Parkersburg’s Connor George competes during the WVSSAC Region 4 Class AAA Cross Country Championship on Thursday in Huntington. (Photos by Ryan Fischer/The Herald-Dispatch)

HUNTINGTON — It was a beautiful day for racing on the river as the Class AAA, Region 4 cross country meet was held at the Kennedy Center Thursday afternoon and featured some very talented runners. Everyone was competing for an opportunity to run at next week’s state meet at Cabell Midland High School.

The top three teams qualify for state and in the boys Class AAA race Parkersburg won with 47 points, edging Cabell Midland by two points to claim the Regional title. Rounding out the rest of the field were Hurricane with 79 points, Winfield 86, Parkersburg South 135, Nitro 142, Huntington 165 and Spring Valley with 242.

“You have to give hats off to Midland,” stated Parkersburg head coach George Angelos. “They have been good for a long time and our boys have felt they were a little better than what people maybe had given them credit for all season long. We have kind of been hiding doing meets in Illinois, Ohio and different places just trying to get us battle tested. With last week and this week they showed that they are for real. They go into next week with a real chance to do well.”

Hurricane’s senior runner Ty Steorts won the boys division with a time of 15:11.5.

“Today was about placement. It was not really about time. Trying to get the team qualified for state today. That was the main goal,” stated Steorts about the meet which with his team finishing third the do qualify for next week’s state competition.

Parkersburg's Lucas Jenkins approaches the finish line during the WVSSAC Region 4 Class AAA Cross Country Championship on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Huntington. (Photos by Ryan Fischer/The Herald-Dispatch)

Steorts knows what it will take for him to accomplish his goal of a state title next week. “I really want to get that state meet record. So, I am doing everything I can. Eating right and sleeping right all the way until that race comes up.”

Hurricane boy’s head coach Jimmy Cunninham was proud of his team’s effort as well as Steorts. “We had a good day. You know it is hot on this course. It is a flat course. It is a fast course. The regional is always a tricky meet. You can really go out and mark people then go out and chase them down. Ty has been really great. He is almost a guaranteed one stick every time he goes out there. He has done a great job of bringing the team along.”

Cabell Midland’s Aiden Kneeland finished second with a time of 15:11.5 and he was already focused on next week’s meet once learning of his team’s second place finish. “I wanted to come out here and do the best for my team and get a team win. Did not do that but that is what states is for and we are going to go to states and do our best.”

The rest of the boys who qualified based off their individual times were: Dylan Dial 15.53.4 Cabell Midland, Connor George 16:01.2 Parkersburg, Trace Marshall 16:11.7 Winfield, Josh Gill 16:22.6 Parkersburg South, Ricardo Salazar 16.39.0 Parkersburg, Mason Lewis 16.43.7 Hurricane, Paxton Haddox 16:44.5 Hurricane, Walker Jones 16:45.4 Parkersburg 16:47.9, Gatlin McLain 16:56.6 Parkersburg South, A.J. Irby 16:59.1 Huntington and Chase Parsons 17:18.7 Winfield.

In the girls race, Cabell Midland was brought home the Regional Championship with 28 followed by Parkersburg 52, Hurricane 86, Huntington 103, Parkersburg South 137, Winfield 147 and Spring Valley 182.

(Photos by Ryan Fischer/The Herald-Dispatch)

“Our girls ran very solid. Our goal was to come in here and qualify and have a good race which they did. They raced hard and to take that momentum over into the state meet. We have about nine days until the state meet so next week is the big one,” stated Cabell Midland’s girls head coach Chris Parsons.

Hurricane’s senior runner Ella Hardin won the girls race with a time of 18:23.9 and she was excited after the race. “I really just wanted to go out strong this time. Get a strong first mile and keep it for the rest of the race. This race is really tough mentally. There are places where there are not spectators so you have to be in it strong mentally. It was really hot so you had to work through it.”

Hurricane’s girls head coach Jonathan Fee had this to say about Ella and his team. “Ella of course had a great race and a lot of girls had PR’s (personal records) today” “The girls ran really well today. Our goal for the girls race was for the team to finish top three and we got third which is a very good third. This is a very strong region. One of the strongest regions in the state. Cabel Midland is loaded and Parkersburg is really good so we knew that top three would be a goal of ours.”

Cabell Midland junior runners Savanna Pritt and Emma Coakley finished second and third in the girls division. Pritt just beat her teammate with a time of 18.53.5 while Coakley’s time was 18:55.6.

“Today was kind of one of my off days. All I was trying to do was keep up with Ella Hardin. I saw her in front of me then I heard people breathing down my back and when I hear that, I just want to go so that was like the only thing motivating me today”, Pritt explained about the race.

Cabell Midland's Savannah Pritt, left, keeps pace with Parkersburg's Morgan Metz during the WVSSAC Region 4 Class AAA Cross Country Championship on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Huntington. (Photos by Ryan Fischer/The Herald-Dispatch)

Huntington’s sophomore runner Laurel Johnson finished fourth with a time of 19:12.6 while her sister Claire who is a senior and normally does not run cross country also qualified for the state meet with a time of 21:19.7.

It has been a great experience for the sisters competing together this season. “It makes me feel so much better. This year I definitely feel I have a sidekick with me there to keep me going the whole time so I am really glad she is here,” Laurel stated about her sister.

“Yeah. It feels really nice because I really did this for her to be there for her and it feels really nice to me to be there for her during states too”, stated Claire.

Other girls who qualified for the state meet based on their time are: Morgan Metz 19:29.7 Parkersburg, Maya Casto 19:42.9 Cabell Midland, Delainey Burger 20:04.7 Cabell Midland, Katie Rutherford 20:13.9 Parkersburg, Calli Angelos 20:19.6 Parkersburg, Quinn Hazelett 20:28.6 Cabell Midland, Jalyn Eddie 20:38.6 Parkersburg South, Lexi McKinney 20:59.8 Parkersburg South, Kayla Taylor 21:28.2 Winfield.