Hoover's Alex Hobe earns first win at Federal League cross country meet

PLAIN TWP. — Green's Lucy Sveda went to the Federal League Cross Country Championships hoping to repeat.

Hoover's Alex Hobe went there hoping to win, period.

The wait is worth it if your first high school win comes at your last conference meet. Hobe broke the ice on Oct. 17 when he captured the Federal League boys title in 15:53.3.

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"Getting a win is really special, and this is probably one of the best moments I've ever had," Hobe said. "My freshman year, I had a stress fracture. I couldn't run all year. I just remember watching from the sidelines, always wanting to run this race.

"I never thought I would be able to win, so glory to God. That was a special feeling knowing all the work I did finally paid off."

Sveda defended her title in the girls race. The Jackson Polar Bears sent retiring head coach Kevin Walsh out with two more Federal League championships as they swept the boys and girls team titles.

Alex Hobe pushed by Hoover teammate before pulling away

Hobe and Hoover teammate Sam Baker ran neck-and-neck ahead of the pack during the first half of the race. With Baker having a couple of wins under his belt this season, Hobe knew he would be pressed.

"Sam has been great the whole year," Hobe said. "He came out of nowhere last year at this meet."

Hobe made his move after he and Baker hit the final third of the race. He finished 10 seconds ahead of Baker.

"When I got to the two-mile mark, Sam was still really close to me and I started to gap it," Hobe said. "I knew we had 1-2 but I really wanted to get that win. I just trusted my strength and started to push it."

Green's Lucy Sveda maintains lead in defending girls title

Sveda won the girls race by just over 43 seconds. Her time of 18:47.4 matched last year's winning mark when she edged the field by just under two seconds.

"Having that title last year just gave me the motivation to keep it going," Sveda said. "I really wanted to make my senior year something special. Defending the title was something I really wanted to do.

"I just tried to maintain my pace throughout. The goal was to go sub-18. I didn't get that, but I did maintain the lead with a pretty good gap. Knowing that I could hold that lead is what kept me going."

Sveda hopes she can make a big impact in her final high school postseason. She qualified for the state meet for the first time as a junior.

"I just want to make it to regionals and state and we'll just see how it goes from there," Sveda said.

Jackson coach Kevin Walsh celebrates two more titles in final Federal League meet

Jackson's team title sweep came in Walsh's final meet as head coach on his home course. He will retire after this season after coaching the Polar Bears boys to Division I state championship in 2023 and the girls to a Division I state runner-up finish in 2005. Both teams have also won several Federal League titles under him.

"I just couldn't be any prouder of the kids," Walsh said. "I'm blessed to be part of this league. It has been a great joy. To leave on top in a league that is so amazing with so many great friends is very special."

Hoover pushed Jackson to the brink in the boys race. The Polar Bears edged the Vikings by just two points to win their sixth straight league title. Liam Barry came in fourth to lead Jackson. Baron Memmer and Colin Crawford also finished in the top 10.

"I thought that last 800 really made a big difference," Walsh said. "You could tell they wanted it. I knew it meant something to them to send me out on a good way."

The Polar Bears won the girls meet by 31 points. Bryn Ball finished second and Abby Parsons came in third to lead Jackson. Liv Ziders also finished sixth.

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