Chillicothe XC Opens Season with Success at SNL

The Chillicothe Lady Cavaliers traveled to Centerville on Saturday night to compete in the 2026 Saturday Night Lights Invitational. The Lady Cavs competed in the Varsity Gold Division. Leading the way for Chillicothe was junior Gabby Maranzana, who put together an outstanding performance of 19:42 to finish 2nd out of 257 runners.  Her runner-up finish gave the Lady Cavaliers a strong front-runner at the top of the lineup and helped set the tone for the rest of the team. 

Photo by Brian Maranzana

Behind Gabby was senior Ava Hickman Beck, who ran a time of 22:46 finishing 88th, freshman Lura Crawford 125th, senior Reina Cunningham 162nd, and freshman Allie Johnson finishing 173rd. The girls team placed 17th overall. 

The SNL course and field provided Chillicothe with an excellent early-season test. Racing under the lights against some of the best teams in the area gave the Cavaliers valuable experience and an opportunity to see where they stand as the season continues.

Following the girls varsity gold race, the Chillicothe boys team competed in the varsity gold race. The Cavaliers competed with determination throughout the race, battling the challenging field and working together. They put up a very strong team performance, placing 4th out of 25 teams. 

Leading the way was junior Levi Wood, who put together an incredible race to take 1st place in 16:29! Sophomore Sam Hurff also had an impressive performance finishing 8th in 17:08, giving Chillicothe two runners in the top 10. Following Sam was senior Payne Huggins in 33rd, junior Sutton Behmer in 38th, and senior David Rourke in 104th.

It was a great way to kick off the season with a lot to build on from here! Go Cavs!