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Richland 200: Top 40 time as next-level athletes inches countdown closer to finish line

jake furr, mansfield news journal
·6 min read
Lexington's Owan Gongwer is the No. 40 athlete in the Richland 200.
Lexington's Owan Gongwer is the No. 40 athlete in the Richland 200.

MANSFIELD — The summer-long countdown of the Top 200 athletes returning to action in Richland County is quickly approaching the finish line.

This week, we break into the Top 40 and athletes coming in at Nos. 31-40 may be our best ones yet. Let's check out the next 10 athletes on the Richland 200 list.

40. Owan Gongwer, Lexington

Gongwer earned All-Ohio honors in tennis after teaming up with Jake Chilcote to form an outstanding doubles team. After qualifying for state, the duo won their first match 6-0, 6-0 before falling in their second to end their season in the quarterfinals. Gongwer ended as a sectional and district runner-up in doubles to teammates Ethan Remy and Dylan Catanese but made it further than his counterparts at the state tournament to earn All-Ohio honors. Lex loses just one player from last year's Division II Ohio Tennis Coaches Association state runner-up team and Gongwer will have a massive role this season.

Breaking the school record was Lex’s 4 x 400 meter relay team of Will Perkins, Latrell Hughes, Cam Crago and Carter Newman.
Breaking the school record was Lex’s 4 x 400 meter relay team of Will Perkins, Latrell Hughes, Cam Crago and Carter Newman.

39. Will Perkins, Lexington

Perkins earned All-Ohio honors as a member of the Lexington 4x400 team in track as the quartet ran a 3:16.98 on the final day of the state track meet to take third place overall. Perkins joined Camden Crago, Latrell Hughes and Carter Newman on the podium at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and all but one of them (Crago) will be back so expect the relay squad to reload and make another trip. Perkins was also an honorable mention All-District and honorable mention All-Ohio Cardinal Conference soccer player in 2022 and could see some time on the varsity basketball court this winter as a shifty guard. This kid has a bright future.

38. Latrell Hughes, Lexington

Speaking of bright futures, Hughes earned All-Ohio honors as a member of that 4x400 team as a freshman. He ran the third leg of the race and helped the Minutemen go from posting the fifth-best preliminary time to the third-best time in the finals. Hughes is also an accomplished cross country runner who took 30th at the Division I regional meet last year. But what we all can't wait to see is what he does on the basketball court this winter as he has a chance to crack the varsity lineup with that stellar sophomore class.

37. Carter Newman, Lexington

Newman was the anchor of the All-Ohio 4x400 team and will return for his senior season in 2023-24. He was a multi-event OCC champ in track competing in a wide range of events like the long jump and shot put along with some sprint and mid-distance races. His durability is outstanding. He is also an honorable mention All-Northwest District football player who should help the Minutemen have a very big Fall on the gridiron.

Lucas' Rebekah Case is the No. 36 athlete in the Richland 200.
Lucas' Rebekah Case is the No. 36 athlete in the Richland 200.

36. Rebekah Case, Lucas

Case had one of the most inspiring stories of any athlete in 2022-23. An All-Ohio pole vaulter who finished 6th at state with a jump of 10-08.00, Case suffered a serious injury early in the track season after missing the pole vault pad. She worked hard to make sure the injury healed up before getting back on the runway for the postseason where she came out of nowhere to grab an All-Ohio spot in one of the toughest events at state. She will be back for her junior season in 2024 with eyes on a healthy season that should see her jumping her best at state.

Crestview's Logan Friges (right) and Malachi Spoerr (left) celebrat their Division III 4x400 state championship.
Crestview's Logan Friges (right) and Malachi Spoerr (left) celebrat their Division III 4x400 state championship.

35. Logan Friges, Crestview

It's not every day a state champion makes the Richland 200 list. Friges joined Caden Cunningham, Malachi Spoerr and Adison Reymer on the Crestview 4x400 Division III state championship relay team which posted a winning time of 3:22.76 in the finals to take home the gold. Friges was the third leg in the race and spent every bit of his energy putting his team in a position to win a state title after he took sixth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:55.79 to earn All-Ohio honors in that event as well. Back for his junior year, Friges will look to bring along two new runners after Cunningham and Reymer graduated to see if they can defend their state title.

34. Malachi Spoerr, Crestview

Spoerr was the second leg of that state championship 4x400 team for the Cougars and was essential in setting up the final two legs to bring him the gold. Spoerr helped the Cougars shave off more than half a second of their prelim time to post a 3:22.76 in the finals which is a new school record at Crestview. He and Friges will have a tall task of bringing in two new runners onto the team as Spoerr would love nothing more than to end his senior season with another state championship medal.

Lexington's Makenna Arnholt is the No. 33 athlete in the Richland 200.
Lexington's Makenna Arnholt is the No. 33 athlete in the Richland 200.

33. Makenna Arnholt, Lexington

Arnholt ran the third leg of Lexington's sixth-place 4x200 relay team earning All-Ohio honors along with Allison Laury, Josalynn Patterson and Emily Thomas. The quartet posted a 1:44.12 in the finals of the Division II state track meet to find themselves on the podium at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium and walked out with All-Ohio certificates. Arnholt will be back along with Laury and Thomas and will be the senior leader of the relay team that would love nothing more than to make a return trip to state. Arnholt is also a second team All-District and second team All-OCC soccer player who helped Lady Lex win the Division II district championship after leading the team with seven goals and six assists. She is in line for a huge senior year.

Mansfield Senior's Ahmaan Thomas (74) is the No. 32 athlete in the Richland 200.
Mansfield Senior's Ahmaan Thomas (74) is the No. 32 athlete in the Richland 200.

32. Ahmaan Thomas, Mansfield Senior

Thomas earned third team All-Ohio, first team All-Northwest District and first team All-OCC honors in football last year as an offensive lineman. He anchored a line that helped the Tygers run for 1579 yards on 353 carries and 20 touchdowns during the regular season. The Tygers piled up 3,086 total yards in the first 10 weeks of the 2022 season thanks to Thomas and his leadership on the O-line. Back for his senior year, it will be his responsibility to lead the offensive line as the Tygers look to contend for a league title. Thomas is also a contributor to the basketball team and should help the Tygers contend for a district championship this winter.

Mansfield Senior's Duke Reese is the No. 31 athlete in the Richland 200.
Mansfield Senior's Duke Reese is the No. 31 athlete in the Richland 200.

31. Duke Reese, Mansfield Senior

Reese was an honorable mention All-Ohio, first team All-Northwest District and second team All-OCC quarterback for the Tygers last fall after completing 97-of-193 passes for 1,507 yards and 14 touchdowns to just five interceptions in the Tygers' first 10 games of the year. He also ran for 272 yards and five touchdowns during that span and will return for his senior year ready to lead a loaded offense. He was also an honorable mention All-OCC basketball player providing a spark off of the bench for the Tygers. His energy and effort on the court will make him a valuable asset for the Tygers in 2023-24.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Richland 200: Top 40 includes Owan Gongwer, Will Perkins, Duke Reese and more