:31 at Ripley, followed by a district finish of third place at Rio Grande with a time of 16:59. From there, last weekend at regionals Frost had a time of 16:34.2 at Pickerington North.
The junior spoke about what this season has been like, being one of the top runners on the team.
“This season’s been a whole new experience. It was really fun. In other years, we had the top dogs that were influences to us, but this year because I was an upperclassman, I was able to take that leadership role and express a lot more,” Frost said. “This will be third trip [to state] but my second time running. The leadership role, again, I was able to take my talents and I hope influence some of the underclassmen to inspire them.”
Frost spoke about his season as an individual runner, as he also qualified for state as an individual with his time at regionals, while also speaking about the leadership role once again and how his teammates have made him a more improved runner.
“Personally, I’ve been really happy. I’ve been able to excel and embrace the talent that I was given and show everybody how I’ve improved,” Frost said. “I’ve taken my training to a whole new level. I used to sit back and do what I think I needed to do, but this year I took what I think I needed to do and did a lot more. I took the extra time that I had and put it into the workouts I had and increased the intensity.
“It’s a whole new experience. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been able to keep my focus and have a lot of fun at the same time. My new teammates, they really influenced me and showed me that I have a reason to be running and that I have a leadership role on this team.”
Another leader for the Lions in ’19 has been Davis, who was second at the SHAC meet with a time of 16:32. Next was a district championship, with his second-place time (Top 2 were district champs) of 16:35.59. At regionals, Davis was in the Top 10 with an eighth-place finish at 16:36.8. In ’18 at state, Davis finished with a time of 18:17.1.
“This year was unexpected. We weren’t as confident as we were in years past,” Davis said. “We were really pushing to get that fifth spot at regionals, and we went above and beyond that. We got third place. I was really surprised. I was excited. I knew our team had a good race. I knew we were going to place pretty high, higher than I thought we would.”
Davis spoke about preparing to run for his third time at state.
“This is my third year running at state. I think now that I have more experience under my belt, I won’t be as nervous as I was the last couple years,” Davis said. “I’ll be able to kind of just warm up and let my mind settle in beforehand and run like I would any other race. I think in years past, I would let my nerves get to me. This year, I’ll do my best to stay calm and just do what I usually do.”
Davis also exceeded his goals for this season and for his high school career as a cross-country runner, while also talking about taking over the role as a senior leader.
“My goal all through high school was to race 17s. I wanted to do that my senior year. This year, I broke the 17 barrier by 30 seconds, so I got that goal,” Davis said. “I was excited. I wasn’t expecting to break anything by that much. That was a big gap. Ever since then, I’ve been able to keep it up at that level.
“It feels good. I’d say it’s like a big role to fill, but once you’re there, you have all these friends and teammates underneath you to support you, as you’re supporting them and giving them encouragement, so it all works out.”
Coach Friend spoke about the senior leader Davis and how much he’s meant to the team this year.
“Ethan Davis was an amazing leader this year. I’ve never seen that out of him. We lost those seniors, and all of a sudden Ethan is our team leader and was phenomenal at taking these guys under his wing and saying ‘Hey, let’s get better, run with me today,’ or ‘Why don’t you run the mile that I’m running today.’
“I fully expect the juniors this year to take on that role next year as well. The leadership of each team is what really keeps it going. This team does everything together. The whole week, they’ll spend together. It’s not just the top seven, it’s all the way down. That’s the quality of leadership there, and that’s not me. That’s coming from the team.”
Blake Haines — who posted a state time in ’18 of 18:37.4 — has had an excellent season for the Lions as well, with a fifth-place finish at the SHAC event (17:36), followed by a 19th-place spot at districts (17:53.20) and at regionals he was in the Top 50 in 44th place with a time of 17:42.3.
“This year we really stepped it up since losing our best three runners from last year,” Haines said about this season. “We did step up because we tried to get as good as we possibly could by the end of the season and trained really hard during practice and gave it our all.
“(A big difference is) now I’m the third or the fourth runner, and like last year I was seventh. Now I’m going to actually matter (in the final scoring). Since I’m under pressure, I have to go out and do all I can. I have the mindset that I have to do my best so I can help out our team.”
Being that he’s raced at the state championships previously, Haines said he is “more ready” for the race as a junior.
“This year, I’m more ready because I know the course and all of that. It helps because certain parts, like downhills, I know to speed up. I just remember it from last year,” Haines said. “It was really cold [last year]. I think I can do a lot better than last year because my body just kind of shut down. I ran decent, but I think I could run a lot better this year.”
Haines knows how much work the Lions have put into qualifying for state this season and wants to keep adding to what has been a very successful season.
“All the hard work we’ve put in, I think we deserved this. We really had to get better because since we lost our three runners, like I said before,” Haines said. “I was really happy just because a lot of people were saying we weren’t going to be that good this year because we were losing them. We all knew that we had to step it up, and we worked really hard in practice and got to where we are now.”
Campbell this season was also strong with times of 17:49 (SHAC), 17:47.39 (districts) and 17:43.7 (regionals). Last year at state he had a time of 18:09.5. This will be his second trip to the state meet, as he also spoke about a slow start to the season.
“The biggest difference — at the beginning of the year we lost a couple good runners from last year, so the morale was a little low,” Campbell said. “We didn’t know who was going to be where on the ranking and everything else, but we just kept pushing through. We had it in our minds, and we just kept telling ourselves we’ve got to get better and got to put in the work.
“The beginning of the season was a little slow and we were still working at it, but I think midseason to around right before tournament, we realized we could do this. We just had to keep working. Our team has a really strong bond and we’re all good friends, and that kind of helps us to push each other and work together.”
Brant Haines was 11th this year at SHAC (18:14), 21st at districts (17:54.94) and he also raced at regionals with a time of 18:05.8.
“This is my first trip to state,” Haines said. “It’s been a journey because since the beginning of the season we’ve been told ‘Oh, you’re not making it to state,’ and we just proved them wrong. We had it in our minds that we were going to make it. It’s really exciting.
“I just hope that we can run our best races, PR and prove to others that we can do better than we’re expected to do. I’m just proud that our team made it to state this year.”
Hattan was a Top 10 finisher at the SHAC race this postseason with a time of 18:02, followed by a district time of 18:24.16 and a regional time of 18:11.2.
“I was thrilled,” Hattan said of qualifying for state as a freshman. “I was super happy that we made it. My goal was to be top seven. I kind of expected to, but I knew that I’d have some work because of how good our team is.
“I’m really looking forward to running at the highest competition you can ever be out thus far and hanging out with my team. They’re some of my best friends ever. I’ve had lots of fun with them. It’s been a great season.”
Vidourek placed in the Top 20 at the SHAC race, finishing at 19:39, followed by a district time of 20:21.21 and at regionals he finished with a time at 20:05.9. This is also his first year running cross-country.
“This year has been crazy because it is my first year running cross-country,” Vidourek said. “It is fun seeing them go to state every year and thinking ‘I wish I could be a part of that,’ and now I am a part of that. It’s pretty awesome.”
Vidourek spoke about how he became a cross country runner this season.
“I’ve always been close with Brant, Blake, Cohen and Orrie (Friend), and they just talked me into it this year,” he said. “I came out one day over the summer and just liked it ever since.”
Being it is his first trip to state, Vidourek is excited to run in the race for the first time.
“It’s awesome to think about. We have a great coach and a great team this year, and we’ve all worked hard all season long. If anything, we deserve it this year,” he said. “I’m looking forward to running a good race. They tell me it’s a fast course, with good weather and everything. I want to go out there and have a good race and do our best.
“It’s just been an amazing season to see how far we’ve all come. I started out in the lower 20s and now I’m in the 19s. It’s just crazy to see how far we’ve all come, and it’s an awesome group of kids. I wouldn’t want to be with anybody else.”
Coach Friend spoke about how the Lions have achieved their goal and how happy he is with the group.
“Our big goal is to qualify for the state. That’s what we want to do. We’ve geared everything to last Saturday, but now we’re going to be in the biggest race in the state, and so we’ve kind of set our goals,” Friend said. “We want to definitely be in the top half, and as a team, they want to be in the top five.
“What makes this team really have such a great year is because I have such phenomenal parents. I have parents that go set up the tent for us, I have parents that bring drinks for us, and then Coach [Kesia] McCoy and myself, we can concentrate on coaching. It’s been really nice to have those types of families and parents help us out.”
That is the case for the Lions, as they have qualified for the OHSAA Division III State Cross-Country Championships for a seventh straight season as a team.
In each of the past six years, the Lions have raced in the state championships, starting in 2013 with a 15th-place finish (1:31:11.64), followed in 2014 with a 16th-place finish (1:31:33.26). In 2015, the Lions had an eighth-place finish (1:26:25). In 2016, FHS was fourth at 1:24:41, and in 2017 the Lions finished fourth again with a time of 1:24:47. Last season, Fairfield was sixth place overall with a time of 1:28.04.
[[In-content Ad]]
Four of the seven runners who raced at state last season are returning to state once again, as this ’19 team consists of Cohen Frost (junior), Ethan Davis (senior), Blake Haines (junior), Gavin Campbell (senior), Landry Hattan (freshman), Brant Haines (junior) and Nathan Vidourek (junior).
Also with the Lions, runners who are sophomores through seniors are eligible for Academic All-Ohio status, and the six runners on the team who are in grades 10 through 12 have earned that honor for both their success in the classroom and on the cross-country course.
“I knew that the potential was there for them to qualify, but it was definitely unexpected. Probably about five weeks ago, we had a little sit-down with the team because we were not a team that was going to qualify for state,” FHS boys head coach Raymond Friend said. “We still had some guys that were running 19 minutes, and you’re not going to even come close with some of your top guys running in high 18s and low 19s. I think they really bought in and said ‘Hey, let’s get this done.’ They had some excellent training the last four or five weeks, and they got it done when it counted. I’m just extremely proud of them.
“The reason we qualified is we have two phenomenal runners this year [Frost and Davis] who’ve really stepped up, and then we had some on the back end really come alive. We’re trying to peak at the right time of the year. To come from mid-19s and drop it down to the high 17s, that’s pretty good. Those guys made it happen, and it’s a lot to do with summer running, too, so that’s part of it.”
This group is also a part of a program with a legacy that has won nine straight Southern Hills Athletic Conference (SHAC) championships and nine consecutive SE District championships.
Frost — who was 40th with a time of 17:25.7 at state in ’18 — has been one of the leaders of the Lions this season, winning the SHAC championship, being a district runner-up, and he also placed sixth at regionals. In the SHAC race, Frost finished with a time of 16:31 at Ripley, followed by a district finish of third place at Rio Grande with a time of 16:59. From there, last weekend at regionals Frost had a time of 16:34.2 at Pickerington North.
The junior spoke about what this season has been like, being one of the top runners on the team.
“This season’s been a whole new experience. It was really fun. In other years, we had the top dogs that were influences to us, but this year because I was an upperclassman, I was able to take that leadership role and express a lot more,” Frost said. “This will be third trip [to state] but my second time running. The leadership role, again, I was able to take my talents and I hope influence some of the underclassmen to inspire them.”
Frost spoke about his season as an individual runner, as he also qualified for state as an individual with his time at regionals, while also speaking about the leadership role once again and how his teammates have made him a more improved runner.
“Personally, I’ve been really happy. I’ve been able to excel and embrace the talent that I was given and show everybody how I’ve improved,” Frost said. “I’ve taken my training to a whole new level. I used to sit back and do what I think I needed to do, but this year I took what I think I needed to do and did a lot more. I took the extra time that I had and put it into the workouts I had and increased the intensity.
“It’s a whole new experience. It’s been a lot of fun. I’ve been able to keep my focus and have a lot of fun at the same time. My new teammates, they really influenced me and showed me that I have a reason to be running and that I have a leadership role on this team.”
Another leader for the Lions in ’19 has been Davis, who was second at the SHAC meet with a time of 16:32. Next was a district championship, with his second-place time (Top 2 were district champs) of 16:35.59. At regionals, Davis was in the Top 10 with an eighth-place finish at 16:36.8. In ’18 at state, Davis finished with a time of 18:17.1.
“This year was unexpected. We weren’t as confident as we were in years past,” Davis said. “We were really pushing to get that fifth spot at regionals, and we went above and beyond that. We got third place. I was really surprised. I was excited. I knew our team had a good race. I knew we were going to place pretty high, higher than I thought we would.”
Davis spoke about preparing to run for his third time at state.
“This is my third year running at state. I think now that I have more experience under my belt, I won’t be as nervous as I was the last couple years,” Davis said. “I’ll be able to kind of just warm up and let my mind settle in beforehand and run like I would any other race. I think in years past, I would let my nerves get to me. This year, I’ll do my best to stay calm and just do what I usually do.”
Davis also exceeded his goals for this season and for his high school career as a cross-country runner, while also talking about taking over the role as a senior leader.
“My goal all through high school was to race 17s. I wanted to do that my senior year. This year, I broke the 17 barrier by 30 seconds, so I got that goal,” Davis said. “I was excited. I wasn’t expecting to break anything by that much. That was a big gap. Ever since then, I’ve been able to keep it up at that level.
“It feels good. I’d say it’s like a big role to fill, but once you’re there, you have all these friends and teammates underneath you to support you, as you’re supporting them and giving them encouragement, so it all works out.”
Coach Friend spoke about the senior leader Davis and how much he’s meant to the team this year.
“Ethan Davis was an amazing leader this year. I’ve never seen that out of him. We lost those seniors, and all of a sudden Ethan is our team leader and was phenomenal at taking these guys under his wing and saying ‘Hey, let’s get better, run with me today,’ or ‘Why don’t you run the mile that I’m running today.’
“I fully expect the juniors this year to take on that role next year as well. The leadership of each team is what really keeps it going. This team does everything together. The whole week, they’ll spend together. It’s not just the top seven, it’s all the way down. That’s the quality of leadership there, and that’s not me. That’s coming from the team.”
Blake Haines — who posted a state time in ’18 of 18:37.4 — has had an excellent season for the Lions as well, with a fifth-place finish at the SHAC event (17:36), followed by a 19th-place spot at districts (17:53.20) and at regionals he was in the Top 50 in 44th place with a time of 17:42.3.
“This year we really stepped it up since losing our best three runners from last year,” Haines said about this season. “We did step up because we tried to get as good as we possibly could by the end of the season and trained really hard during practice and gave it our all.
“(A big difference is) now I’m the third or the fourth runner, and like last year I was seventh. Now I’m going to actually matter (in the final scoring). Since I’m under pressure, I have to go out and do all I can. I have the mindset that I have to do my best so I can help out our team.”
Being that he’s raced at the state championships previously, Haines said he is “more ready” for the race as a junior.
“This year, I’m more ready because I know the course and all of that. It helps because certain parts, like downhills, I know to speed up. I just remember it from last year,” Haines said. “It was really cold [last year]. I think I can do a lot better than last year because my body just kind of shut down. I ran decent, but I think I could run a lot better this year.”
Haines knows how much work the Lions have put into qualifying for state this season and wants to keep adding to what has been a very successful season.
“All the hard work we’ve put in, I think we deserved this. We really had to get better because since we lost our three runners, like I said before,” Haines said. “I was really happy just because a lot of people were saying we weren’t going to be that good this year because we were losing them. We all knew that we had to step it up, and we worked really hard in practice and got to where we are now.”
Campbell this season was also strong with times of 17:49 (SHAC), 17:47.39 (districts) and 17:43.7 (regionals). Last year at state he had a time of 18:09.5. This will be his second trip to the state meet, as he also spoke about a slow start to the season.
“The biggest difference — at the beginning of the year we lost a couple good runners from last year, so the morale was a little low,” Campbell said. “We didn’t know who was going to be where on the ranking and everything else, but we just kept pushing through. We had it in our minds, and we just kept telling ourselves we’ve got to get better and got to put in the work.
“The beginning of the season was a little slow and we were still working at it, but I think midseason to around right before tournament, we realized we could do this. We just had to keep working. Our team has a really strong bond and we’re all good friends, and that kind of helps us to push each other and work together.”
Brant Haines was 11th this year at SHAC (18:14), 21st at districts (17:54.94) and he also raced at regionals with a time of 18:05.8.
“This is my first trip to state,” Haines said. “It’s been a journey because since the beginning of the season we’ve been told ‘Oh, you’re not making it to state,’ and we just proved them wrong. We had it in our minds that we were going to make it. It’s really exciting.
“I just hope that we can run our best races, PR and prove to others that we can do better than we’re expected to do. I’m just proud that our team made it to state this year.”
Hattan was a Top 10 finisher at the SHAC race this postseason with a time of 18:02, followed by a district time of 18:24.16 and a regional time of 18:11.2.
“I was thrilled,” Hattan said of qualifying for state as a freshman. “I was super happy that we made it. My goal was to be top seven. I kind of expected to, but I knew that I’d have some work because of how good our team is.
“I’m really looking forward to running at the highest competition you can ever be out thus far and hanging out with my team. They’re some of my best friends ever. I’ve had lots of fun with them. It’s been a great season.”
Vidourek placed in the Top 20 at the SHAC race, finishing at 19:39, followed by a district time of 20:21.21 and at regionals he finished with a time at 20:05.9. This is also his first year running cross-country.
“This year has been crazy because it is my first year running cross-country,” Vidourek said. “It is fun seeing them go to state every year and thinking ‘I wish I could be a part of that,’ and now I am a part of that. It’s pretty awesome.”
Vidourek spoke about how he became a cross country runner this season.
“I’ve always been close with Brant, Blake, Cohen and Orrie (Friend), and they just talked me into it this year,” he said. “I came out one day over the summer and just liked it ever since.”
Being it is his first trip to state, Vidourek is excited to run in the race for the first time.
“It’s awesome to think about. We have a great coach and a great team this year, and we’ve all worked hard all season long. If anything, we deserve it this year,” he said. “I’m looking forward to running a good race. They tell me it’s a fast course, with good weather and everything. I want to go out there and have a good race and do our best.
“It’s just been an amazing season to see how far we’ve all come. I started out in the lower 20s and now I’m in the 19s. It’s just crazy to see how far we’ve all come, and it’s an awesome group of kids. I wouldn’t want to be with anybody else.”
Coach Friend spoke about how the Lions have achieved their goal and how happy he is with the group.
“Our big goal is to qualify for the state. That’s what we want to do. We’ve geared everything to last Saturday, but now we’re going to be in the biggest race in the state, and so we’ve kind of set our goals,” Friend said. “We want to definitely be in the top half, and as a team, they want to be in the top five.
“What makes this team really have such a great year is because I have such phenomenal parents. I have parents that go set up the tent for us, I have parents that bring drinks for us, and then Coach [Kesia] McCoy and myself, we can concentrate on coaching. It’s been really nice to have those types of families and parents help us out.”