By GREG KEIM
Goshen High School junior Tyler Wynn was individual winner while the Concord Minutemen won their first-ever team title in a boys cross country sectional Tuesday at Ox Bow Park.
Wynn covered the 5,000-meter course in 16:12, becoming the first Goshen runner to win the sectional title since Andrew McKalips in 1999.
Concord was led by junior Daniel Zelaya who finished third in 16:27.
The Minutemen had a team score of 40, followed by Warsaw 76, Northridge 86, Wawasee 90, Goshen 114, Fairfield 183, NorthWood 186, Elkhart Central 210, Elkhart Memorial 244, Elkhart Christian 265, Bethany Christian 295 and Jimtown 337.
“I’m happy for the kids because they have worked so hard for this,” Concord coach Jeff Payne said. “Half of our team has been sick over the last week. They rose to the occasion, showing how much the sectional title meant to them. This is a good thing for our program.”
The top five teams and 15 leading individuals advance to Saturday’s regional, also at Ox Bow, The boys race begins at 9 a.m.
Also for the Minutemen, senior Brian Willoughby was sixth (16:39), senior Andrew Witkowski seventh 16:40, senior Todd Dion 10th (16:47) and senior Jarred Fair 14th (17:01).
“Fair went home from school Monday with a 100-degree temperature,” Payne said. “He came back to run a season best time. He put the team on his back. I didn’t think he had a chance to run.”
Payne was a sectional champion in 1997 while running for Goshen.
Wynn went out among the leaders and slowly began pulling away.
His father Mike Wynn, who coaches the Redskins, won the sectional title while running for GHS in 1982 and 1983.
“Dad and I talked about how he won sectional as a junior,” Tyler Wynn said. “I didn’t have my best race at the Northern Lakes Conference meet and wanted to prove myself today.
“I grew up watching the McKalips bothers (Andrew and Jon) running for my Dad. I looked up to them and all the runners he coached. Both the McKalips bothers, Cameron Miller, Michael Murto and Jon Dolph either texted or e-mailed me about winning sectional.”
Coach Wynn said, “This is what Tyler had been working on all season. He has run tough a couple of times and then slipped off. Hopefully this will be the start of a great state series for him. He ran with confidence and was focused.”
Payne said, “Tyler was not going to be denied. You could see it in his eyes. He is a great runner.”
Northridge coach Josh Fletcher said, “Tyler went out right from the start. He was saying come and get me and nobody did. It couldn’t happen to a nicer kid. He is a class act.”
Northridge was led by junior Trevor Moore who placed second in 16:21.
“We closed the gap with Warsaw,” Fletcher said. “Moore is the sectional runnerup and that is a special thing.
“Austin Ball (junior who was 19th in 17:19) was our third runner in a personal best. He has never been our third runner before. I think he realized there are only three races left in his high school career.”
Wawasee was paced by senior Jose Mejia in fourth place (16:31).
Advancing to regional as individuals are Central junior Jordan Johnson fifth (16:39) and NorthWood senior Austin Wenger ninth (16:44).
