This was a season about youth and building. Cathedral High School boys cross-country embraced that in 2026, with an inexperienced – but talented – young team turning in strong performances in the postseason, performances that bode well for the future of a tradition-rich program. This was a strong season with a lot of good signs. “It was really exciting to have that depth that young,” Brian Gross said. The Irish in Gross’ third season as boys cross-country head coach turned in strong performances at the city and section meets, with five runners qualifying for the regional meet. All regional-qualifying runners for the Irish were underclassmen. “This is one of the more talented teams we fielded in my time coaching the boys,” Gross said. The Irish qualified five runners individually for the Region 4 meet at Ceraland Park in Columbus. Freshman Quinn Sullivan finished 102nd in 17:12.90, with sophomore Kade Miller 149th in 17:48.20, freshman Max Braun 166th in 18:02.20, sophomore Henry Bannister 192nd in 18:25.80 and sophomore Cole Bakemeyer 209th in 18:42.50. “I was really impressed with the discipline they had because when you get out there, you see a bunch of older guys, you get little bit nervous, you get out too fast, and then you're sucking air for the back half,” Gross said. “None of our athletes did that. That was the biggest win of the weekend for us was just going out there and proving that they belong there.” Sullivan ran in the top position for the Irish much of the season, with Miller and Bakemeyer running strong along with Bannister for the second, third and fourth positions along with Braun. “It was really a group of kids that we didn't have out there two years ago at all,” Gross said, adding of Sullivan – who was essentially in his first season running competitive cross country, “He has a real competitive spirit.” “He kind of falls in that category of a little bit goofy,” Gross said. “But when we get to the race, he gets down to business and takes care of it. That's real exciting to have on our end, just to be able to see him model that for the other athletes.” The Irish finished seventh at the Section 17 meet at Mount Vernon. Sullivan finished 22nd in 17:08.64, with Miller 39th in 18:05.52, Braun 49th in 18:06.22, Bakemeyer 41st in 18:07.32, Bannister 42nd in 18:10.14, sophomore Miles Cole 55th in 19:02.56 52 and sophomore Kellan Cunningham 59th in 19:16.37. “It really is a hard out, especially at our sectional,” Gross said. “Regional just turns into a slaughterhouse. But the fact that we sent five on to regionals where we sent two last year … just to get that many younger athletes out early is great for us.” Also key to the ’26 Irish: Seniors Luke Mirveldi and Ben Sage, the latter of whom ended the season injured and the former of whom also provided key veteran leadership. “They made points to be teammates first and to be leaders,” Gross said. “The younger kids would not have had the success that they had without having some older guys showing them how it's done.” The Irish finished third at the City Meet with 75 points behind champion Bishop Chatard (20 points) and runner-up Herron (65). Sullivan finished 10th at the city meet in 17:09.00, with Miller 11th in 17:32.00, Bakemeyer 14th in 17:43.00 and Bannister 16th in 17:53.00. “I'm pretty happy with them,” Gross said. “They really were knuckleheads in a great way. They're a hoot, and they enjoy running together. They enjoy the hard work. They enjoy nipping at each other's heels and being competitive. “It was a real cool crew to coach. I'm looking forward to a few more years with them.” And while the Irish’s sectional and regional will remain one of the toughest areas in the state, Gross said this young Irish group has the talent – and the work ethic – to be competitive in the postseason moving forward. “The biggest thing is most of our Top 5 – four of the five regional qualifiers – will be going straight from cross-country to track,” Gross said. “The back-to-back season experience by their sophomore year, they will get a lot stronger. They're able to handle a full season. “Our goal always is getting out of that sectional. Our regional is going to be a tough one. With what we saw this season, we're hoping to be able to get to regionals next year and more importantly, send on a couple of guys at least to the state tournament where they can show what they're made of.”