Steele Boys Cross Country Opens Season at Fortress Obetz

The Steele Boys Cross Country Team traveled to Fortress Obetz in Obetz, Ohio, on Saturday, August 16th, to compete in the OHSAA Season Opener. The boys’ open team was the first to take the course in the Division I/II Open race, facing a competitive field of 194 runners.

Freshman Jackson Strawn led the Comets with an impressive debut performance, placing 18th overall with a time of 18:43. Strawn’s strong effort earned him a medal in his first high school 5K race. Senior Paul Cherney followed with a solid race in his first 5K ever, finishing 76th in 21:16, while freshman Owen Cooksey crossed the line in 21:55 for 97th place in his first 5K.

Two returning juniors showed remarkable improvement from last season. Chase Lahetta ran 23:04, cutting two and a half minutes off his time from a year ago, while Elijah Bonilla clocked 23:35, improving by over four minutes from his 2024 performance. Freshman Hayden Cuevas rounded out the Comets’ lineup with a time of 24:51, placing 148th overall in his first 5K.

The varsity boys were set to compete later in the day, but the OHSAA canceled the varsity races due to extreme heat as the athletes stood on the starting line. The varsity squad will now open its season on Monday, August 18th, at 6:00 p.m. at the Lorain County Metroparks Equestrian Center in LaGrange.

The entire Steele team will return to action this weekend at Berea-Midpark Middle School, with races beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 23rd.