Staff photo / John Vargo Canfield’s Delaney O’Brien runs during this year’s Spartan Invitational in Boardman. On Saturday, she tries to qualify for the state meet for the second straight year at the Division I Boardman Regional meet.

Delaney O’Brien ran frustrated throughout the first part of the cross country season. The Canfield High School sophomore knew what she had done last season, qualifying for the state meet.

Eventually, she started to see her times come down as the days and meets progressed.

O’Brien knew her journey in 2020 was like her 3.1-mile jaunts around a course filled with other distance runners — it has peaks, valleys and straightaways.

As of late, the Canfield sophomore is starting to climb toward her goals — slowly but surely.

O’Brien, who set a personal best time at last year’s state meet of 19:18.40, had to sit out the latter part of summer. That is when distance runners run anywhere from 50 to 100 miles per week to prepare for the high school season.

But July and most of August were gone for O’Brien, whose shin started to hurt.

Her father and Canfield assistant coach Eric O’Brien thought it was a stress fracture. Eric is a physical therapist, along with being an avid distance runner. He knew something was amiss with his daughter.

Delaney had an osteoid osteomalacia, which is a noncancerous bone tumor. It was located on her right shin. Eric said no operation was needed, so it was treated with an anti-inflammatory drug.

She couldn’t run as the swelling subsided.

“I had to take a few weeks off,” Delaney said. “I did absolutely no running. I tried biking and swimming to keep my endurance up. It really wasn’t the same as running. After a long time, a month or two, I was able to start running again. It was only a mile or two, nothing close to what I had been doing.

“I think it really set me back this season. I wasn’t able to get in that summer training. I lost a lot of my endurance I had before my injury.”

She’s getting back to where she once was about a year ago — running in the 19s. Times have been around the low 20s as Delaney eyes her second straight state bid. Time is irrelevant on Saturday, but placing in the top 32 at the Division I Boardman Regional is vital to her success as that performance will find her back at the state meet.

“I don’t particularly like Boardman’s course, just my personal opinion,” Delaney said. “I think it’s a tough course. My times aren’t usually that great, but I’d be happy with anything in the 20s. Probably sub 21 I’d be happy with.”

Eric said running with the lead packs will help his daughter succeed Saturday when the D-I girls race goes off at 4 p.m.

“She has capabilities because of the times she ran last year,” Eric said. “Coming into regionals, it’s going to be, can you compete? It’s top 32. You have to go out and compete and give it your all.”

Times started to decrease, but Delaney hasn’t hit those low 19s — just yet.

Canfield cross country coach Ashley Lydic is hoping Delaney puts it all together Saturday. It is a work in progress.

“I think her confidence grew while she was racing,” Lydic said. “I think her body was ready to do the work, physically. She was injured for a while. I think once she got her confidence back, her times came down as well.”

Now, it’s a matter of making the top 32 and heading to the state meet in Obetz.

Aurora Fares has pushed Canfield’s team and Delaney this season. The younger O’Brien couldn’t be happier.

“I’m very thankful I made it this far,” Delaney said. “Teammates really helped me this season. They really pushed me. I knew I had to keep pushing myself. It really made me better this year.

“I’m just glad we made it as a team. I think that’s really cool. This is the first time in a long time the girls have made it to regionals.”

For Delaney, it’s all about perspective.