OFF TO THE RACES — The field files onto the course at the start the boys portion of the OVCCL kick off meet at Buckeye Local Tuesday. – Andrew Grimm

CONNORVILLE — The cross country season got off to an exciting start Tuesday evening on the grass around Buckeye Local High School.

The Panthers hosted the annual Ohio Valley Cross Country League kickoff meet, and it was a good day for schools visiting from the south as runners from Belmont County won both the individual titles and an overall team title, while Edison’s girls collected a team title to break up the Belmont sweep and several local runners had strong performances.

BOYS

Barnesville’s Conner Starr topped the field by a little under nine seconds, turning in a time of 16:53.54 in the 5K, beating out Linsly’s Micah Kramer (17:02.45) and Union Local’s Connor Bendo (17:17.46) to top the podium.

Big Red’s Owen O’Brien started his senior season with a 17:33.29, placing in fourth.

St. Clairsville’s George Dormas (17:56.58), Barnesville’s Shepherd Richey (17:56.80), Martins Ferry’s Gavin Reese (17:57.34), Bellaire’s Kai Brehm (18:00.19), Martins Ferry’s Luke Hastings (18:12.47) and Linsly’s Darrian Bertram (18:12.61) rounded out the top 10 overall.

Also leading their teams locally were Indian Creek’s Sam Doerr, who placed 12th in 18:27.85; Edison’s Brock Koehnlein who placed 17th in 18:45.29 to lead the Wildcats; Catholic Central’s Cash Dobson was 22nd in 19:05.11; Harrison Central’s Tyler Garnbrant who was 24th in 19:17.22; and Buckeye Local’s Aydrion McGee who was 26th overall in 19:23.84.

The Purple Riders, with four finishers placing in the top 15, topped the team portion. Ferry runners averaged 18:31.05 across their top seven placers. That mark was a little over 19 seconds better than second-place Bellaire, who tied score-wise with Barnesville (third place). St. Clairsville was fourth, Linsly fifth, Big Red sixth, Edison seventh, Union Local eighth and Buckeye Local ninth. Three other teams did not have enough finishers for a team score.

Some 83 runners participated in the boys portion of the event.

GIRLS

Chloe Meholvitch, a sophomore from Shadyside, took the lead early in the race and bested the rest of the field of 82 runners on the girls side by more than half a minute, blistering the course in 19:57.39. Martins Ferry’s Taylor Tucker was second in 20:31.61 and River’s Mallory Brake rounded out the podium in 20:38.51.

The rest of the top 10 included Union Local’s Faith Moore (20:54.50); St. Clairsville’s Luci Banks (21:12.34); Bellaire’s Kayla Edgar (21:28.50); Edison’s Annie Board (21:35.00) and Josie Lesnansky (22:02.87); Bellaire’s Liz Mayer (22:11.33); and Martins Ferry’s Madison Oberle (22:15.43).

Leading the efforts of local teams were Big Red’s Gena Smith (22:18.45), who edged teammate Natalie Romanyak for 11th place, Indian Creek’s Calista Cozart who was 16 in 23:03.73 and Catholic Central’s Zoe Wise who placed 25th in 23.44.90.

Edison bested Shadyside in the team portion to prevent all the trophies from going to Belmont County. The Wildcats top seven averaged 22:44.02 and they finished with six of the seven in the top 20 overall.

Bellaire was third, Indian Creek fourth, Linsly fifth, Barnesville sixth, St. Clairsville seventh, Big Red eighth, Harrison Central ninth and six other teams did not have enough finishers for a team score.

JUNIOR HIGH

The event started with junior high runners taking on a two-mile course. River’s Landon Indermuhle topped Bishop John King Mussio’s Patrick Morrow in the boys portion, 11:48-12:23 in a field of 47. Martins Ferry topped the boys team scores. On the girls side, Union Local’s Jamie Bolon finished in 13:50 to top the field, while Shadyside won the team portion. Steubenville’s Harding Middle School was third overall.