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Blue Devil runners sweep

McDonald captures Suburban CC titles

Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo McDonald cross country teammates (from left) Claire Hoffman, Sophie Klase, Alyssa Lynch and Grace Kawecki run in Tuesday’s Suburban League Championship. The McDonald girls repeated as team champions.

CANFIELD — Chris Rupe saw his team run last year and knew his team was eager to lace up their shoes and head toward a grassy cross country course. On Tuesday, it was the freshly mowed Canfield Fairgrounds for the Suburban League Championships.

Expectations have been high for the McDonald cross country program which has seven state championships, but Rupe knows his team is young, but growing.

“We didn’t know what the boosts were going to look like,” he said. “In order to get there with this young team, we knew we had to have some good things happen here and there.

“They started kind of early with some good things happening.”

No one has grown more than Ethan Domitrovich. The sophomore finished fourth Tuesday to lead the Blue Devils to the Suburban League title over defending champion Maplewood, 95-118.

Tribune Chronicle / John Vargo McDonald’s Tyler Canada looks over at Badger’s Jarrett Wildman as the two run during the first mile of Tuesday’s Suburban League Championship at the Canfield Fairgrounds. The McDonald boys won the team title over Maplewood, 95-118.

Rupe said each of his runners looked as if they were 4-feet tall, but they filled out this year to be feared cross country runners.

“Ethan is the one looking like a little boy a year ago to looking the part out here today,” Rupe said. “Just watching him race with confidence is so fun.”

His father and McDonald track coach Lou Domitrovich, was riding his bicycle around the course following the action.

Could Ethan while running beat his bicycle-riding father?

“He can beat his dad at most anything,” Rupe said.

The McDonald girls have beaten almost everyone this season, winning their fourth title — dating back to the late-August Billy Goat Challenge on the Blue Devils’ home course.

Malina Mitchell led the way with her fifth Suburban title out of a possible six years — dating back to her seventh-grade year.

She was beaten last season by Badger’s Miranda Stanhope, who took second Tuesday.

“To win it again is something special, I’ve had that goal in the back of my mind for sure,” Mitchell said.

McDonald girls coach Mike Richards wasn’t sure how this year’s Suburban League would turn out, even though his girls were the defending champions.

They were in the middle of a rough two-to-three-week stretch. The team’s fifth and sixth runners were sick. Second runner Anna Guerra was having breathing issues as well.

“Many of the girls felt tired, but I felt like we ran well and it is an honor and privilege to have won the Suburban League for the last two years and three out of four years that our seniors have won it.”

For both McDonald teams to win together, it made it that much sweeter.

“For it to pan out is very, very sweet,” Rupe said.

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