“I (stay) here and I give up or I try and improve on what I have,” Bucher said of trailing some of the state’s best runners.
»RELATED: Saturday’s high school roundup
For Bucher it was an easy choice. She picked up the pace. And, one by one, she picked off her competitors. Springfield Catholic Central’s Addie Engel, who along with Lebanon’s Faith Duncan set a blistering pace from the start, held off Bucher’s rally to win in 17:16.4.
“I know I can do it and I have more in me,” Bucher said she told herself. “Once I moved onto one person I had the momentum to pass the next person.”
Bucher was third after the first mile. She dropped to sixth after the second mile. But she rallied to pass four runners in the final mile to finish second overall in 17:26.3. Engel’s winning time ranked fourth all-time at the Saturday Night Lights meet.
Oakwood’s Grace Hartman (17:31.1) finished third, Hawken’s Ella Gilson was fourth (17:41.1) and Lebanon’s Duncan (17:42.3) was fifth. Engel finished sixth at the Division III state meet last season. Hartman was second in the D-II state meet to defending champ Gilson.
It was a gutsy effort for Bucher, who was running in just her third cross country meet this season. A long track season and the possibility of running cross country into December caused Centerville cross country coach Dave Dobson to ease Bucher into the high school season.
“I think that was a huge testament. She had every opportunity to say, okay today’s not my day,” Dobson said of Bucher. “She’s a great example but she’s not the only one on our team with that mindset and mentality. Hey, let’s go give it a shot. Be a little risky and take an opportunity at it. I’m pleased for that.”
Centerville’s girls finished second in the championship race with 145 points. Mia Robillard (21 st), Kerri Walsh (25th), Alayna Skidmore (57th), Nikki Jindal (77th), Dalia Einstein (80th) and Brooke Strobel (97th) also finished among the top seven for the Elks.
Hilliard Davidson won with 128. An anticipated meeting with Beavercreek’s defending state champion girls team didn’t happen with the Beavers celebrating Homecoming on Saturday night.
Bucher finished second at the D-I state cross country championship last season to Beavercreek senior Taylor Ewert. She also finished second to Ewert at last season’s SNL event when Ewert ran 17:08.10 and just missed the meet record by two seconds.
“I can always go out there and try my hardest and if I beat her, I beat her. If not that’s what happens,” Bucher said of her attitude when competing against Ewert. “I always love racing against them. It’s good competition.”
The first junior high race took the starter’s gun at 2:15 p.m. The boys’ championship race was the final one off the line at 9:45 p.m. During that span 3,610 runners pounded the course near Centerville’s baseball field, through the football stadium, around a farm and back into the stadium for the final kick to finish in front of the Elks’ home bleachers.
“It’s awesome. I love this meet so much,” Bucher said. “There are so many people from our school here and that really helps with the motivation. The energy is so high at this meet. It’s such a great atmosphere.”
• Lebanon’s Sam Duncan finished ninth to lead the area in the boys’ championship race.
• Miamisburg’s Corey Reese finished second in the boys’ varsity A race. Minster’s Alex Albers (fourth) and Piqua’s Nolan Campbell (10th) also finished among the top 10. Troy finished fourth as a team.
• Waynesville’s Hope Erbach won the girls’ varsity A race with Miamisburg’s Ella Davis (sixth), Troy’s Emma Kennett (seventh), Bellbrook’s Madison Bretland (ninth) and Miamisburg’s Julianna Herron (10th) also in the top 10. Miamisburg was fourth as a team.
• Milton-Union’s Tristan Persinger was seventh in the boys’ varsity B race. Milton-Union’s girls finished second as a team in the girls’ varsity B race.
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