Sheridan boys cross country hopes its regional momentum continues on Saturday in Obetz

THORNVILLE ― Three years ago, Sheridan's Simon Conrad and Tate Ruthers found themselves in a conundrum.

COVID-19 shut down the world, leaving young high schoolers with little to do and bored beyond comprehension.

They took to the roads.

Conrad, then a sophomore-to-be, contacted former teammate Luke Foster and Ruthers to begin a running regimen. It paid off handsomely — their offseason work put them a head up on others who chose to stay home.

It also started the wheels in motion for much more. Conrad and Skinner are entering their fourth Division II state meet on Saturday at Fortress Obetz, as the Generals have qualified each year since 2013 as a team and finished third at last weekend's Pickerington regional. It is their 16th appearance overall.

They will be joined by General freshman Sheriden Glanemann, John Glenn freshman Ashlynn Kuklica and Meadowbrook sophomore Karrah Singleton, who will compete in the Division II girls race.

Meanwhile, Ruthers has firmly entrenched himself among the state's best — only state title contender Andrew Walton, of Fairfield Union, bested him at the regional. His time of 15:34.8 was the second-best in school history.

While the state title appears out of reach, a top-five finish is not.

"It would mean a lot to me that really few people have the chance to be top five in the state in their respective divisions," Ruthers said. "It respects all of my hard work and all of the hours we put in as a team."

More: 'He ran the race of his life': Sheridan's Tate Ruthers shines at regional meet

It takes a village

The building of these Generals has been a building block process. With the numbers in the program down from past years, they've needed to make the most of their assets.

In this instance, it meant leaning heavily on seniors John Skinner and Conrad and the top end production of Ruthers, who dominated the Muskingum Valley League and many others.

It also took some ingenuity. When a key starter was lost to an appendectomy, J.D. Walters took to the hallways to find a body. He found one with plenty of talent in Hunter Adams, who delivered admirably considering his lack of experience.

He ran 17:34.5 at the regional, just behind freshman Hudson Wilson (17:13.0).

"Walters has been on him last two years about coming out," Conrad said. "He did, and the first race he ran well. Now he just keeps improving every day. You can see it happening."

Added Skinner: "He's already running the times I ran last year, and it has been impressive."

Ruthers has record in sight

Ruthers said on Tuesday that he would far prefer a team title over one as an individual, but he is no doubt eyeing the school record. A notoriously fast track at Obetz could open the door to those possibilities.

It wouldn't surprise any of his teammates.

"I’ve tried to stay close to him all year, but it’s amazing how he can throw surges and hold them," Skinner said. "It’s really impressive watching him run."

Walters feels Ruthers has conquered the psychological battles all competitive runners face. He said every competitor faces a mental turning point, where they must decide between pushing the body or relenting to temptation.

"It’s always in your head when you’re running," Walters said. "I want to know what Tate thinks about, because somehow he does it better than anyone I’ve ever seen, for the talent level that he has with what he gets out of it.

"There are kids that are faster than him that have more natural ability, but he somehow just finds a way to keep the pace he has been going without slowing down," Walters added. "It’s that mental toughness, that grit that he has that drives him."

Conrad has seen it as close as anyone. Those COVID-19 workouts, when Ruthers was just a freshman, made it clear as polyurethane.

"Every day he got a little taller and a little stronger," Conrad said. "I haven't seen anything like it. I had the opportunity my freshman year to run behind William (Wilke), and to see this is insane, just how much he improves and how much he works. I feel like we all do. I feel like everyday we come in and make each other better."

Conrad was thankful for older sisters Emma and Grace for showing him a positive example. Both played in state basketball tournaments and shined on multiple district champion volleyball teams.

He called them "my biggest inspiration."

"They do things the right way and I’ve always looked up to them," Conrad said. "They’ve been All-Ohio, been to state in basketball. Even now, it’s exciting to see what they are doing, Grace in volleyball (at Ohio Northern) and Emma in her own life. They are great role models to me."

Walters feels the team can continue the momentum it built at the regional, when most everyone posted personal records.

With the fast course and temperatures expected to be in the 60s, conditions could be favorable for a repeat.

"It's so much built on confidence," Walters said. "You have to trust yourself, because in the middle of a race there is going to be self-doubt when you start to get tired. You tell yourself to keep going because you have done it before."

Glanemann shook off injury to get to state

Glanemann was 11th and Kuklica 12th, finishing seven seconds apart at 19:21 and 19:28, respectively, while Singleton took 16th in 19:35.

It figures to be the first of many state trips for the trio, but Glanemann didn't have an easy road in her initial campaign. She dealt with injuries to a hip flexor and patellar tendon prior to the season, which prevented her from running for four months.

She has been chasing time every since.

"She still hasn't run 30 miles in a week," Sheridan girls coach Troy Wolfe said. "The most she has done is 6 1/2. We have to be be smart."

Wolfe isn't surprised to see her at Obetz, despite the setbacks.

"Because she is such a competitor and a flat-out good racer," Wolfe said.

Glanemann, Kuklica and Singleton are among a throng of runners with little time separation, as each is expected to be on the cusp of the All-Ohio cutoff.

"I'm nervous and excited," Glanemann said. "It took a lot of time going from injured to getting where I'm supposed to be. ... I want to go out and compete and have fun, and just do what I can."

sblackbu@gannett.com; X: @SamBlackburnTR

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: Hard work pays off for Tate Ruthers, Sheridan boys cross country team