Mentor owns the fastest boys lineup, Kenston has climbed to No. 2, and Crestwood leads a competitive girls field. With the state championships approaching, OhioVarsity.com examines which teams could make one final move.

Mentor and Kenston claimed regional cross country championships at Boardman, while Berkshire, Chagrin Falls, Gilmour Academy and Independence joined them in qualifying for state. West Geauga's Ian Res captured the Division II individual title.

West Geauga's Ian Res, Chagrin Falls' Kelan Byrne, Solon's Matthew Scipione and Independence's Mitchell Creel headline Saturday's OHSAA Northeast Regional boys cross country championships at Boardman. The four races feature competitive championship fields, strong area teams and plenty of state tournament aspirations.

Mentor, Chagrin Falls, Berkshire, Kenston, University School and Independence headline the area teams entering the boys cross country postseason. We break down the leading runners and top 25 season-best times across seven regional and district fields.

Four points decided the girls' championship at Legends, three points separated Geneva and Edgewood at the Ashtabula County Championships, and Mentor overwhelmed the boys' large-school field. The latest OhioVarsity.com cross country notebook breaks down the weekend's biggest performances, season leaders, power rankings and emerging contenders.

October has arrived, and the numbers are beginning to matter more. OhioVarsity’s XC Intelligence reveals the runners and teams gaining speed, tightening their packs and building momentum for the postseason.

West Geauga’s Ian Res turned in the fastest boys 5K in the OhioVarsity.com database this season, while Independence and Kirtland claimed team titles at the Cardinal Invitational. Here’s what the numbers tell us after another movement-filled week.

Mentor holds the No. 1 spot in both OhioVarsity cross country power rankings, but several of Northeast Ohio’s top teams are separated by mere seconds as the postseason picture begins to take shape.

Ian Res and Luci Maschek delivered standout individual performances while Orange, Mentor, Crestwood, Kirtland and several other Northeast Ohio cross country programs continued to make progress during a busy weekend of racing.

The latest cross country results produced fast times, impressive team depth and plenty of movement. Here’s a look at the top boys and girls teams, leading runners and biggest improvement trends from Sept. 7-13.

A data-driven look at XC leaders, new season bests, team performances, scoring-pack strength and trends from Aug. 31–Sep. 6, 2026.

Mentor swept the Scarlet team titles, Kirtland won Girls Grey at the 2026 Mentor Cardinal Classic at Garfield Park on Saturday.