OBETZ — Before the start of the 2026 cross country season, Lexington coach Denise Benson wanted to make one thing perfectly clear.
The focus of the new-look Lexington Minutemen was absolutely not going to be centered around defending their 2025 Division II state championship. They were replacing four of their Top 7 runners and sent their Top 2 off to colleges including Oregon. So, instead of running under the immense pressure of defending their crown, the Minutemen went through the season running with clear minds.
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The approach nearly led to the Minutemen actually defending their state championship as they took runner-up honors at the Division II Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Fortress Obetz in Columbus.
Lexington posted 182 points finishing just one point behind state champion Bowling Green’s 181. The runner-up finish wasn’t even on the radar for Lexington coming into the season, but as the year went on, it became a possibility.
The Lexington Minutemen took runner-up honors at the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 at Fortress Obetz in Columbus.
“Once we knew that we could put something together, their eyes started to turn to that,” Benson said. “We saw that in tournament time. Once we got rolling and that team chemistry reached its peak, it turned into something very special. They improved and trusted each other.”
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That trust led to a regional championship last week where they topped the Top 2 ranked teams in the state including BG.
“Being regional champions last week, we kind of knew that was the state meet in itself,” Benson said. “We knew it would be a battle again today and to see it came down to one point kind of stings, but I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Junior Christian Estep was 18th overall with a 15:54.5 while senior John Bartone was 33rd with a 16:05.0 as both runners earned All-Ohio honors.
“It means so much,” Estep said. “I am so grateful for God. I had a rocky start to the season and just to be back and competing well for my teammates means so much. This is all for them because I am so grateful for each one of them. They are my best friends on and off the course so everything I do is for them.”
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It is their first All-Ohio honors of their careers.
The Lexington Minutemen took runner-up honors at the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 at Fortress Obetz in Columbus.
“This team is such a family to me, so I am not more excited about being an All-Ohioan than I am with our state runner-up trophy,” Bartone said. “It’s not about me, it’s not about Christian, it was about all of us coming together on this day to be second. It’s a special thing.”
Senior Will Hooper was 49th with a 16:14.9 while sophomore Mathias Bender was 73rd with a 16:28.0 and junior Chidalu Ezike was 126th with a 17:00.4 to round out the Top 5 runners for Lex. Sophomore Jace Dawson was 192nd with a 17:42.2 and sophomore Caden Henry was 209th with an 18:05.6 for the two drop scores.
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“Huge shoutout to Christian, John and Chidalu Ezike, our fifth guy, who was in a tough spot and got it done,” Benson said. “He was the closest to his PR.”
The Minutemen were sitting in fifth as a team at the two-mile mark and seemed all but sunk as they neared the final stretch and yet, they took three spots to No. 2.
“Coach Benson was preaching to race smart,” Estep said. “She knows how to peak us and get us right. It was all about trusting our training. I always tell myself that if I am not passing people, I am slowing down. We knew people were going to go out fast, but we just wanted to finish fast and that’s what was going through our minds the entire race.”
Just like at the beginning of the season, the Minutemen ran the state meet with no pressure on themselves after winning a district and regional championship in the previous two weeks. They knew they achieved something they weren’t expected to, so they went out and ran free.
The Lexington Minutemen took runner-up honors at the 2026 Ohio High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026 at Fortress Obetz in Columbus.
“At the beginning of the season, we kind of asked ourselves if this was something we could even do,” Bartone said. “We were unsure. We didn’t know where we were going to be in the end. Last week, we put it all together and it made us believe. It didn’t shake out exactly how we wanted, but I am still so happy to get second. It’s a great honor.
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“It was an amazing approach. There was nothing behind us runners. We were just running to run and that took all the pressure off.”
The runner-up finish is the third in program history to go along with the 2015, 2017 and 2025 state championships. A team that entered the season with very little expectations lived up to the program’s hype.
“They protected tradition,” Benson said. “This is my most improved team of all time. There are different chemistries and last year, we won by 81 points which was so special, but to see how far these boys have come is incredibly special.”
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Lexington’s amazing journey leads to Division II state runner-up finish
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