Several Huntsville runners separated themselves from the pack earlier this month, as fifteen members of the HHS midget boys, midget girls and junior boys teams travelled to Trinity College to compete in the 2016 OFSAA XC Championships.
With each race category boasting anywhere from 250-300 runners, the Hoyas more than held their own as a team, and saw two athletes in particular carve out incredible finishes in their respective fields.
Fiona Shearing was among the elite runners in the midget girls age group, finishing 12th overall with a gun time of 12:12 and a mere 23 seconds behind first place. On the midget boys side, Cameron Heinz just missed out on the podium, coming in fourth overall with a time of 16:54 as the top finisher among all Huntsville runners.
Cameron Heinz (second from left) stands among the top Ontario runners in the midget boys category
“Going into it I had a goal in my head for both Fiona and Cameron to finish in the top 20,” said coach Pierre Mikhail after the event. “Fiona’s personal goal was to be in the top 10, and if you look at the girls from our region who raced, they were all in the 30s and 40s. We were certainly thrilled.
“Cameron, I think that’s the best race I’ve ever seen in terms of execution. I knew fairly early that he’s a special runner, watching him you can see he is very talented. In the last 400 meters he passed four or five people, I think if the race had gone on for another 200 meters he would have won. He really ran a perfect race, it was amazing to watch.”
Fiona’s teammate Emma Punkari also finished in the top-100 in the midget girls category, at 94th overall with a time of 13:25, while in the junior boys division Judah Meaker was Huntsville’s top runner with a time of 22:02 and a placing of 72nd.
The HHS Midget Girls XC team (from left): Emma Punkari, Avery Herr, Maggie Pitts, Ally Goldring, Fiona Shearing
The road to OFSAA wasn’t an easy one this year, as HHS came up just short in their quest for a fourth consecutive Georgian Bay Regional Championship, finishing behind a dominant group from Collingwood. Despite the second-place finish, Mikhail felt the team was the strongest it had been in some time, largely due to the depth of the 72-athlete roster with competitive runners in all six divisions.
“It was a great season, I thought it was one of the strongest teams we’ve ever had,” said Mikhail. “This year we had pretty big, healthy midget teams which is always really great for the future. If you get them excited about running in grade nine, they’re very likely to come back in grade 10 and they’re also likely to bring other kids with them.”
Mikhail also credits the many adults who support the team, from teachers to community coaches, as being instrumental to the success of the program. The results certainly speak for themselves.
The HHS Junior Boys XC team (from left): Keegan Chan, Aidan McClung, Judah Meaker, Owen Johnstone, Zach Belfry
Not all results can be found on the scoresheet, however, as several other members of the cross country team had meaningful seasons without having the chance to race at OFSAA. For Emma Mensour, who made the provincial tournament for three consecutive years, there was understandably some disappointment after running a fantastic race and finishing in eighth overall at GBSSA, but falling just outside the individual qualification cutoff in her final season.
“Emma works so hard all year, you could tell she was so focused,” says coach Mikhail. “She’s a great teammate first of all, and the girls loved her. She was one of our captains – quiet, but really a leader by example, and improved a lot through the season. I know she was disappointed but she was really an amazing kid to coach.”
Also standing out from the group was Madeline Horton, a fixture on the junior girls team who continued to refine her racing technique and build on encouraging results throughout the season.
“Last year Madeline was back of the pack most races, but always came to practice, tried hard, and was a really good teammate. This year I actually can’t think of a kid that improved more than her. Really fantastic, always encouraging her teammates, she was a standout for me personally.”
The full results of all Huntsville runners at the OFSAA Championships were as follows:
Midget Girls:
FIONA SHEARING – 12th – 00:12:12
EMMA PUNKARI – 94th – 00:13:25
ALLY GOLDRING – 185th – 00:14:33
MAGGIE PITTS – 216th – 00:14:59
AVERY HERR – 264th – 00:19:06
Midget Boys:
CAMERON HEINZ – 4th – 00:16:54
ADAM DUPUIS – 118th – 00:18:42
SETH COOPER – 158th – 00:19:08
MARK COX – 181st – 00:19:20
AUSTIN MCKEE – 186th – 00:19:25
Junior Boys:
JUDAH MEAKER – 72nd – 00:22:02
OWEN JOHNSTONE – 110th – 00:22:40
KEEGAN CHAN – 171st – 00:23:30
AIDAN MCCLUNG – 211th – 00:24:18
ZACH BELFREY – 259th – 00:27:45
Congratulations to all of the Huntsville runners on a fantastic season.
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What a great story about the HHS running team! We are so lucky to have teachers, parents and community members who are willing and able to coach these students. congratulations to everyone.