 |
DyeStat Ohio
Cincinnati Great Catholic League South
from an Ohio correspondent
CINCINNATI OH -- Four Ohio top 10 teams met at Rapid Run Park for the championship of the Great Catholic League (GCL) South, which is the conference for the big school Catholic teams in Cincinnati. The division 1 teams participating included Ohio's top ranked team St. Xavier High School (13th at Great American, 1999 state runner-up, 1998 state champion); LaSalle High School (#2 in Ohio, 3rd in Harrier Midwest, won at Disney Last Week); Elder High School (#4 ranked in Ohio); and Moeller High School (top 10 in Ohio, state qualifier in 1999). This is the first times these teams have met in 2000.
St. Xavier won with 23 points, LaSalle 2nd with 46 points, and Elder 3rd with 54 points.
LaSalle's Allen Bader (junior, 4:13 mile in track, 14:30 3mile at Disney on 7/7/00 this year) won with a time of 15:24, a half-step over St. Xavier senior Andy Wietmarschen (top 25 @ Great American) who covered the course in 15:25. The two battled from the start, with neither man gaining more than a 5-meter lead throughout the race. The two came down the final straightaway stride for stride, with Bader barely edging Wietmarschen the last 10 meters.
Certainly, these are are two of the best teams not only in Ohio, but in the Midwest as well. And Wietmarschen and Bader have established themselves as the two fastest men in Ohio repeatedly this year. On top of that LaSalle and St. Xavier, two all-male Catholic schools, are separated by less than 5 miles, both existing on the same road. There are few rivalries in the country that can match this one. The school pride is immense, and that is demonstrated by the hundreds of students who flock to the GCL Championships each year.
