The Coshocton County Beacon September 10, 2020 | Page 15

September 10, 2020 The Beacon • 15
Seniors reflect on careers at the county invite
By Josie Sellers
River View High School
cross country seniors celebrated
their years of running
for the Black Bears with a
senior night on Sept. 1 at
their home county invite.
RVHS seniors and
brothers Brayden and Brice
Cross have both run cross
country all throughout high
school.
“I like being able to help
the team out and see myself
improve,” Brayden Cross
said.
Brice Cross said he
enjoys the team aspect of
cross country. “We’re all a
big family,” he said. “We
spend most of the summer
together and during the season
hang out.”
Other seniors on River
View’s boys team include
Nathaniel Stamper, Connor
Stevens-Woolery and Lincoln
Titus.
Stamper has had quite a
successful career, going to
state more than once, but
he said it’s the team aspect
of the sport that means the
most to him.
“We are a family,”
Stamper said. “We are there
for each other in thick and
thin.”
Stevens-Woolery started
running cross country as a
sophomore. “At first I was
just doing it for fun, but
then I realized I was good
at the sport. It’s exhilarating
to be out there. You always
want to better yourself,” he
said.
Titus’ favorite part of
cross country races is the
end. “You can run faster
then,” he said.
Titus has run all four
years of high school and
said he enjoys hanging out
with the team. His advice
to his younger teammates
would be to stick with it.
“It sucks at first, but it
gets better,” Titus said.
River View’s girls team
has three seniors: Ashlyn
Seiler, Courtney Sampsel
and Dilyn Tumblin.
“My older sister ran, and
that got me into this,” Seiler
said. “We are like a big family.
The races are so much.
It’s an adrenaline rush when
you pass people.”
Sampsel agreed with
Seiler about the family
aspect of the sport. “I like
being with everyone and
seeing how much I can
improve each year,” she
said.
Tumblin picked up the
sport as a sophomore. “My
brother was doing it, and
my mom wanted all of us to
Josie Sellers
River View’s girls cross country team has three seniors: Ashlyn Seiler, Courtney Sampsel and
Dilyn Tumblin, who is pictured here with her parents.
run,” she said. “It’s a family
thing, but our team is also
close to each other.”
River View head coach
Gwenna Neal has coached
many of these athletes since
they were in elementary
school in her Distance Cub
program.
“They are a very special
group of young people,”
Neal said. “They are disciplined
and motivated to
constantly find new limits
for themselves. I am confident
they will take all that
they’ve learned and continue
this excellence as they
move forward in their lives.
I expect to see great things
from them just as you are
about to see great things
from them this season. They
understand and embrace all
that cross country teaches
and will take it with them
wherever they go.”
The annual county invite
included the opportunity to
run against athletes from
county rival Ridgewood
High School, Newcomerstown
and East Knox. It was
the last trip to the event for
Ridgewood seniors Jianna
Jonard, Tristan Salmon,
Kanon Kimble and Casey
Croy.
“We are a big family,
and this is great to be part
River View’s boys cross country team has five seniors: Brayden Cross, Brice Cross, Nathaniel
Stamper, Connor Stevens-Woolery and Lincoln Titus, who is pictured here with his parents.
of,” Jonard said.
Jonard started cross
country as a sophomore
after her dad suggested the
sport to her. “My dad used
to run in high school,” she
said. “I liked running, so he
thought I should try it. It’s
what I like to do. It’s my
niche.”
Salmon ran in high
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school, middle school and
even before that. “I just like
being with the team,” he
said. “The IVC meet is my
favorite. I run well there
every year.”
Kimble got talked into
running after being at one
of his sister’s meets. “It
turned out to be a good
time, and the people are
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Josie Sellers
fun to be around,” he said.
“When you get into the
zone, it feels really good out
there. You just have to push
through the pain all the way
to the end.”
Croy’s favorite part of
cross country is being with
his friends, but he said the
sport also has taught him to
work hard.
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