UPDATED: Whiteoak’s Landen Eyre finishes Division III state runner-up; Blair and Winkle race at state championships 

Saturday afternoon saw success for Whiteoak junior cross-country standout Landen Eyre as he finished in second place – the state runner-up – at the OHSAA Division III State Cross-Country Championships held at Fortress Obetz.

Eyre finished in second place with a time of 15:26.1, as the state champion was Rittman sophomore Luke Snyder at 15:23.1. Snyder was the state runner-up in 2022, while Eyre was fifth place as a sophomore in 2022. The Division III state boys race had a total of 186 runners.

Eyre was in the lead pack the entire first two miles, where he and Snyder ran side by side or a step back in the very front of the race.

Once the two race favorites hit the 2-mile mark, they took off from the rest of the contenders and were off on their own. Snyder maintained a marginal lead until the 2.6 mile mark, and then Eyre made a move and took the lead going down the large hill. Snyder, being pushed to the very limit, stayed a couple strides back and with about 400 meters remaining got past Eyre and used his incredible talent and speed to hold off the never-giving-in Whiteoak Wildcat runner.

Both runners broke the previous course record with their state times in 2023.

Eyre's time would've won the state championship every year from 2017-2022 and most every year since the the state began running 3.16 miles back in 1983. Whiteoak head coach Doug Hughes was beyond elated.

“What a jaw-dropping performance from Landen,” Hughes said. “Did he want to win? Yeah, like you wouldn't believe, and he knew he was a top contender and he ran a perfect race and then went for it. He had to go for it. Thee Snyder kid is blessed with generational speed and talent, and Landen had to do what he did with a half mile remaining. Those two left the others way back in the dust. The third-place kid was a distant 15 seconds back and he defeated Landen just a month ago at Centerville.

“Landen ran the race of his life in the biggest moment of his life. He was outstanding, plain and simple.”

The 2023 postseason for Eyre saw him win a Southern Hills Athletic Conference championship, finishing with a time of 15:47.20. Next, Eyre won a district championship with a time of 16:15, and at regionals Eyre had a first-place time of 15:38.08 to win a regional crown in ’23.

Eyre is a three-time SE District Runner of the Year, as he gained the third of those awards this season.

Eyre defeated 1,817 runners on the year while only losing to five.

“That's a 99.7 winning percentage,” Hughes said. “That's like a basketball team playing 1,000 games and losing three times.”

Going back to last season, Eyre hasn't lost to a Southeast District runner in his last 16 races and is 1,120-0 against them in that time.

Hughes added, “The Southeast District is no joke either. Every time he's finished these races ahead of five other kids who have been on the state podium multiple times, and we see everyone in D2 and D1 as well. He not only hasn't had a bad race in two years, he hasn't even had an off race … he's been great in every single race.

“This is a product of being great in every practice for these past two years. There's no doubt he's already working for track season.”

Eyre will head to Terre Haute, Ind. next Sunday to compete in the Nike Midwest Regional Championships.

Whiteoak also had senior Weston Blair run his final high school race of his career, finishing in 67th place overall with a time of 17:05.3, as this was his second appearance as a state individual qualifier.

During the 2023 postseason, Blair was second at the SHAC Championships with a time of 16:50.40. From there, the senior finished in sixth place at districts at 17:05.35, and while running at the regional race he became a state qualifier with a 15th-place finish, finishing with a time of 16:33.

“Weston went out a winner,” Hughes said. “He was my first ever champion runner at any level. Weston was the league junior high champion and was a key cog in Whiteoak's only cross-country team to reach the state meet.

“He was also great competition for his teammate and buddy Eyre. Those two went 1 and 2 in five meets this season and had others calling them the dynamic duo. Weston has ran his heart out for us for six years now. He's done more than his part in every way."

In the Division II race, Hillsboro junior Corbin Winkle was 67th overall out of 182 runners. Winkle finished with a time of 16:52.90.

Winkle had a successful 2023 season, including a postseason that included a Frontier Athletic Conference championship with a time of 16:42.00, as the win made him a back-to-back FAC champion. During his sophomore season, Winkle won the FAC with a time of 16:40 in 2022.

At the Division II district race this postseason, Winkle finished at 16:40.26 for a sixth place finish. The regional race saw Winkle have a 22nd-place finish with a time of 16:22.43, which made him a first-time state qualifier.

(Doug Hughes contributed to this article.)