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West Liberty-Salem boys 10th in D-III

Tigers’ appearance at state meet was their first since 1996.

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By Michael Cooper, Staff Writer 11:44 PM Saturday, November 5, 2011

HEBRON — Saturday’s Division III cross country meet was the culmination of two years of hard work for the West Liberty-Salem High School boys team.

The Tigers finished 10th with 234 points at the Ohio High School Athletic Association state cross country championships held at National Trail Raceway

McDonald won the state title with 74 points.

The Tigers were making their first appearance since 1996. Senior Colin Wilson was the team’s lone runner with any state experience, advancing as an individual last season.

“They battled through so much this season with some adversity, little things here and there that added up,” said Tigers coach Mike Louden said. “Still to persevere and get through and have the opportunity to be here and compete, I was really proud of the guys.”

Wilson was 58th (17:06) and was followed by senior Ryan Meister (64th, 17:10), junior Aaron Scott (67th, 17:12), junior Alex Adams (71st, 17:15), sophomore Chris Buschur (123rd, 18:30), senior Zane Esch (137th, 19:08) and senior Jerrod Yoder (144th, 20:07).

“We had a nice pack with our first four guys,” Louden said. “They stuck to the game plan. We were a little conservative at the beginning, didn’t get out too quick.”

Louden said the four seniors have played a big role in helping get the team back to the state meet.

“It’s kind of surreal,” he said. “I’m happy for the guys, happy for the four seniors. They’ve done so much for the growth of this program, put in so much hard work and effort. They’ve turned the program back to where it’s been in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.”

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