Eisenhower seniors Joe Mistretta and Emily Grosch qualified for states in their respective races on Saturday in the District 10 1A cross country championships in Titusville. Photo submitted to Times Observer

TITUSVILLE — Two Knights — one in each race — qualified for states after Saturday’s District 10 Class 1A Cross Country Championships at the Ed Myer Complex.

In the boys race, senior Joseph Mistretta finished 10th overall out of 127 male finishers in 17:09. The top two teams — Lakeview and Wilmington — automatically qualified for states, and the next 10 individual finishers also qualified. Mistretta was fifth out of individual qualifiers.

For the Lady Knights, with Lakeview and Mercer runners automatically qualifying, Ike’s Emily Grosch finished among the individual state qualifiers. The senior finished 12th overall, or seventh among the 10 individual qualifiers, in 21:03.

The Lady Knights were fifth out of 13 scoring teams. Sophomore Izzy Grosch finished just outside the individual qualifiers – 18th out of 93 runners in 21:17, or just three second off qualifying finishers. Other Ike runners included senior Peyton Kellogg (21st, 21:24, or 10 seconds off the qualifiers), junior Lainey Font (47th, 23:22), sophomore Callie Delp (57th, 24:34), and junior Lillian Cathcart (79th, 27:41).

After Mistretta, other Eisenhower finishers in the boys’ race included sophomore Mason Britt (40th, 18:27), freshman Alex Lund (44th, 18:29), freshman Brice Ludwick (90th, 20:45), senior Aidon Knowles (101st, 21:20), senior Timothy McAuley (108th, 21:50), and sophomore Jonathan Bogniak (118th, 24:31).

“I was very pleased with both teams on Saturday,” said Eisenhower coach Darlene Beach. “They ran smart and gave it all they had. Although it has been a challenging season for him, Joe Mistretta ran a great race. He took a tumble on the second lap, but got right back up, and right back in the race to finish in the top 10. Emily Grosch is such a hard worker and very determined. The whole team is excited and happy for them earning the trip to the state meet in Hershey.

“Izzy Grosch and Peyton Kellogg had fantastic races, just missing going to states by a few spots — the cut-off was 16th place,” added Beach. “Newcomer Lainey Font pushed the second half of the course for a personal-best, while teammates Callie Delp and Lilly Cathcart each had one of their fastest times for the season. Sophomore Mason Britt had a break-through race for 40th place, with freshmen Alex Lund and Brice Ludwick both running season bests. Seniors Aidon Knowles and TJ McAuley finished their cross country careers with strong runs. Jonathan Bogniak also recorded a personal-best time for the distance.”