FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon won twice in the same race and Greenfield-Central’s Carter Crouch got his first-ever 5K win at the Mt. Vernon Invitational/Hancock County Championships at Mt. Vernon High School Saturday.
It was different than the traditional running of the Hancock County meet, which is normally scheduled in the middle of the week with just the four county schools. On Saturday, the 5K race was a combination invitational/county championship event. It included runners from Whiteland, Cathedral, Lapel and Morristown and was scored both as an invitational and a county meet.
Mt. Vernon won both team events.
The Marauders had all seven of its varsity runners among the first 12 and six in the Top 10 to win the county meet with just 26 points. Greenfield-Central, which was minus top runner Chris Ross, but still had the top two finishers, was second with 45 points. Eastern Hancock had 81 and New Palestine 85.
For the invitational, the Marauders totaled 34 points, with four Top 10 runners and their fifth scorer placing 11th. Greenfield-Central was second with 65. Lapel, led by overall champion Cameron Smith (16:09), was third with 97. Whiteland (108) edged Cathedral (111) for fourth place.
“It was good, coach’s 40th (county championship) total boys and girls,” Mt. Vernon senior and top runner Colin Strachman said. “He was going all week, ‘I’m not asking for it, but if you do, it’s the 40th.’ It’s good for him, good for the team, a good team win on our home course.”
“We don’t want to lose them, especially at home,” long-time Mt. Vernon coach Bruce Kendall said on beating the local rivals to win the county championship.
Crouch (16:18.2) and Liam Brinkruff (16:26.8) gave Greenfield-Central a 1-2 individual finish in the county portion of the race. Mt. Vernon had the next three spots with Strachman (16:41.5), Ahmed Saleh (16:58.8) and Caden Cassada (17:03.2).
“I don’t think we would have won with Chris (Ross),” Greenfield-Central coach Aaron Smith said. “They put seven in front of our No. 4. You get in a bigger race our front guys make a big difference. Later in the season we should hopefully be a little bit better. But, if we have that happen again, (Mt. Vernon is) going to beat us all season. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Ross has been G-C’s No. 1, but it has normally been Brinkruff followed by Crouch.
“It was unexpected, really,” Crouch said. “Everyone was thinking either Brinkruff or I would win it, and I would have been fine if we would have went 1-2, but I went in front and he went behind. It was nice to lead the team I care about so much.”
Crouch said he ran patiently. He had plenty left at the end on a day that was very humid, but much cooler than it had been earlier in the week.
“A lot of people went out too quick. I like to try and think what’s going to be best for me in that last mile when everyone is tired. I know that’s starting out slow and being smart,” he said.
Smith said his top two runners have different styles. Brinkruff likes to go out quick early in the race. He’s benefited in doing so numerous times, but on Saturday, Crouch’s plan proved to be a little bit better.
“Carter is very patient. When he went out he was somewhere between No. 6 and No. 8 at the 1-mile (mark),” Smith said. “I thought he might have been a little too slow. He stayed consistent. On a day where it was really humid and Liam going out a little faster, I think that zapped him a little bit at the end, and Carter ran more conservatively and was able to keep going and didn’t get burnt out. He was able to come out on top in the end.”
Crouch took 38 seconds off his previous best time.
In the county race, following the top two G-C runners, Mt. Vernon had the next four and seven total runners ahead of the third Cougar. Eastern Hancock, with Brandon Metz (seventh/10th, 17:15) and Preston Markley (11th/15th, 17:23.6) and New Palestine, with Jake Cooper (10th/14th, 17:22.8) both had runners finish before G-C’s third.
Mt. Vernon had seven of the top 12 and 10 of the top 21.
“There’s always competition to be in the first seven and they are always pushing each other,” Kendall said. “We took a lot of notes at the Valley (Kick-Off during the first week of the season). They were asked what they could do different and a lot of those kids that made mistakes at the Valley corrected them (Saturday). Kids who didn’t make them at the Valley made them (Saturday).”
Following MV’s top three, Cooper Hunziker (6th/8th, 17:07.8), Austin Baugh (8th/11th, 17:15) and Xaiden Jenson (9th/13th, 17:21.9) all earned all-county ribbons.
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2023 Mt. Vernon Invitational (Boys)
Team scores (invitational): Mt. Vernon 34, Greenfield-Central 65, Lapel 97, Whiteland 108, Cathedral 111, Eastern Hancock 131, New Palestine 147, Morristown 243
Team scores (county): Mt. Vernon 26, Greenfield-Central 45, Eastern Hancock 81, New Palestine 85
Individual results (Top 10 county runners in bold)
Place;Name, School;Time
1.;Cameron Smith, Lapel;16:09.1
2.;Carter Crouch, Greenfield-Central;16:18.2
3.;Liam Brinkruff, Greenfield-Central;16:26.8
4.;Colin Strachman, Mt. Vernon;16:41.5
5.;Ahmed Saleh, Mt. Vernon;16:58.8
6.;Caden Cassada, Mt. Vernon;17:03.2
7.;Joshua Castor, Cathedral;17:07.2
8.;Cooper Huntziker, Mt. Vernon;17:07.9
9.;William Watson, Whiteland;17:14.0
10.;Brandon Metz, Eastern Hancock;17:15.1
11.;Austin Baugh, Mt. Vernon;17:15.1
12.;Nolan Edens, Whiteland;17:19.5
13.;Xaiden Jenson, Mt. Vernon;17:22.0
14.;Jake Cooper, New Palestine;17:22.9
