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State championship repeats are in sight for Williamstown, Ritchie County cross country

Yellowjacket girls, Rebel boys eyeing more top hardware

Photo by Tyler Bennett Williamstown cross country runner Chloe Lightfritz approaches the finish line during the 2019 Little Kanawha Conference tournament. Lightfritz and rest of the Yellowjackets’ girls team attempt a third straight state championship season at 1 p.m. Saturday at Cabell Midland High School.

WILLIAMSTOWN — Class A girls’ cross country teams attempting to end the two-year reign of the Williamstown Yellowjackets received bad news after Wednesday’s Class AA/A Region IV meet.

Yellowjacket head coach Larry Cassady’s young ladies, Class A regional champions, would have the Class AA trophy sitting in the school’s awards case at this very moment, as well.

Though the WVSSAC handed the trophy to Winfield, the Yellowjackets beat out the Generals by two points for the top spot.

Cassady and company plan to ride this wave of momentum into the final race of the year Saturday at Cabell Midland High School. While in Ona, the Yellowjackets plan to add another trophy to the school’s award case – a state championship.

“Everybody is pretty pumped up,” said Cassady. “Hopefully it is going to be three in a row.”

The task falls to Chloe Lightfritz, Natalie Sawin, Tori Combs, Brookelyn Reynolds, Emilee Ellison, Brianna Winsett and reigning individual state champion Ella Hesson.

“Once we get to Ona we just have to get them to live in the moment,” said Cassady.

Hesson and Sawin competed to their usual standards during the season, but the head man is particularly excited on Lightfritz’ accomplishments in 2019.

“She made huge improvements this year and put in a lot of miles this summer and has done the work and it has shown,” said Cassady.

Those three young ladies form the spearhead of the Yellowjacket attack. One going head-to-head with St. Marys’ and Doddridge County’s top trio of runners. The Blue Devils’ Eric Davis (6th), Josey Moore (9th) and Jessy Higgins (12th) played big roles in the Region I championship.

Emily Gola (4th), Hailey Keith (6th) alongside Nora Sias (23rd) led Craig Kellar’s Bulldogs to the Region II crown.

But this won’t be where the championship is won according to the Yellowjacket leader. The deciding points will be scored by the No. 4 and 5 runners. If Ellison and Reynolds finish strong, the Jackets will be crowned champions.

Cassady has full confidence in Ellison’s ability to adapt to race conditions once out on the track.

“She is always pretty strong in the middle of the race where she starts making a move,” said Cassady. “She isn’t a fast starter but seems to find another gear and starts churning as the race wears on.”

Joining the Bulldogs, Yellowjackets and Blue Devils in the final race of the season is the Tyler Consolidated girls’ team and Karina Patel from Magnolia.

While all the girls team’s try to unseat the talented Yellowjackets, the boys’ teams take their shot to dethrone the Ritchie County Rebels.

Holli Vaughan’s group brings a mix of underclassmen and seniors to the repeat attempt.

Kent Bee leads the way for the Rebels. Doddridge County’s Carter Lipscomb and he will battle for the top spot in Class A as their teams battle for the team title.

“Unless someone comes out of the wood work it really won’t be decided between Doddridge and us until our fifth runners,” said Vaughan. “Our top four finished one after another in the top 16 at the Little Kanawha Conference championships.”

The message to her team will be clear before the gun sounds at 10 a.m.

“This is something we want to happen and they know what the goal is and the results needed for that to happen and they just have to happen for us to be state champions.”

Joining the Rebels and Bulldogs will be the St. Marys, Wirt County, Williamstown, Tyler Consolidated and Ravenswood teams.

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