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PHS boys, South girls win Chick-fil-A Invite

Big Reds\' Metz wins individual girls title

By Jordan Holland 10 min read

MINERAL WELLS -- On a day where course conditions weren't ideal and finishing times weren't the best, Parkersburg's Morgan Metz made the most of it.

At Saturday's 26th annual Chick-fil-A Invitational, the PHS senior crossed the finish line first to win the girls race, making it three straight victories to start the year.

"Today, we came out here and we knew, not only was it our Chick-fil-A meet, but it was our dual meet (versus Parkersburg South)," Metz said. "So I had an idea in mind of just trying to bring it home. The past two weeks, I’ve won the races I was at, so really pushing for a third one in a row was definitely the goal going in. It was nice to come out here and see the different competition today and see the more local people and have some more support."

Metz's effort helped the Big Reds finish fourth in the girls team standings. Coming out on top was Parkersburg South, which finished with 61 points to best runner-up Buckhannon-Upshur (73). George Washington was third (82) ahead of PHS (89).

Metz crossed the finish line in 19 minutes and 42 seconds. She improved from her fourth-place finish in last year's race even though her time dropped about 36 seconds.

"The time definitely wasn’t ideal, but when you come out to a course like this, with the competition we have out here, you’re kind of just racing for that place," Metz said.

"The course today was a little more rough with all the rain going on. It was definitely more slick in the back. It’s a little rough out there, but you know, once you get going, it’s kind of something that you just kind of have to roll with and accept it as you go."

Ritchie County's Layla Devereux was the individual girls runner-up with a time of 19:57.

"Knowing that she was there kind of helped me keep going," said Metz, who will run in the Celtic Clash at Dublin Jerome High School next week. "In a race like that, where there’s a field with nobody out there, it’s kind of easy to get discouraged. Knowing I had someone near me just kind of helped me continue what I was doing and keep working."

Metz did not run cross country as a middle schooler, but her development throughout her high school career has left head George Angelos impressed.

"It's been fun to watch her continue to grow as a runner these past four years," Angelos said. "She's running really strong and confident. She's a Division I-caliber runner."

The champion Patriots had two runners place in the top 10, with all five scorers finishing in the top 25. Haley Raper led the team, finishing fourth at 21 minutes even. Alyssa McGrady wasn't far behind, placing ninth at 21:38. Jalyn Eddy came in 18th (22:30), Lexi McKinney placed 21st (22:47) and Genevieve Taylor finished 25th (23:13). Eddy was the only Patriot to crack the top 10 in last year's race. McCrady (16th) and Raper (23rd) both saw significant improvements in placement from a year ago.

"I'm very proud of them," said Patriots head coach Brian Blanc. "They performed well against some really good competition, and they did while juggling a busy day. Between us, Williamstown and PHS working together to put this meet on, coaches are spread pretty thin. The athletes did a good job of getting warmed up and being where they were supposed to be.

"The whole girls team really just went out there and ran their guts out. We've got a great group of girls. They're young and very motivated. We just want to keep them healthy and peak them at the right time."

Rounding out the girls top 10 was Herbert Hoover's Tessa Aulenbacher (3rd; 20:44), Calhoun County's Brooke Tingler (4th; 21:00), Buckhannon-Upshur's Gwendolyn Rogosky (6th; 21:10) and Isabella Bowers (8th; 21:32), Keyser's Ava Barrick (7th; 21:19) and George Washington's Haley Knapp (10th; 21:49).

Gilmer County's Paige Sterns placed 12th (22:00) while Ravenswood's Gwyn Gorrell, winner of last week's Scenic Hills Invitational at Warren, was 14th (22:16). Arabella Smarr led Wirt County in 24th (23:11) while Raeley Perdue was Williamstown's top finisher in 26th (23:19).

For the Big Reds, Brie Winans was 20th (22:44), Hadley Edwards came in 22nd (22:56), Calli Angelos finished 28th (23:29) and Allison Poole placed 40th (24:16).

"This season’s definitely something to look forward to," Metz said. "I’m kind of going through that whole recruiting process right now with some different colleges, so really just focusing on these races. Moving forward, it's kind of like, season to me starts now. We’re getting into our more championship races because to me, my season truly starts in October. That’s when it matters the most to me, and I think to most of the people in the state. These past few wins have been some confidence going forward, definitely, but I’m hoping to see some more success moving forward."

The boys race kicked off the morning, with PHS and South finishing 1 and 2, respectively, in the team standings.

The Big Reds got a major boost from their top four runners, who all finished in the top 12. Drake Rollins led the way in sixth place at 17:08 while Carter Thorpe was close behind in seventh at 17:16. PHS also saw Harlan Wolfe place 11th (17:36), Calvin Lantz follow in 12th (17:41) and Rogan Mincks round out the scoring in 22nd (18:23).

"It was a super day for us," Angelos said. "Carter Thorpe had a great spring and I think he's going to have a great fall. Drake Rollins has really emerged this fall. I think we're ranked third in the state. We're in the hunt and we're excited to still be relevant. That's all you can ask for in September."

Gatlin McLain crossed the finish line in 16:51 to place fourth overall and lead the way for the Patriots, who finished with 70 points compared to Parkersburg's 58. Three more Patriots -- Joshua Eddy (13th; 17:42), Slaten McLain (14th; 17:45) and Jett Hins (18th; 18:06) -- finished in the top 20 with Jesse Morris (21st; 18:12) on the outside looking in.

"Gatlin is all heart," Blanc said. "He will go out there and give 100% every day of the week. I was happy to see him go out there and have success on the course. Josh Eddy stepped up for us too along with Slaten McLain."

It was Keyser's Lucas Altobello who captured the individual boys title, crossing in 15:51 with significant separation from runner-up Dylan Straught of Herbert Hoover (16:38). Tyler Consolidated's Travis Moore placed third with a time of 16:46 with Grafton's Chase Maier (16:58) rounding out the top five in fifth.

Grafton came in third as a team (112) while Keyser was fourth (157) and Williamstown was fifth (166).

The Yellowjackets got a 10th-place finish from Gavin Wilburn (17:35) while Zander Boyce made the top 20 in 19th (18:10). Ritchie County's Jenner Stewart earned his way into the top 10 with a time of 17:22, good for ninth place. GW's Collin O'Connor came in eighth (17:20).

Ripley was led by Eli Casto, who finished 15th at 17:48, while Ravenswood was paced by Kaden Gray, who came in 26th at 18:33.

In the JV races, Ritchie County's Kenson Roman claimed the boys individual title (18:52) while Parkersburg's Fallon Lindamood was the top finisher on the girls side (23:57). PHS swept the team titles.

In the middle school races, Williamstown Luke Seago was the boys champion (9:33) while Collins Rader won the girls title (11:14). East Fairmont swept the team titles.

Both PHS and South coaches commented on the wet, muddy conditions of the course.

"It's the same for everybody," Angelos said. "You've got to be prepared. It's all part of the development process throughout the course of a season, so by the end of the year you're ready for whatever. The state meet could be 85 and heat, or you could be in a toboggan and gloves. I've seen it both ways."

Blanc added, "This is what sets cross country aside from track. The kids went out there knowing it was going to be a sloppy day, and they came prepared. Having experience running in these conditions definitely came in handy."

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.

26th annual Chick-fil-A Invitational

High School

BOYS TEAM SCORES: 1. Parkersburg 58; 2. South 70; 3. Grafton 112; 4. Keyser 157; 5. Williamstown 166; 6. George Washington 177; 7. Buffalo 184; 8. Ravenswood 198; 9. Buckhannon-Upshur 251; 10. Herbert Hoover 272; 11. Ritchie County 284; 12. Ripley 304; 13. Tyler Consolidated 318; 14. Wirt County 321; 15. Gilmer County 438; 16. Teays Valley 465; 17. Wheeling Central 476

Top 10 Individuals

1. Lucas Altobello (Keyser) 15:51; 2. Dylan Straught (Hoover) 16:38; 3. Travis Moore (Tyler) 16:46; 4. Gatlin McLain (South) 16:51; 5. Chase Maier (Grafton) 16:58; 6. Drake Rollins (Parkersburg) 17:08; 7. Carter Thorpe (Parkersburg) 17:16; 8. Collin O'Connor (George Washington) 17:20; 9. Jenner Stewart (Ritchie) 17:22; 10. Gavin Wilburn (Williamstown) 17:35

Local scorers

Parkersburg: 11. Harlan Wolfe 17:36; 12. Calvin Lantz 17:41; 22. Rogan Mincks 18:23

South: 13. Joshua Eddy 17:42; 14. Slaten McLain 17:45; 18. Jett Hines 18:06; 21. Jesse Morris 18:12

Williamstown: 19. Zander Boyce 18:10; 32. Brody Pickens 18:45; 38. Chase Pickering 18:55; 73. Noah Mourat 20:33

Ravenswood: 26. Kaden Gray 18:33; 33. Jose Andrade 18:45; 34. Johnny Heath 18:46; 45. Mason Kerns 19:04; 65. Isaiah Nesselroad 20:07

Ritchie: 53. Seth Cronin 19:31; 65. Linhang Chen 20:20; 78. Thackeray Workman 22:08; 88. Austyn Boyd 22:15

Ripley: 15. Eli Casto 17:48; 63. John Clendenin 20:01; 79. Tyler Wine 21:04; 84. Matthew Modrzakowski 22:02; 89. Grayson Rothrock-Donohew 22:22

Tyler: 62. Trey Moore 20:00; 87. Kaden Cross 22:11; 90. Jonathan Cross 22:25; 109. Malakhi Davis 26:28

Wirt: 42. Sam Williams 19:02; 45. Nolan McCallister 19:08; 56. Lucas Curfman 19:46; 95. Colton Butler 22:45; 103. Alijah Ritchie 24:22

Gilmer: 76. Reidyn Dennison 20:55; 83. Callen Dennison 21:52; 102. Tanner Facemire 24:21; 112. Theron Minney; 115. Ryder Tomblin 32:24

GIRLS TEAM SCORES: 1. South 61; 2. Buckhannon-Upshur 73; 3. George Washington 82; 4. Parkersburg 89; 5. Ritchie County 158; 6. Wirt County 167; 7. Herbert Hoover 167; 8. Wheeling Central 184; 9. Williamstown 191; 10. Keyser 215

Top 10 Individuals

1. Morgan Metz (Parkersburg) 19:42; 2. Layla Devereux (Ritchie) 19:57; 3. Tessa Aulenbacher (Hoover) 20:44; 4. Brooke Tingler (Calhoun) 21:00; 5. Haley Raper (South) 21:00; 6. Gwendolyn Rogosky (Buckhannon-Upshur) 21:10; 7. Ava Barrick (Keyser) 21:19; 8. Isabella Bowers (Buckhannon-Upshur) 21:32; 9. Alyssa McCrady (South) 21:38; 10. Haley Knapp (George Washington) 21:49

Local scorers

South: 18. Jalyn Eddy 22:30; 21. Lexi McKinney 22:47; 25. Genevieve Taylor 23:12

Parkersburg: 20. Brie Winans 22:44; 22. Hadley Edwards 22:56; 28. Calli Angelos 23:29; 40. Allison Poole 24:16

Ritchie: 39. Cassy Hardbarger 24:16; 45. Jayden Primm 24:42; 47. Charlee Haddox 24:44; 66. Olivia Devereux 27:18

Wirt: 24. Arabella Smarr 23:11; 30. Kinsley Nicolais 23:35; 32. Allison Bumgarner 23:37; 52. Skylie Thompson 25:18; 73. Zoe Yoak 28:13

Williamstown: 26. Raeley Perdue 23:19; 34. Kendall Gant 23:46; 48. Lucianna Collins 24:51; 68. Logan Richardson 27:39; 69. Alia Phelps 27:53

Other notable finishers

Gilmer: 12. Paige Sterns 22:00

Ravenswood: 14. Gwyn Gorrell 22:16

JV BOYS TEAM SCORES: 1. Parkersburg 18; 2. Buffalo 64; 3. Grafton 82; 4. George Washington 85; 5. South 125

Top 10 Individuals

1. Kenson Roman (Ritchie) 18:52; 2. Steven Woofter (Parkersburg) 18:55; 3. Collin Richman (Parkersburg) 19:27; 4. Luke Eagle (Parkersburg) 19:29; 5. Owen Johnston (Parkersburg) 19:30; 6. Jake Davis (Grafton) 19:40; 7. Brennan Grady (Buffalo) 19;46; 8. Brayden Freshour (Grafton) 20:02; 9. Jett Jones (Parkersburg) 20:04; 10. Maksim Ernest (Parkersburg) 20:11

JV GIRLS TEAM SCORES: 1. Parkersburg 25; 2. South 44; 3. Buckhannon-Upshur 54

Top 10 Individuals

1. Fallon Lindamood (Parkersburg) 23:57; 2. Grace Dotson (South) 25:01; 3. Emma Tessum (Parkersburg) 25:06; 4. Anya Morehead (Buckhannon-Upshur) 25:16; 5. Aaliyah Bland (Parkersburg) 25:41; 6. Isabella Ferrell (South) 26:08; 7. Addison Thorpe (Parkersburg) 26:11; 8. Alaina Tenney (Buckhannon-Upshur) 26:16; 9. Campbell Fields (Parkersburg) 26:30; 10. Adah Poddey (Buckhannon-Upshur) 26:32

Middle School

BOYS TEAM SCORES (Top 5): 1. East Fairmont 45; 2. John Adams 101; 3. Buckhannon-Upshur 105; 4. Ritchie County 120; 5. Blennerhassett 154

Top 10 Individuals

1. Luke Seago (Williamstown) 9:33; 2. Chase DeVault (East Fairmont) 9:46; 3. Brody Steele (Hurricane) 10:06; 4. Cam O'Connor (John Adams) 10:12; 5. Andrew Ford (East Fairmont) 10:16; 6. Beau Hilvers (Ritchie) 10:17; 7. Felix Stump (Buckhannon-Upshur) 10:20; 8. Shepherd Wise (East Fairmont) 10:21; 9. Maksim Reesman (East Fairmont) 10:21; 10. Nathan Gomez (Moundsville) 10:21

GIRLS TEAM SCORES (Top 5): 1. East Fairmont 30; 2. John Adams 77; 3. Taylor County 106; 4. Ritchie County 135; 5. Jackson 147

Top 10 Individuals

1. Collins Rader (Jackson) 11:14; 2. Cameron Johnstone (John Adams) 11:19; 3. Leah Lambert (Williamstown) 11:32; 4. Quinn Barnes (East Fairmont) 11:36; 5. Hadley Kellar (East Fairmont) 11:42; 6. Hope Harris (East Fairmont) 11:42; 7. Emma-Lynn Jones (Elkview) 11:44; 8. Hallie Hooton (East Fairmont) 11:44; 9. Taylor Eakle (East Fairmont) 11:48; 10. Piper Bobo (East Fairmont) 11:49

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