Cross country notebook: Present, future looking good for Wood

LEESBURG — James Wood came up agonizingly short of qualifying both of its cross country teams for the Class 4 state cross country meet on Wednesday, but the Colonels will still be well-represented at Great Meadow Park in The Plains on Nov. 10.

Both the Colonel boys and girls took fourth place on Wednesday at the Oatlands Plantation. Only the top three teams advance, and both teams finished four points behind the third-place finisher.

But James Wood will send three individuals to the state meet, which is the most qualifiers they’ve had in at least a decade.

“The numbers came up a little short [in the team competitions], but I’m real happy with how everyone ran,” Colonels coach Mike Onda said Wednesday.

Junior Kenzie Konyar (fourth in 19:51) is heading to Great Meadow for the third time. She will be joined by freshman Elena Farinholt (15th in 20:58) on the girls’ side and senior Ethan Pierce (12th in 17:18) on the boys’ side, two first-time qualifiers.

Konyar has been an all-state performer each of the last two years. Based on how she ran on Wednesday, she stands a pretty good chance of continuing that run of success.

“This was a really hard course,” Konyar said. “But my time was good and I placed where I wanted to, so I feel really good about my race.”

Pierce said James Wood’s hills training paid off for him at Wednesday’s meet. Pierce passed four runners in the final mile at the Class 4 Northwestern District meet at the Third Battle of Winchester Course to place sixth, and he made another late charge at Oatlands.

“I just tried to surge on the hills and put a gap on people,” Pierce said. “I passed four or so people after the two-mile mark.”

While James Wood just missed out on making it to the state meet in team competition, the Colonels only lose two boys and one girl from their top seven, so both teams should have a good chance in 2019.

“We’ve got folks ready to step up for those seniors on the boys’ side, young freshmen and sophomores who are ready to move up,” Onda said. “And we’ve got a lot of girls who are not only here but they’re coming from middle school, so they’ll be able to fill in. Long-term, we’re looking pretty good.”