WINONA LAKE – Because of its tight turns and journey through the woods, Warsaw boys cross country coach Jim Mills doesn't consider the 5K course at Grace College's Miller field to be fast. The course certainly didn't seem to slow Warsaw juniors Jacob Poyner and Ashley Erba, however, as they won their respective races in Tuesday's Tiger Invitational. Poyner won the 187-competitor boys race in a time of 16:18, finishing 17 seconds ahead of runner-up finisher Cordell Lewis of Huntington North. "To get down to state, you have to have a frontrunner - we have a frontrunner," Mills said of Poyner. "Jacob is a very smart runner. He knows what to do and when to make his move." Erba won the 122-competitor girls race in a course-record time of 18:20, beating the previous mark by 1:14, and finished 14 seconds ahead of runner-up and teammate Anna Bearss. "Ashley already had the fastest time in the state so far this season," said Warsaw girls coach Scott Erba, the talented juniors father. "She ran very well again tonight." The performances by Poyner and Erba, as well as solid efforts by their teammates, led Warsaw to team championships in both the boys and girls events. The Warsaw boys team won with 39 points, as the Tigers' five scoring runners all finished in the top 14. Sophomore Ellis Coon was fourth (16:38), junior Robert Murphy finished eighth (16:49), freshman Cam Hoskins was 12th (16:59) and freshman Michael Compton finished 14th (17:06). "We had four guys under 17 (minutes), I'm very happy about that," said Mills. "Winning the whole thing, that makes a good day even better. We knew Whitko was going to be tough, they're very good. They're one of the teams we'll have to beat to get out of the semistate. It's better to beat them than get beat by them." Whitko, led by the third-place finish of senior Trapper Mize (16:36), finished second as a team with 42 points, while West Noble was a distant third with 92 points. Northfield was fourth with 116 points, followed in the 11-team event by Huntington North (120), Fairfield (147), Columbia City (183), NorthWood (209), Wabash (279), Peru (300) and Tippecanoe Valley (319). Joining Mize in Whitko's scoring lineup were classmates Jude Stieglitz (6th, 16:44), Brody Wilson (9th, 16:58), Dallas Asher (11th, 16:59) and Dylan Cozad (13th, 17:01). Tippecanoe Valley was led by the 69th-place finish of senior Brandon Tolson (19:09). On the girls side, the Lady Tigers won the team championship with 54 points, five points ahead of Huntington North. West Noble was a distant third with 85 points, followed by NorthWood (98), Columbia City (100), Fairfield (130), Northfield (202), Whitko (239), Peru (283), Wabash (289) and Tippecanoe Valley (304). "Coming out on top is a testament to what the girls have done," said Scott Erba. "It's a testament to the work they've done and the way they've bought into our philosophy. We're building off what Coach (Jerry) Gackenheimer did for nine years. He established a strong foundation, and we're building off that." Gackenheimer, who was at the meet Tuesday to support the Lady Tigers, stepped down because of a busy work schedule and to spend more time with his family. While Erba shattered the previous course record, so did teammate Anna Bearss, who finished second in a time of 18:34. Other runners in Warsaw's scoring lineup included senior Brooke Kline (8th, 20:13), senior Lilly Fleming (18th, 21:16) and junior Kristin Quick (25th, 21:26). Whitko was led by the 48th-place finish of freshman Michelle Kelsey (23:020, while sophomore Robyn Erklin led Tippecanoe Valley with a 50th-place time of 23:19.
GIRLS Team scores – Warsaw 54, Huntington North 59, West Noble 85, NorthWood 98, Columbia City 100, Fairfield 130, Northfield 202, Whitko 239, Peru 283, Wabash 289, Tippecanoe Valley 304 Race winner – Ashley Erba (Warsaw) 18:20 (course record) (listed are the top 7 runners for local schools) Warsaw – 1. Ashley Erba 18:20, 2. Anna Bearss 18:34, 8. Brooke Kline 20:13, 18. Lilly Fleming 21:16, 25. Kristin Quick 21:26, 28. Creigh Ogle 21:36, 35. Michelle Feng 22:07 Whitko – 48. Michelle Kelsey 23:02, 53. Abby Smith 23:26, 56. Hollie Frantz 23:37, 57. Melanie Kelsey 23:38, 90. Miranda Terrill 25:35, 112. Deanna Schockney 29:10, 113. Becca Thomson 29:25 T. Valley – 50. Robyn Erklin 23:19, 83. Brittany Childers 24:52, 106. Laura Landis 28:44, 109. Kayla Long 28:58, 121. Olivia Helton 32:31
BOYS Team scores – Warsaw 39, Whitko 42, West Noble 92, Northfield 116, Huntington North 120, Fairfield 147, Columbia City 183, NorthWood 209, Wabash 279, Peru 300, Tippecanoe Valley 319 Race winner – Jacob Poyner (Warsaw) 16:18 Warsaw - 1. Jacob Poyner 16:18, 4. Ellis Coon 16:38, 8. Robert Murphy 16:49, 12. Cam Hoskins 16:59, 14. Michael Compton 17:06, 15. Brysten James 17:14, 19. Tyler Houvener 17:25 Whitko – 3. Trapper Mize 16:36, 6. Jude Stieglitz 16:44, 9. Brody Wilson 16:58, 11. Dallas Asher 16:59, 13. Dylan Cozad 17:01, 55. Derek Miller 18:39, 66. Josh Busenbark 19:02 T. Valley - 69. Brandon Tolson 19:09, 80. Brandon Mall 19:23, 131. Adam Solano 21:01, 135. Brody Cook 21:18, 142. Maverick Wagley 21:36, 148. Martin Flowers 21:59, 158. Cody Runyon 22:26
