Ellwood City Cross Country Team Claims Undefeated Section Championship

The Ellwood City Boys Cross Country team are undefeated Section Champs!

The Wolverines, under the direction of head coach Nate Brown, finished off their cross town rival Riverside 20-39 and Mohawk 23-34 Tuesday afternoon to wrap up their undefeated season. (6-0 Overall, Class-A Section 1)

Both the Panthers and Warriors were ranked ahead of the Wolverines at the beginning of the season according to assistant head coach Clint Kotuby.

“This was a huge win for these boys to earn the undefeated section championship,” said Kotuby.

The Wolverines were led by seniors Nick Wise and Colten Crizer earning 3rd and 4th place finishes overall. Juniors Drew Steffler and Bradley Custer finished right behind the two seniors with a 6th and 7th place finish respectively. Freshman Dante Venezie finished 8th. Sophomore Luke Bleakney finished 10th.

Kotuby notes that the top five runners on the Wolverines squad is the tightest group in the WPIAL Single A Class.

“We were underdogs at the beginning of the season,” says Kotuby. “They are making a huge push to make some noise at the WPIAL Championships and at the PIAA State Championships.”

The team will next turn its focus to several upcoming WPIAL invitationals. The Tri-County CC Invitational at Shenango High School will be held on on October 7th, the MAC Championships on October 11th at Settlers Cabin, and the WPIAL Championships on October 19th at White Oak Park.

“There is something in the water over at Ellwood City,” concludes Kotuby.