​​Many fast and impressive distance runners have called the Ohio Valley home.

Aidan Scott — the Wheeling Central junior — is well on his way to being the next big thing in Ohio Valley distance running.

By the time the dust settles on his career, Scott may very well have the most impressive resume an prep distance runner on the West Virginia side of the river has ever seen.

After all, Scott is making a habit of winning state titles — in multiple sports.

“I just take it season by season,” Scott said during a recent interview. “I know there may be another competitor out there who will try and take the title(s) away from me, so I just have to continue to work at it.”

Scott added his latest gold medal to his vast collection a week ago during the West Virginia SSAC State Cross Country Championships at Cabell Midland High School.

Figuring in that title, Scott is now a six-time West Virginia state champion. His cross country title was a repeat and he’s won four titles on the track and still, obviously, has two full seasons to go.

“I started to gain confidence and I’ve really just tried to maintain that,” Scott said.

Last weekend, Scott ran away from the field en route to the title. He posted a 16:23, which was 35 seconds better than his nearest competitor.

“It was probably 200 or 300 meters into the race (at state) when I took the lead and I was able to stay there throughout the race,” Scott recalled. “I was able to extend the lead each mile.”

While he went to the meet as the favorite, Scott’s season wasn’t as clear-cut as you’d may think for a defending state champion. Quite frankly, there was a stretch in the early portion of the season where Scott wasn’t running his best.

“My times weren’t the greatest at the beginning of the season,” Scott said. “And it really got to the middle part of the season and I just told myself that I had to pick it up.”

It wasn’t just about his times though that motivated Scott to take it to the next level.

“I knew if I wanted to get better and put myself in a position to have a chance at state, I had to get better and put in the effort to do that,” Scott said.

That effort was realized a few weeks before winning the state championship. Scott ran a personal-best time of 15:59 during the OVAC Championship meet at Cambridge early last month.

Scott enjoyed strong junior high showings, but by his own admission nothing off the chart that would have led him to believe this type of high school success was in the offing.

“I knew it would be different moving up from middle school to high school,” Scott said. “I knew that I would have to put a lot of time and effort into it, so that’s what I did. I just started putting in extra miles and work and have kept on running.”

As a freshman, Scott finished second in the Class A state cross country meet and then went to track season won the 1600 meter run. He’s truly never looked back.

Last spring, in Charleston, Scott swept the Class A distance races, winning the 800, 1600 and 3200 meter runs.

Though he says the 1600 is his favorite distance on the track, Scott plans to go after the trifecta again this spring.

Obviously, becoming a state champion isn’t realized because of any magic or special formula. Scott’s gotten to this point because of hard work. And that’s not going to change, regardless of how many medals he wins.

“I am going to start training for track now,” Scott said. “There are a few (road) races and (indoor) meets I’d like do (as an unattached athlete) during the winter. I really enjoy the opportunity to race.”

While cross country and track are “individual” sports, the team aspect served as a major motivator for Scott this season. Quite frankly, he didn’t want to go to Cabell Midland alone. He wanted the entire Maroon Knights squad to make the trip.

With him leading the way at the regional, Central did advance to the state meet where it placed sixth overall.

“I am so proud that our team got to go,” Scott admitted. “It was great to not just be running for myself, but running for the team, too. It shows that hard work and effort will be rewarded. We return all but two of us next year, so I believe we can get back.”

GOBBLE TILL WE WOBBLE 5K

A new 5K is set for St. Clairsville on Thanksgiving morning (Nov. 24). The inaugural Gobble Til You Wobble 5K will be held with proceeds set to benefit St. Clairsville High School graduate O.J. Diomedi and his fight against leukemia.

The event will begin at 9 a.m. with a run and walk. The entry fee is $25. Each participant will receive a t-shirt and the number of awards to be presented will be determined based on entries.

Diomedi is a 2006 graduate from St. Clairsville and he played football at Muskingum where he earned his degree in 2010. He and his wife, Courtney (Stewart) have two children, Evelyn and Quinley.

SETH’S SCOOPS

LAST WEEK, in this space, we told you that Bridgeport grad Mike Picceti had been named Ohio Capital Conference Coach of the Year for his efforts with Thomas Worthington football. This past week, he was named Central District Coach of the Year. The Cardinals were eliminated from the Division I playoffs in the opening round.

BARNESVILLE NATIVE Dave Swallie was inducted to the Central District Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame late last week. He produced a very successful career, which included 32 seasons at Hilliard Davidson and Hilliard Darby. He won six league titles, three district crowns and was a regional runnerup.

SPEAKING OF Barnesville graduates Tyler Jenkins, who was an All-Ohioan last spring in the 3200 meter run, has continued his fine running career at NAIA RIo Grande College. He was recently named NAIA National Runner of the Week.