Girls 2009 NCC Champions! Copyright 2009.  All rights reserved. Bus Departs HS @ Scioto Downs - State Meet - Good Luck Chelsea! Schedule of Events: Men CC Take Third at County Joe Davis led the Warriors to a third place showing in their opening meet of the season at the Madison Richland County meet. Davis completed the course in a 17:04 for fourth place followed by Brett Neutzling with a 17:41 and sixth place. Both runners improved their times from last year. Spencer Boggs finished in 24th with a 20:09 followed by Stephen McKinney at 21:14, Devon Johnson with 22:18, Drew Leibfritz at 22:27 and Aaron Bodjanac with 23:44. The team from Lexington was first followed by Shelby. The ladies took fourth place overall with Brittany Johnson placing ninth overall in a time of 23:05. Chelsea Johnson was 17th in a 23:23 time followed by Haley Pittman at 24:12 for 22nd and Audrey Galat, 25th with a time of 24:36. Emily Johnson completed the scoring for the Warriors with her 27th place and time of 24:28. Becca (25:39) and Sarah Stevenson (30:08) were the sixth and seventh runners for the Warriors.   Coaching Staff Coach - Phil Giffin Phone - 419-529-4221 Coach - Maureen Johnson Phone - 419-529-8067 Email NCC Championship Meet - Girls Retain the Title Ontario’s girls remain NCC Champions for the fourth year in a row thanks to great team efforts! Scoring just 20 points, the Warrior girls took 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 8th. Chelsea Johnson led all runners with a time of 20:28 on a course that was just a shy long of 3.1 miles. Brett Neutzling and Joe Davis took 2nd and 3rd in the boys race as the Warriors finished in third.   Lady Warriors Win New London Invite This was the first time that the Warriors competed at the New London Invitational, and most likely, it will not be the last since the lady Warriors captured the first place trophy. Proving that cross country is a team sport, the ladies paced themselves well into a winning position. Each girl dropped her time from the previous race on Monday and overtook the other 18 teams to take first place. Brittany Johnson was the fifth runner overall with her time of 20:58; sister Chelsea was 10th at 21:31 and teammate Becca Stevenson right behind at 21:41. Freshman Haley Pittman was fourth for the Warriors at 22:47 followed by Emily Johnson with a 23:04. Coming in at sixth and seventh for the Warriors were Audrey Galat (23:45) and Alexa Cortelletti (25:26). In the Open race, all of Ontario’s girls dropped their times. Sara Stevenson’s time of 27:11 fell 3 minutes from Monday’s race at Madison and placed her 13th overall. Ying Lin was 16th at 28:10 and Becca Lamp’s 28:32 was 17th. Jenny Homan was 22nd at 29:04 and also dropped her time by 3 minutes! The boys placed 12th in a field of 22 teams. Leading the Warriors was Joe Davis who had some traction difficulty with the wet course and managed a 17:27 for fifth place. Brett Neutzling posted his best time with a 17:33 for a seventh place. Stephen McKinney took 72nd position with his 20:03 and rounding out the scoring were Devon Johnson (21:24) and Drew Leibfritz (21:44).                                      Warriors Continue Pace The Warriors had a difficult week in facing local powerhouse Shelby on Thursday at a quad meet and then again on Saturday at the Ashland Invitational. The Thursday meet had the Warriors finishing in both the girls and boys races in second place behind Shelby with Madison and Clear Fork battling for third and fourth. Saturday’s meet at Ashland was even more intense. The girls were lined up with 16 other teams and 213 runners. As the last runner crossed the finish, the girls were locked in 6th place behind Lexington in 5th, St. Joseph Academy, 4th; Crestview, 3rd; Shelby, 2nd; and Amherst Steele, 1st. Brittany (21:07) and Chelsea Johnson (21:08) were Ontario’s top two runners placing 17th and 18th respectively. Becca Stevenson (22:35) was 54th, Audrey Galat (23:19) set a personal best time in finishing 76th. Haley Pittman (23:29), Emily Johnson (23:52), and Alexa Cortelletti (24:01) completed the scoring. Pickerington North amazed onlookers in the boys competition with their first runner completing the course in 16:03. With fellow teammates taking second and fourth, Pickerington easily was first followed by Lexington and Shelby in second and third. Ontario ended in eighth with 17 teams in the hunt. Joe Davis (17:26) led the Warriors in 12th followed by Brett Neutzling (17:40). Spencer Boggs (18:55) was 54th, Stephen McKinney (19:51) 94th and Devon Johnson (20:17) 112th. Drew Leibfritz (22:05), Seth Byrd (22:33), Aaron Bodjanac (23:02) completed the Warriors’ scoring. Watch the Ashland video Posting several personal best times, Ontario's Lady Warriors Cross Country team continue to improve as they snatched second place in the Division II, Varsity B race at the Tiffin Carnival meet, Saturday, September 12. Competing with 32 other teams and a total of 218 athletes, Chelsea Johnson knocked almost a minute off her time to finish third overall with a 20:15. Brittany Johnson also clocked a personal best of 20:41 for ninth. Not to be overlooked, Becca Stevenson (21:23). Emily Johnson (22:16), and Audrey Galat (22:37) also recorded time drops to complete the scoring for the Warriors. In the boys' competition, Ontario finished 27th in a field of 48 teams with 318 runners. Joe Davis broke through the 17 minute wall, posting a 16:45 for 24th place. Teammate Brett Neutzling also posted his best time of 17:02 for 28th place. Also dropping times were Spencer Boggs (18:39) and Devon Johnson (20:03). Stephen McKinney  was just one tick behind Johnson with a 20:04 to complete Ontario's scoring.  Lady Warrriors Bring Home Tiffin’s Second Place Trophy   11:50 a.m. Div II Girls     The Galion Festival Last year athletes faced a tornado and high humidity at Galion. This year proved to be a great day for running; perhaps warmer than anticipated, but definitely good conditions. Overall, the Warriors had a combined total of nine personal best times. At Tiffin there were 11. Those who hadn’t PR the week before, almost all found a way to do so at Galion. In comparing the average times for the two weeks, the Galion times were just slightly slower but not as many runners had their best races...so overall, our runners are getting stronger. Even when they may not run their best; their times are not that far off. The boys finished in 19th placed in a field of 32. Joe Davis posted a 17:05 for 18th place with Brett Neutzling in 24th with his time of 17:20. Spencer Boggs went a 19:08. Stephen McKinney had a PR with his 19:18. Dropping time was Devon Johnson as he broke 20 with a 19:55. Also posting PR’s were Drew Leibfritz with a 20:37, Seth Byrd’s 22:16 and Aaron Bodjanac at 22:08. Joe Marfia had a 20:40 in just his second meet of the season. The Lady Warriors took tenth place overall in a field of some great competition. Local competitors Shelby was second and Lexington seventh, so our girls know they still have their work to do. Finishing in 33rd position, Brittany Johnson was the first Warrior through the chute with a time of 20:46. Chelsea was in with a 21:17 for 51st place. Haley Pittman was the surprise of the day as she dropped well over a minute of time to finish third on the team with a 21:25. Becca Stevenson, just a few days from having her wisdom teeth removed, pulled out a 21:44 to take the team’s fourth position followed by Audrey Galat’s PR time of 22:12. Emily Johnson came in with a 22:49 followed by Alexa Cortelletti with a 24:12. Updated 11/02 Rain & Fog Create Soggy Classic Despite rainy conditions, the 42nd running of the Bill Brown Classic went on without a hitch. Over a 1,000 athletes with their coaches and fans descended upon the Marshall Park course throughout the morning hours. A crew of about 40 volunteers were on hand to keep the event operating smoothly as each of the eight high school and junior high races proceeded right on schedule. In the Gold race, Ontario's Brett Neutzling finished third with a respectable 17:08 followed by teammate Joe Davis who posted a 17:31. Justin Grubert of Lake HS turned in a 16:46 for first and the fastest time of the day. As a team the boys finished in 9th place. Devon Johnson posted his seventh PR this season (one in each meet thus far) with a 19:36. The Ontario HS girls took sixth place overall with Chelsea Johnson leading the pack with a 21:09 for 22nd place. Clocking a personal best time of 21:13, Becca Stevenson was 23rd. Brittany Johnson posted a 21:23 for 27th. Completing the scoring were Emily Johnson with her season's PR at 22:15 and Haley Pittman with a 22:30. The Lexington Invitational - A Real Mudfest The Lexington Invitational was wet and sloppy Saturday, October 3, but the Lady Warriors managed to hold onto their shoes to obtain a second place finish. The Minutemen took first on their recently altered course that conversed through the rolling hills and lots of mud. Hopewell-Louden captured third in the nine team event. Chelsea Johnson was fourth overall with a respectable 21:51. Brittany Johnson (22:03) was seventh, Haley Pittman (22:40) 11th, Becca Stevenson (22:45) 14th, and Emily Johnson (23:21) 21st as the top five Warriors waded through the chute. To completing Ontario's roster were Alexa Cortelletti (27:06), Becca Lamp (30:14), Sara Stevenson (30:29) and Ying Lin (31:11). Taking fourth overall, Ontario's boys were topped by Lexington, first; Cincinnati Arc. Moeller, second; and Westerville North in third. Joe Davis (17:58) and Brett Neutzling (17:59) made it a real race to the finish as Davis just nipped Neutzling to take 11th and 12th respectively. Also battling for position were the threesome of Stephen McKinney (19:34) Spencer Boggs (19:35), and Devon Johnson (19:38) as they crossed the finish line in 38th, 39th, and 40th. Joe Marfia finished in 21:36; Drew Leibfritz had a 22:38; and Seth Byrd finished in 23:59.   Warriors Capture Second Place at Cat Pack Both the girls and boys finished in second place at the Senior High Cat Pack, Saturday, October 10. Leading all runners was Chelsea Johnson with a time of 20:29. Shelby's Rachel Dannemiller was second as their team won the meet. Brittany Johnson and Becca Stevenson were 6th & 7th respectively followed by Emily Johnson, 11th and Haley Pittman's 12th place. Audrey Galat, 12th; Alexa Cortelletti, 26th, Sara Stevenson, 32nd; Becca Lamp, 42nd; Ying Lin, 48th; and Jenny Homan, 49th. Brett Neutzling and Joe Davis battled Shelby's Adam Schroeder who ultimately won the race in 17:03. Shelby's boys also won the event with Ontario placing second followed by Black River in third. Neutzling finished in second with a time of 17:08 followed by Joe Davis in 17:19 in third. Stephen McKinney (19:45) was 18th, Spencer Boggs (19:53) 20th, Joe Marfia (20:06) 26th,  Devon Johnson (20:15) 28th, Drew Leibfritz (21:41) 51st,  Seth Byrd (22:42) 62nd, and Aaron Bodjanac (22:51) for 65th. The Warriors will prepare for the NCC meet this coming Saturday, October 17 at Riverdale High School. Districts @ Amann’s Park - Teams Qualify for Regionals! Both the girls and boys cross country teams placed third at Saturday's Division II Districts at Galion's Amann's Park. The top four teams qualify for next Saturday's Regional competition at Tiffin's Hedges-Boyer Park. Ontario's girls had a dramatic finish when Brittany Johnson fell during the end of her race and was almost unable to enter the chute. Despite her weakened condition, Johnson willed her body over the finish and took the sixth spot for the lady Warriors. The top place finisher for Ontario was Chelsea Johnson taking fourth overall in a time of 20:19 followed by Becca Stevenson who PR'd with her time of 20:32 for seventh. Emily Johnson also dropped over a minute of time with a 21:11 to take 14th. Freshmen Haley Pittman was 24th with a 21:44 and Audrey Galat, 44th with her time of 22:31. Also placing for the girls was Alexa Cortelletti with a 25:35. Joe Davis and Brett Neutzling led the boys in their quest for a regional spot as Davis captured second overall in a 16:58 and Neutzling, fourth at 17:04. The muddy course made it difficult for the runners but Spencer Boggs had his best race of the season with a time of 18:25 for 23rd place followed by Devon Johnson with his PR of 18:51.  Stephen McKinney also had a PR time of 19:09, as he crossed the finish line in 40th place. Also running for the Warriors, Joe Marfia dropped his time to 19:54. Freshman Seth Byrd continued to show his improvement on the Galion course as he finished with a 22:02. Running in the Open Run, Drew Leibfritz and Aaron Bodjanac both had PR times as Leibfritz dropped to 20:15 and Bodjanad had a 21:57.  The meet will be at Scioto Downs in Columbus.  Hope to have lots of teammates attend the meet!  See Coach Johnson regarding transportation.                                       Chelsea Johnson Qualifies for State!                                                To have both boys and girls teams qualify for a                                                           regional cross country meet is a great tribute to any                                                                             program, and it says a great deal about the work ethic of the athletes. We have some of the best athletes on our teams, and they demonstrated a great deal of their competitiveness at Tiffin on Saturday, October 31. From that group of girls, Chelsea Johnson made the elite class of state qualifiers. With her 12th place finish, Chelsea won the right to compete one more time in what has to be one of the most electrifying contests in high school sports-- the State Cross Country meet at Scioto Downs. Her personal best time of 19:49 placed in the record books as a state qualifier. Her coaches and teammates are all very proud of her accomplishments and look forward to her race next Saturday. Our girls may have finished in eighth place with 182 points (tied with 7th) but they showed a lot of heart and determination in their final race of the year. It was great to see all of the runners pick up their speed as they climbed that final upgrade to the chute. Becca Stevenson turned in a 20:33 for 29th place followed by Brittany Johnson at 45th in a time of 20:58. Lone senior Emily Johnson was 56th with a 21:22, and Freshman Haley Pittman clocked a 21:40 for 76th. The team’s sixth runner, Audrey Galat was competing despite a sore hip and had a time of 25:16. Alexa Cortelletti’s time was 25:32. The boys’ season was even more amazing when one considers that during the summer months it was doubtful that Ontario would even have enough members for a team!  With recruiting efforts and a lot of hard work, they not only became a team; they were competitive. At Tiffin the boys finished in 14th place, which is very respectable. Senior Joe Davis improved his last year’s time of 17:22 with a 17:11 for 26th place. He will be difficult to replace next year as he was one who led the team in many races. Junior Brett Neutzling also improved his 2008 time of 17:57 by posting a 17:29 for 34th place and proving that he will be a force to be reckoned with next season. Stephen McKinney posted a personal best time of 18:48 as he crossed the finish line in 104th position. Just a few spots back at 109th place, Devon Johnson came in with a time of 19:00. Newcomer Joey Marfia also had a PR with his time of 19:37. Senior Drew Leibfritz finished with a 20:22. It has been a rewarding season of cross country. It sped by quickly but brought many great memories. Hopefully Chelsea will add a few more next Saturday.  Great job Warriors!