At least the sun came out (briefly) during the afternoon session! Otherwise, the 1A runners had to take the worst that the skies and the course could dish out, and it's reflected in the times they ran. Unlike most of the other 6 races on the day, where the top 5 runners seemed virtually locked in after the 2 Mile mark with very few late changes up front, in these two races fatigue played a huge role in the final mile. For both the boys and the girls, serious early challengers faded hard at the end, while conservative starts seemed to be rewarded with strong finishes. It made for a very chaotic and exciting (and muddy) pair of races, as you can see in our write-ups below. Don't forget to check out all the photo and video coverage from the meet, as well!
1A Boys Recap
You have to hand it to Research Triangle - they went for it in this race. From the very beginning, paced by Michal Swepson's aggressive start, the Raptors were out to give their all. After 800 meters Swepson was flanked by Hayden Alexander (Thomas Jefferson Classical) and Kyle Rhodes (East Wilkes), but as they came to mile mark he had pulled into a solo position in front of the entire field. Rhodes was the only one close to him, also running solo in 2nd, while Swepson's teammate Madison Daniel had pulled even with Alexander.
When the field hit the 2 Mile mark, it was clear how the team battle would shake out. Research Triangle was clearly in control of the race through their 4th runner, but there was a huge gap to the rest of their squad. Meanwhile, Walkertown's tight pack was rising, with Matthew Rogers all the way up to 5th place, and the rest of the Wolfpack hovering right around Research Triangle's 4th runner. Power up front vs. depth - the classic cross country conflict! Individually, Rhodes took over the lead on the the long downhill and crossed the 2 Mile first, with Swepson and Daniel still in 2nd and 3rd. Luke Bennett (Voyager Academy) was looking to repeat his performance from the NCRunners Elite Invitational on this same course, when he took command by surging over the final mile.
Nobody was going to touch Rhodes on this day, as the East Wilkes junior pulled away for a commanding 14-second win. The rest of the top 5 changed almost completely, as two early front-runners faded and several runners moved up over the final mile. Bennett got all the way up to 2nd place, one spot ahead of Rogers. Darius Lambert (Cherokee) ended up in 4th, holding off Thomas Moore (Raleigh Charter) as both runners moved up from 8th and 11th, respectively, over the final 1.1 miles.
Research Triangle had its best race of the season, putting together 4 strong performances for the first time; in particular, Jack Puryear (6th) and Eric Young (10th) had fantastic races. But despite scoring 4-7-8-9 for just 28 points through their 4th runner, the Raptors had no answer for Walkertown's depth. Daniel Parmesano led that pack through in a 33-second bunch, and the Wolfpack won by 20 points.
1A Girls Recap
Like Research Triangle's boys, there was no way that Shawnda Martin (Robbinsville) was going to hold anything back in this race. After finishing 6th, 3rd, and 2nd in her 3 previous state meet visits, the senior entered this year's championship ranked #1, and she ran like it from the start. Martin waited out an early surge from Hannah Cranford (South Davidson) and then took command before the mile mark, with fellow West Region senior Blakely Moore (Highlands) following in second.
Martin and Moore were still in those positions at the 2 Mile mark, with NCAC rivals Hannah Zenker (Franklin Academy) and Gillian Scott (Raleigh Charter) following a few meters back. Farther behind, Maggie Foley was running point for Gray Stone Day, whose pack was really starting to coalesce and work forward through the field. The Knights were locked into a team battle with Bishop McGuinness, who had two runners in the top 10 but was far more strung out as a whole.
Martin led until the final 100 meters, even enjoying as much as a 50-meter lead on the final 800. Incredibly, Moore found some hidden reserve of strength in the last tenth of a mile, rallying past the top-ranked runner with a ferocious kick to take the win in stunning fashion (even rendering a certain PA announcer speechless for a moment). Michael Gammon (Lincoln Charter) also had a spectacular third mile, moving up from 5th to 3rd and holding off fellow freshman Scott in what could be a preview of many battles to come. Shelby Hyatt (Swain) finished strong to round out the top 5.
Bishop McGuinness ran an excellent race, probably the best of their season (are you sensing a commonality with the boys' race here?). Unfortunately for the Villains, the superior depth of Gray Stone Day could not be overcome in this race. The Knights won by 16 on the strength of their 4th and 5th runners, while two other potential challengers - Community School of Davidson and Swain - ended up in a near dead heat for 3rd and 4th place.
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