4A North Region Cross Country

Posted: November 7, 2014
By ROBERT STOCKS
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — It’s certainly not a bad thing that Millbrook High School’s boys’ cross country team might be a year ahead of schedule.

With two seniors graduating — and two other rising seniors electing not to compete — from last year’s team that finished as the 4A state runner-up and swept both the Conference 21 and 4A North Region titles, it surely wasn’t a given that the Pioneers could duplicate last season’s success.

But after placing five runners in the top 50, including junior Tyler Cox-Philyaw and sophomore Alec Schrank leading the way in second and third place, respectively, the Pioneers totaled 119 points to edge runner-up Fauquier (122) by three and area rival and host Handley by 13 to repeat as regional champs on a gusty day at the 16-team regional meet at Kernstown Battlefield on Thursday.

Sherando (151), Jefferson Forest (160) and Woodgrove (175) completed the top six, who all advance to next Saturday’s 4A state meet at Great Meadow in The Plains.

“The team you’re seeing today is really the team I was expecting to be the varsity team in a year,” said Millbrook coach Kevin Shirk. “They were kind of thrust in a varsity position a year early. Those sophomores — Kevin [Kleinegger], Tod [Hart], Justin [Wiseman] and Tom Carty, who is a junior — they all just stepped up huge this year.”

Cox-Philyaw held his position in second throughout much of the race, finishing 23 seconds behind E.C. Glass senior and overall winner Peter Seufer (15:47).

Cox-Philyaw (16:10) finished five seconds ahead of Schrank and those two helped Millbrook edge Fauquier, whose scoring five finished within a 49-second spread.

“It was a tough day to do it and I was definitely feeling winded about halfway through,” said Cox-Philyaw, who pumped his right fist as he crossed the finish line in second. “The goal was just to stick through it and we had certain people we had to be in front of for us to hopefully win. We had one guy who had an off day but it wasn’t too bad and the rest [of the team] helped with that.”

While Cox-Philyaw and Schrank have led the way all season, Garrett Bloodworth — the lone senior in the top seven — filled the No. 3 spot for the team, finishing 36th with a time of 17:48. The rest of Millbrook’s scoring five included Carty (17:50) and Wiseman (17:52). Bloodworth, Carty and Wiseman finished within a four-second span.

Schrank, who won the Conference 21 title at Kernstown last Wednesday, said his teammates did a nice job of finishing where they needed to be to clinch the team title.

“Our guys knew who they had to beat,” Schrank said. “They knew names, places and times and everybody knew who they had to beat to get this win. Overall, we pulled it out like last week but it was a lot closer.”

Shirk said the team has really performed well this season despite the unexpected roster turnover.

“If you asked me at the beginning of the season if I thought the team would make it to states I would have been pretty doubtful or if we’d win regions I’d have said no,” Shirk said. “But now if you ask any of those seven boys they’re going to say they want to be back on the podium at states — so that’s going to be our goal.”

Handley’s boys also entered the race with the ultimate goal of winning the regional title on their home course, but the Judges finished 13 points behind area rival Millbrook and 10 behind runner-up Fauquier.

Handley junior Aaron Arslan, who wasn’t 100 percent because of a cold, led the Judges in 13th place (16:57). The rest of Handley’s scoring five included senior Cole Talton (25th, 17:17); freshman John Delaney (30th, 17:20), senior Garrett Patnode (34th, 17:30) and sophomore Casey Marchant (59th, 18:07).

Handley boys’ coach Mark Stickley said it was a disappointing performance on their home course.

“This is a race we should’ve won,” Stickley said. “We could’ve won it and should’ve won it. That’s frustrating.

“Aaron came out sick today, but he had his heart and soul in the race. He wasn’t 100 percent today because he should’ve been up near Alec [Schrank] and Tyler [Cox-Philyaw]. Aaron fought through it but we faltered a bit in the back. You can’t give up that many points and it was just too many points on the back end.”

Although Millbrook and Handley were the only team state qualifiers a season ago, Sherando’s fourth-place finish sends the team back to Great Meadow for the first time since 2008.

Sherando junior Trevor Whiteside paced the Warriors, finishing 23rd (17:13) and junior teammate Thomas Shea (28th, 17:18) followed as Sherando’s No. 2 runner. The rest of the Warriors’ scoring five included senior Jahlil Northover (32nd, 17:25), junior Thomas Powars (45th, 17:49) and junior James Kelly (57th, 18:07).

Whiteside said the team’s main focus for the season was to qualify for the 4A state meet.

“We all pushed throughout the season and we’re so glad we made it to states as a team,” said Whiteside, who dedicated his race to his grandfather Robert Rickard — who passed away on Oct. 31. “We’ve been trying to work as a team these past few weeks and it’s finally paying off. That was our main goal to get to states and now since we’ve done it — doing well [at Great Meadow] is the next step.”

Other local runners who will be taking the next step include James Wood senior Andrew Shade and Colonels sophomore Sophia Dorsey.

Shade, who placed seventh in 16:52, finished as Colonels’ lone state qualifier from the boys’ team, and Dorsey, who led the way among area girls by placing 11th in 20:22, earned her second consecutive berth in the state meet.

Although Dorsey was pleased with her performance, she was disappointed to be the lone state qualifier on her team.

“Maria [Harter] and I really wanted to make it to states and I was really upset when I realized she hadn’t,” Dorsey said. “I’m still really happy that Andrew [Shade] and I made it and I think it will just be a fun experience. I’m not trying to have big expectations for states other than getting out there and trying to have fun.”

Sherando freshman Paige Conner (15th, 20:25) earned the lone state-qualifying spot for the Warrior girls, who placed eighth with 222 points.

Millbrook’s girls’ team sends a pair of state qualifiers in freshman Mellany Groll (16th, 20:28) and junior Hannah Croyle (18th, 20:30).

“I’m thrilled for those two,” Shirk said. “They both ran awesome.”

E.C. Glass sophomore Libby Davidson overcame an 18-second deficit at the mile-and-3/4-quarter mark to run down Conference 21 champ Weini Kelati, of Heritage. Davidson shattered Kelati’s course record time of 17:55 set at last Wednesday’s Conference 21 meet by 12 seconds, crossing the finish line in 17:43.

Jefferson Forest won the girls’ team title, placing four runners in the top eight, with 37 points. E.C. Glass (79), Heritage (105), Loudoun County (107), Fluvanna County (181) and Woodgrove (211), who edged out host Handley for the sixth and final state-qualifying spot on a tiebreaker, followed. On a tiebreaker, it is determined by the team’s No. 6 runners and Woodgrove’s No. 6 runner Jenna Goode finished 69th and 26 seconds ahead of Handley’s No. 6 runner Abby Swartz, who placed 76th (and Goode was actually ahead of Handley’s No. 5 runner as well).

“It’s really disappointing and this was our focus all season and we knew it was going to be really tough to be in the top six,” said Handley girls’ coach Emily Budnyk-Putt. “We asked them before the race to give everything they had and they did. We can’t be too upset even though it stings right now.”

— Contact Robert Stocks at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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