HS Cross Country: Eaton’s Gard can’t catch Middie’s Smith

The scenic Fort St. Clair Park, site of the Ed Leas Fall Classic cross country meet, holds historical significance. The spacious park with soft, rolling hills was the site of an important supply depot in the late 1790s. It’s also where six Kentucky riflemen died in a skirmish with Chief Little Turtle.

Eaton’s Seth Gard learned a more modern lesson at the event, one he won’t forget after cost him first place.

Gard, who won the meet in 2015, said he let Middletown’s Conant Smith get too far out during Saturday’s race. Smith won the boys 3.1-mile race in 15:55.47 seconds. Gard finished second in 16:23.04.

“The goal was to stick on his shoulder until I could make a move,” Gard said. “I let him go. It was more of a mental thing. I got out of focus. He just went and I didn’t respond to it.

“It would have been nice to compete with him a little more. But from this point forward (with the postseason) he’s Division I and I’m Division II. I have to think about it that way. It’s time to see if I can win league and see if I can make it to state.”

Gard’s finish highlighted a strong Eaton effort that saw the Eagles place its first five runners in the top 15 overall. That gave Eaton its third straight team title with 38 points. Middletown was second with 93 and Russia third at 126.

Tanner Titkemeyer (fifth overall), Wyatt Cox (9th), Alex McCarty (10th) and Cole Bulach (15th) also scored for the Eagles.

“I love this course,” Gard said. “It’s my last time running here so I wish I could have done better.”

Among other area finishes, Franklin-Monroe’s Cole Good also finished among the leaders in eighth.

In the girls’ race, Monroe posted a 1-2 finish as Rachel Ploeger won the meet in 18:47.02. Teammate Alayna Garver crossed next in 19:14.37.

Russia, led by sixth-place finisher Anna Fiessinger, won the girls team title with 56 points. Monroe was runner-up with 58.

Twin Valley South’s Madison Wright finished fourth, Arcanum’s Marcy Bradshaw was seventh and Russia’s Megan Frazier and Audrey Gariety were eighth and ninth, respectively.

“After the first few hundred meters I had a lead and I was already thinking about winning this,” said Ploeger, who won the D-II race of the Eaton Invitational on the same course on Sept. 17. “I find it a little bit harder than most courses because I really don’t do well on hills. It’s been good to me this year.”

Gard now shifts his focus to Franklin this week for the Southwestern Buckeye League championships. Gard won the Southwestern Division with the SWBL’s top overall time, too. Milton-Union’s Will Brock won the Buckeye Division and Gard anticipates battling him for the top overall spot again next Saturday.

“I think the pressure is definitely on trying to win again,”Gard said. “I believe I can do it. You have to stay confident and stay positive. I think as long as I can do that I can win it.”

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