FOSTORIA | Fostoria Eighth Grader Heads to Jr. High State Cross Country Championship in Columbus Sunday

Author: FFP Ai Bot

FOSTORIA — A Fostoria eighth grader is headed to the state cross country stage this weekend, and her school made sure she left town with a proper send-off.

Fostoria Athletics, the school’s athletics page, shared a hallway send-off Friday afternoon, Oct. 23, asking the community to wish the FHS eighth-grade runner good luck at the junior high state cross country championship near Columbus on Sunday. “We sent her off with a lot of energy this afternoon!” the post said.

Here is the send-off video shared by Fostoria Athletics:

About the meet

The 2026 OHSAA 7th and 8th Grade Cross Country State Championship is Sunday, Oct. 25, at Fortress Obetz and Memorial Park in Obetz, just southeast of Columbus. The Ohio High School Athletic Association says it is the only OHSAA-sponsored postseason cross country event for seventh and eighth graders. The event features both championship races and open races.

Schools in the Northwest, Southeast and Southwest athletic districts, including Fostoria, run in Division B. Division B races start at 12:20 p.m. with the girls championship race, followed by the boys championship at 12:55 p.m., the girls open race at 1:30 p.m. and the boys open race at 2:05 p.m. OHSAA’s girls starting box assignments list Fostoria in the Division B girls open race at 1:30 p.m. The top 20 finishers in each open race receive medals.

If you are going

• Gates open 90 minutes before the first race of the day, which starts at 10 a.m.
• Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Adult tickets are sold at ohsaa.org/tickets. Student tickets are sold only at the Center Gate on race day.
• Everyone 6 and older needs a ticket. Parking at the site is free.
• Umbrellas are not allowed in the stands, and pets, bicycles and drones are prohibited.
• Live results will be posted on the OHSAA meet page.

More about the venue is available from Fortress Obetz, which also hosts the OHSAA high school state cross country finals on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Send her some luck

Making it to a state meet as an eighth grader is a big deal, and it is a proud moment for Fostoria. Join Fostoria Athletics in wishing her good luck by leaving a message of support in the comments or on the school’s athletics page. Go Fostoria!

FFP will share results from the meet once they are posted.

Send-off information and video from Fostoria Athletics. Meet details from the Ohio High School Athletic Association. Featured image: Salomon trail running shoes, photo by JaredMcKenzie via Wikimedia Commons (CC0 public domain dedication); it does not show the athlete.

Sources

Fostoria Athletics Facebook post and send-off video, Oct. 23, 2026: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1101201712553987/
https://www.ohsaa.org/Sports-Tournaments/Cross-Country/2026-Cross-Country/2026-7th-8th-Grade-State-Championship
https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/Cross%20Country/2026/MSStateMeetSchedule.pdf
https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/Cross%20Country/2026/MSInfoPacket.pdf
https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/Cross%20Country/2026/26GirlsStartingBoxAssignments.pdf
https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/fortress-obetz-proud-to-host-ohsaa-cross-country-championships
https://fortressobetz.com/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salomon_XA_PRO_3D_trail_running_shoe.jpg