oKKERSE, vARALLO, RETURNING TO ofsaa cROSS cOUNTRY
Wardle, Berg, Willick and the St. Joe's junior girls team, also qualify for the high school provincial championships.
STRATHROY, Ont. - Nash Okkerse and Makayla Varallo are returning.
Kian Wardle, Della Berg, Curtis Willick and the St. Joe's junior girls team are making their first trip.
That is to OFSAA cross country, after qualifying from the WOSSAA championships October 29 at Strathroy District. Okkerse won his 11th consecutive high school cross country race, taking gold in junior boys.
The Parkside Stampeder finished the five kilometre courses in 17 minutes flat.
A year ago, Okkerse ran away with the OFSAA boys gold medal.
Varallo from Thorndale, with Medway High, placed second in junior girls. A year ago at OFSAA, Varallo placed 11th in novice girls.
Varallo and London John Paul II Jaguar Cassidy Richardson were neck and neck, until the final 400 metres, when Richardson broke away for the win.
The top two teams and the top five individual runners, not on the top two teams, in each division, qualify for OFSAA, Monday, November 9, in Sudbury.
St. Joe's sends their junior girls team, along with Wardle and Berg.
Wardle placed second in novice boys, while Berg was fifth in novice girls, a career high placement.
The junior Rams placed second in the team standings, behind Medway High, led by Varallo.
Andie Spicer led the Rams, finishing just out of the top 10, in 11th position, followed by Navaeh Facey, 17th, Rivers Southwick, 19th and Olivia Beauchamp, 30th, completing the four counters.
Medway handily won the division, with Varallo and Kingsley Collins, finishin two-three and Maelle Burton and Isla Fraser, 22nd and 23rd.
Willick nabbed the fourth qualifying position in senior boys, placing sixth.
Clinton St. Anne's Denny MacDonald won novice boys.
Elizabeth Wade took gold in novice girls, to lead the London Lucas Vikings to the team title.
Ethan Brown, a training partner with Okkerse at St. Thomas Legion, finished second in junior boys with Tillsonburg Glendale.
Stratford St. Mike's Thomas Mott is the senior boys champ and led his team to gold
Medway's Leah Milligan won senior girls gold by two seconds over Strathroy's Avery Van Will.
St. Joe's Shyah Didyk just missed a top 10 finish in senior girls, placing 11th.
MORE TO FOLLOW