Boys XC runs into early success

At the Berkshire Early Bird Invitational last month, 19 northern Ohio high schools competed in what was, for most participants, the first meet of a brand new cross country season. Every school had their eye on the prize: a first place finish and a burst of momentum that they hoped would last them the entire season.

In the end, Solon came away with first place, and now they can’t seem to slow down.

The boys team has blown the competition away so far this season, placing first at all five meets they’ve participated in, and is currently ranked second in time nationally according to MileSplitUSA, one of the top websites in the nation in covering high school cross country.

Senior Joe Riordan, the fastest runner on the team (Riordan boasts a time of 15:14.3 in the five-kilometer event), believes that this year is more ambitious than any other due to the team’s high expectations.

“[This year], we’re trying to win the State Championship, not just make it there,” Riordan said.

Boys cross country head coach Brian Sabol said that the team has not only taken the added pressure from state and national recognition and lofty expectations in stride, but also been motivated to work harder.

“[The unit] wants to prove that they are a legitimate contender this year,” Sabol said. “…I’m blessed with an unbelievably talented team.”

With States just a few months away, it’s hard to imagine the team sweeping every meet from here on out. However, senior Danny Cohen, one of the team’s top runners, isn’t worried about the competition. According to Cohen, not only will the success continue, but the team will actually get better as the season progresses.

“We still have a lot of room for improvement in some areas of our racing,” Cohen said. “…we really just need to stay focused on doing the little things that no other teams in the state are doing, [such as] putting in the extra work and not letting the pressure of being the favorites get to us.”

Senior runner Matt Shafron agreed with Cohen, saying he hasn’t taken these wins for granted and that everyone on the team needs to work hard and improve if they are to win a title.

“It’s nice to dominate the way we are in all of these meets, but that’s not our goal,” Shafron said. “Our goal is to bring a championship to the city of Solon, and we’re not going to stop until we do so.”

Riordan, Sabol, Cohen and Shafron all agreed that it was the team’s depth that set them apart and allowed them to achieve so much in so little time.

“At our meet last weekend, our fifth runner, the last one who scores points, beat all 45 other team’s second runners, which is insane,” Riordan said.

In addition, if anyone were to struggle or get injured, Shafron assured that it wouldn’t be an issue.

“Not only do we have the best two runners in the state of Ohio [Riordan and Cohen], but we also have the best third [through] eighth [racers, including Chantz Visse, Mark Shannon, Max Gross, Logan Esper, Patrick Hackett, and myself],” Shafron said.

But ultimately, Cohen thinks that the team’s success can’t be attributed to just a few athletes.

“This team is special because all 62 guys on the team are helping to make us the best team we can possibly be,” Cohen concluded.