The Mathews High School varsity boys’ and girls’ cross country teams placed second and third, respectively at the Virginia High School League Class 1 State Cross Country Meet Saturday, which was held at Green Hill Park in Salem.
The MHS boys ended the day with 79 points, 18 points behind the state champions from Parry McCluer (61 points). Altavista Combined School came in third with 119 points.
The MHS girls finished with a team score of 111, placing third behind Galileo High School (67 points) and George Wythe (85 points). Two local teams, West Point and Rappahannock, finished in sixth and seventh places, respectively in the girls’ meet.
MHS boys
Seth James crossed the finish line first for Mathews and ninth overall with a time of 17:06. Next for Mathews was Gavin Dustin with a time of 17:23, followed by Blake Hunley (17:40), Adam Dustin (18:06), Andrew Greve (18:13), Chance Higginbotham (18:39) and Salvador Cardenas (20:46).
MHS girls
Lauren Johnson finished sixth overall with a time of 20:31. Next for Mathews was Adelle Hudgins with a time of 21:11, followed by Lorena Carballo (22:21), Zoe Camp (24:37), Morgan Stearns (25:05), Lyla Duff (25:58) and Jordan Sadeg (26:27).
Statement of coach
“These runners work extremely hard,” said MHS head coach Drew Greve. “They each run well over a thousand miles each year during the preseason and in practice to achieve success in the championship meets.
“We owe an enormous amount of gratitude to our Athletic Director Mrs. O’Neil, our athletic booster club, and the entire community,” he said. “The amount of support we received from the entire community of Mathews was amazing and really made this a special experience for our team.”
