Originally Posted by claynation
The quality of Horter's victories elevate him to GOAT status. As I've said already in this thread, the Classes of 2016, 2017, and 2018 are all some of the deepest, most competitive in Ohio history. Ergo, Horter winning two state XC titles in THIS era is more impressive than, say, Zach Wills winning three from 2008-2010 (not that Wills is in this discussion, because he's not, but he serves as an apt example).
When comparing Fry v. Horter, Fry just doesn't have the range/versatility to match up. You can say they are close enough over 3200/5k to call it a wash, or even favor Fry by the absolute SLIGHTEST of margins (though I wouldn't, because Horter has two Division I XC titles in the deepest era in Ohio history, has the most impressive single season in Ohio HS XC history (2017), soloed an 8:48, and 3x All-Ohio at 3200m (again, in the deepest era in Ohio history), but I digress). But Horter is so far and away ahead of Fry at 1600m and especially at 800m that I don't the argument is very close. Horter has the Ohio Division I state record at 1600m (shattering Bob Kennedy's mark by 2 seconds), 2x outdoor and 2x indoor state champ at 1600m (again, and I apologize for continually repeating myself, but this is an extremely important point, DURING THE DEEPEST ERA IN OHIO HS RUNNING HISTORY, so these state titles are more impressive than, say, Jeff See's, whose competition paled in comparison to Horter's), New Balance Nationals Indoor champion in the mile (and we will see what he does at Brooks PR this week), and soloed a 1:50 800m.
When deciding who the greatest distance runner in Ohio HS history is, you're basically saying who has had the most success at 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and in cross country. By all objective and subjective measures, Horter comes out on top. Those of us who've appreciated watching him know he's the best.
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