Staff photo / John Vargo South Range’s Brian Standley, left, and Connor Nichols run for the Raiders, who qualified for the D-III boys state cross country meet.

BOARDMAN — South Range’s season was like most others, some injuries and other setbacks.

Things happen during the course of a cross county season.

All seven of their main varsity runners never ran together all season until the Oct. 19 district meet at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds.

This Raiders team would not be defined by their shortcomings. Instead, this band of teenage boys packed up around the Boardman High School cross country course and continued their season one more week. South Range is heading to the state cross country meet for the first time since 2003

“This has been their unspoken goal,” South Range coach Diane Krumpak said.

Top 16 runners advanced out of the Division III Boardman Regional boys race. No Raiders among that group.

Top four teams head to Saturday’s state meet at National Trail Raceway. Last time South Range made state as a team the meet was at Scioto Downs.

The Raiders started popping up through the finish line at places 22 through 53, where sophomore Liam Justison completed the top five South Range placers. Cross country team points are based on placement of team finishes. That was junior Connor Nichols starting with 18 and Justison ending with 44. Brian Standley, Isaac Baun and Michael Hvizdos were in between this pack of five.

Nichols, whose older cousin Tim, ran for the Raiders earlier this decade and won a Division III national 5,000-meter title in track and field at Tufts University, knew he had to run harder in the second half of his race, which started at 1:30 p.m., Saturday.

South Range edged out Maplewood for that fourth and final spot for state cross country, 145 to 147.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Connor Nichols said. “I’m so glad I was able to lead everybody here. I started out really far behind. Honestly I wasn’t feeling too hot up until the second mile. I just heard my coach tell me I had to get 10 people. That’s all I was shooting for. I was getting the guy ahead of me.”

Hvizdos said its a cohesive group, because of the environment Krumpak and fellow coach Mark Bush.

“We look at Coach K as our team mom,” Hvizdos said. “She supports us like a mother would. Coach Bush really has the workouts set for us – really tells us what we need to do.”

Next step for South Range, prepare for the state meet.