After Ben Davis cross-country runner Traishaun Johnson took second at the Marion County meet this month, coach Nicholas Balbach said of the senior: “He’s really starting to come around, and he’s really starting to race like a runner. . . . He kind of feels it, and he goes with it.”

Apparently that’s still happening, as Johnson placed ninth at last Saturday’s Carmel Semistate to qualify for this Saturday’s state meet at Terre Haute.

Ben Davis placed ninth, which ended the Giants’ season because only the top six teams advance to state. After Johnson came the Giants’ Amanuel Medhane 40th, Luke Brahm 50th, Dominique Brooks 91st and Esteban Alberto 93rd.

Pike took 11th with Brian Jett 37th, Andrew Schaeffer 54th, Nilay Patel 90th, Andrew Wilkey 94th and Nathan Lambert-Cheatham 109th.

Competing as individuals, Speedway’s Jacob Fisher took 61st and Decatur Central’s Chris Corsaro 76th.

On the girls side, seventh-ranked Pike placed ninth in a strong field. Lydia Greene placed 29th, Sophia Greene 33rd, Anastasia Foster 57th, Jasmine Hawkins 83rd and Laclyn Lahr 91st.

Decatur Central’s Sutton Knapp placed 73rd as an individual.