Mentor Boys Cross Country Reloaded Instead of Rebuilding

Many of the Cardinals’ returning runners were unproven and, unlike years past, there was no bona fide No. 1 runner like Joe Polakowski or Matt Bull to put up a single-digit score.

But early in the season, the Cardinals appear to have reloaded.

Sophomore Nick Kozlowski joined the program after he played soccer as a freshman and has emerged as Mentor’s lead runner. Behind him, a group of returning contributors made improvements over the offseason.

The Cardinals figured they wouldn’t replace Bull with a single runner. A collective commitment adopted during the summer to improve from the first through the seventh man has created a stronger, deeper team at Mentor.

Bull placed at or near the top of every race he ran in during the 2016 season, culminating with a 10th-place finish at the state meet. But he was the only Cardinal to run in Hebron, as many looked to him to carry the team’s load as well.

“I think that was part of it last year,” Dennison said. “Some of those boys thought they were going to ride on Matt’s coattails to get that single-digit score.”

At the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival Sept. 9, Mentor’s boys team placed fifth in a Division I field that included state No. 4 Medina, No. 5 St. Xavier, No. 6 St. Ignatius and No. 11 Pickerington North.

Kozlowski (16:25) ran his fastest time of the season and finished 28th to lead the Cardinals’ pack. Kozlowski’s time has improved with each race, and his auspicious decision to move into the cross country program has paid dividends on all sides.

“He’s having a blast doing it,” Dennison said. “He’s a good kid, and he’s only a sophomore. I mean, 16:25, the future’s bright for the program the next two years.”

Dennison is also excited about the future of freshman twins Cole and Cameron Rigsby. Cameron Rigsby has already cracked the top seven, and ran a 17:04 at Tiffin — the second-fastest time run by a freshman in Dennison’s program behind Polakowski’s 16:34.

Between Kozlowski and the Rigsbys are a group of upperclassmen which commandeered the summer training. Seniors Michael Ferro, Marshal Stewart and Tommy Oddo, and juniors James Ferro and Nate Warner led the Cardinals to run five times a week, and helped develop a team-first philosophy.

“They included those young kids into it, which has always been kind of our thing,” Dennison said. “You never look down your nose at a younger kid. It’s always a kid you’re building to take over your spot.”