WV Regionals

10/23/99

from Kim Nutter

The Regional Cross Country championships from around the state this past weekend produced some very competitive running and set the stage for what figures to be one of the most competitive state meets, in each category,  in recent years.  

In the Region I AA Girls event, Parkersburg High School and University High of Morgantown both qualified in a deadlock, 71-71, with PHS getting the nod on a better 6^th runner. Giti Farudi of University continued her consistent running, winning easily over teammate Maria Stover, 19:24-20:04.  

In the AAA Boys section Morgantown High and Parkersburg South advanced to the State meet, with the Mohicans taking the Regional crown 49-68 over the Patriots. Keith Rand, only a Sophomore, ran an impressive 16:39.1 to win over Parkersburg High’s steadily improving John Mallory (16:57).

The A-AA Girls race saw Magnolia sweeping the top three places enroute to an easy 18-62 win over Tyler Consolidated. Emma Archer paced the Eagles with a 21:04 clocking. Weir, led by Matt Apesos , won the Boy’s A-AA title 24-50 over Oak Glen.

Region II saw the biggest team upset as East Fairmont, paced by Holly Hunter (19:26), nipped cross town rival and previously top ranked Fairmont Senior 42-47. The Fairmont Senior boys continued their dominance by beating Buckhannon Upshur for the regional title, 30-76. East Fairmont’s Jonathan Wright captured first place over the Polar Bear’s Randy Melgarejo 17:16-17:22. The A-AA Girls race again featured the excellent team running of Grafton. The Bearcats edged Williamstown and Doddridge County 46-51-51. Williamstown got the nod and the state championship berth over Doddridge in the team race based on the better 6^th runner. Sherrie Flohr (20:28) and Heather McDaniel (20:32), both sophomores, paced the Bearcats with a strong 1-2 finish. No surprises in the A-AA boys race as Doddridge County tuned up for its run at the state championship by rolling over Ritchie County 44-78. Denny Hayes paced Doddridge, nipping Dusty Dent of Gilmer County 17:04-17:06.

Region III saw both Cabell Midland’s boys and girls teams advancing to Williamstown. The girls took a 27-37 win over Huntington High, with Jamie Sullivan winning a photo finish over Midland’s Beth Bridgewater, both timed in 22:43. The Midland boys took the measure of defending AAA champ St Albans 51-55, while Larry Atkins of Huntington easily won the regional individual crown with a fine 16:59.

Region IV saw George Washington’s boys and girls teams also taking dual championships. The girls, led by Lanie Lord’s first place finish (23:29) scored an easy 2-65 win over Beckley Woodrow Wilson, while the GW boys edged Capital 30-38 to qualify for next week’s meet. Jonathan Calhoun of Oak Hill took the individual title in 18:40.

The A-AA girls race was no contest as Jessica Taylor of Fayetteville won by over 2 minutes with a 21:06. Richwood nipped host PikeView by one point 33-34 for the lone state qualifier. Aaron Phillips of PikeView (18:12), running on his home course, led his team to the regional crown, 19-50 over Independence

The Region V AAA girls saw Susan and Jennifer Davis of Hampshire County going 1-2(19:56-20:15), but it was for naught as Jefferson County beat Preston for the title 43-52. Hampshire County nudged Preston in the boys AAA race 37-40, to set up a real battle next week. Shane Ruggles of Hampshire took the individual title in 17:39.

The Region V A-AA girls race saw Berkeley Springs getting the state meet nod over Frankfort 23-34. Jessica Tusing ofEast Hardy was the individual champion with a 23:34. Frankfort took the A-AA boys title over East Hardy 22-33 as Shaun Spielman of Berkeley Springs was an easy winner with a 17:03.