The Lakeview Bulldogs Boys Cross Country have recently won their third Northeastern Eight Conference title. This marks the third year in a row where the boys have won this race. They won this year’s race at South Range on October 12, 2024. The Bulldogs have been training consistently for the past three years to reach this accomplishment, and it is a major deal. The Lakeview boys have built a dynasty in Northeastern Ohio.
This win marks the third straight conference title for the boys, which has not happened in almost 20 years. This achievement did not just come out of the blue. These boys have been training since 2021 to reach this status. The first time they won was in 2022, in which they raced at Niles Mckinley park. They competed against South Range, Struthers, Jefferson, Niles, Hubbard, Poland, and Girard in what turned out to be a very close victory.
Zac Haley, an alumni runner and winner of this race said, “I remember that race very vividly, I took the lead and hoped my team the best. I remember it being very close between us and South Range. My favorite part was when I found out our team won and how excited we were to win our first conference title. I did not know that day, but this achievement would happen two more times without me. I am very proud of these boys, and I saw the potential the first day they started running.”
This win would mark the first of many for the Lakeview Bulldogs.
The second championship they won was at Poland Township Park, in which they fought a grueling battle. Lakeview and South Range fought neck and neck all throughout this race. Not to mention, it was 41 degrees and raining throughout the entirety of this race. Even through cold and rain, the Bulldogs pulled through and beat South Range by only 8 points. This marked Lakeview’s second conference title, but they were not done.
Leading up to the 2024 Northeastern 8 Championships, the team was very confident. Coming off two straight wins, it was their race to lose. Right from the start the Bulldogs showed their pack, opening out with 8 people in the top 10. They finished out even stronger having scored 20 points. The lowest amount you are able to score in a cross country meet is 15 points, and these boys were only 5 points off.
Senior Cross Country runner, Jake Langmeyer said, “This race was really fun for me. These are one of the races you train for all summer just to keep your bragging rights. I felt very strong going into this race and it showed throughout. I took the lead for Lakeview with a mile to go and finished strong. Placing second out of all the people in the race was a great feeling. After I finished I turned and saw the rest of the boys finish seconds behind me. It was a great thing to witness and it showed how dominant we are against other teams. When everybody races good, we are unbeatable.”
Not only are the top runners having fun, but the newcomers are also enjoying racing.
Freshmen runner, Thomas Rawls says, “I had a great experience running at the conference meet for Lakeview’s cross country team. This was a fun time, and I thought that it was a good course. There was a big hill near the end that posed a challenge, but in the end it was no problem. Finishing the race on the track added to this, as it felt great after a difficult race. In the end, I found this was a fun race and a great course.”
The Lakeview Bulldogs made history, and this achievement will be remembered for a long time. Hopefully, the Bulldogs will continue to see this success.
