3 local girls aiming high at state

The numbers may be few, but there's plenty of experience.Seniors Lilly Schiefer of Seneca East and Macie Miller of Old Fort and junior Grace Blonde of Columbian are the lone area girls running at Saturday's state cross country meet at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz.However, the two seniors are there for the third time in Division III while Blonde makes her second appearance in the Division I race.Schiefer and Miller get first crack at the course, with the Division III race stepping off at 10 a.m. Blonde runs the Division I race at 2 p.m.The two Division III runners have earned All-Ohio honors before, with Miller running fifth in 2022 and 19th in 2021 while Schiefer claimed 26th in 2021.For Miller, Saturday marks a return nearly a year in the making after suffering an ACL injury in basketball last December."She's been running really good, considering 10 months ago she had major surgery," Old Fort coach Tony Miller said."I'm pleased, with what she's had to overcome and everything. All she knows is work hard, give it your best, you've got to put everything into it," he said. "To be sat down for about 4 1/2 months and slowly go back to it, it's rough. She did a heck of a job, mentally and everything."After missing out on basketball and track, the senior attacked the cross country season, winning the conference title and ending second at the district before battling through some challenges to run 14th last week at the regional (19:14.09)."She was running strong. She told me she was going to run to make it out and that's what she wanted to do, and it was good for her to make it out," coach Miller said.As with last week, place will take precedence over time Saturday, with the ultimate goal being another All-Ohio finish."It's tough. Our region was tough, but the state meet for Division III is even tougher," he said. "She wants to be able to place up there at All-Ohio, which I have faith that she can do it, even with the injury that she had."Schiefer has a similar approach, according to Seneca East coach Matt Schock.While a personal-best is definitely possible, he said his senior is more focused on doing what has to be done to earn All-Ohio status."Saturday, it's going to be all about place and getting out, on that course specifically, getting in position early because it pinches down real quick, and then running a great race from there. And being a great competitor, which she's become that over the past six years in the program," he said. "She was certainly the nicest kid in the world, so becoming a competitor was a process for her, but now she's there."Schiefer certainly has the competition part down, winning titles at this year's conference meet and district before claiming seventh at last week's regional (18:55.54).And along with this being her third trip to the state cross country meet, she's also a three-time state track participant, and Schock said the senior has gone from trying to match what others do to being the one who sets the tone."She's earned that through the experiences she's had; so far, a three-time (state) qualifier in track and now a three-time (state) qualifier in cross country," he said. "The stage isn't too big for her, and now it's become natural."It wasn't quite so natural for Blonde.Despite making the trip to state last year, TC coach Bob Fittro said his junior appeared to struggle at points during the season. But it was just an appearance, he said.She wasn't the team's leader for most of the year, but that was only because other Tornadoes had more success early on, he said.Blonde eventually claimed third at the conference meet and second at the district, ending second on the team in both races, before leading the team by capturing sixth at the regional."She'd been frustrated a lot this season with her times, especially the way she ran at the end of last year. But each race, she was actually ahead of where she was the year before," Fittro said. "I kept telling her 'It's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Your race will come.' And, boy, at regionals, she just ran lights out (19:03.78). It was the race of her life."And now she has a chance to do it again in the season finale."I think she's going down to improve. We talked a little bit (Monday) about goals. The approach is different this week than it was last year. We're going to work through this week a little bit and have her more prepared to run on Saturday, I think," Fittro said."You get down there once, and you want to make it back, but it is so difficult. So it's a tremendous accomplishment to make it two years in a row," he said. "It's just great that she was able to get out (of regionals) and she can represent Columbian down at Columbus."