Boys' cross country preview

After two state runner-up finishes in the last three years, the Clarke County High School boys’ cross country team might just have it what it takes to win its first state title in 15 years.

Last year’s Eagles scored 80 points and finished second in the state to Lebanon (69), with third-place Poquoson scoring 110 points.

Clarke County — the two-time defending Region 2B champions — brings back four of its five scoring runners from that meet and five of its seven participants overall. In contrast, Lebanon lost its top four runners and five of its top runners from that meet to graduation. Eagles 10th-year coach Jeff Webster said his team won’t take anything for granted, however. For example, Poquoson lost its No. 2 runner to graduation but potentially returns every other member of its top seven.

The Eagles suffered a big loss with the graduation of Cal Beckett, a three-time All-State runner who led the team for the third straight year in state competition by placing fifth in Class 2 last year.

Beckett did not make his season debut until the Region 2B meet last year, so Clarke County is used to competing without him. Clarke County’s returning state meet runners are senior Aidan Kreeb (ninth in a 3.1-mile time of 16 minutes, 45.3 seconds last year to earn All-State honors), sophomore Landon Horton (21st), senior Jackson Ellis (27th), sophomore Matthew Lisk (41st) and senior James Casey (57th). Webster likes his team’s depth, noting that all top eight runners can run a mile under five minutes, which is the most the team has had in a given year since he’s been coach.

The Class 4 Northwestern District schools lost several exceptional runners to graduation, including four who earned All-State honors at some point in their careers.

James Wood no longer has 2023 Winchester Star Cross Country Runner of the Year Ethan Pratt-Perez, who is at NCAA Division I Bucknell. Pratt-Perez placed second in Class 4 and won the Region 4D title to lead James Wood to fourth place as a team at that meet. That was one spot away from a team state berth in ultra-competitive Region 4D. The top three teams in Region 4D took the top three spots at the Class 4 state meet last year.

The Colonels bring back their other four scoring runners from the Region 4D meet, a group headlined by Eli Clark. The senior earned All-State honors as a sophomore (11th) and qualified for last year’s state meet after taking 11th in Region 4D. He had a season-best time of 16:40.5 at the Judges Classic last year.

Sherando (fifth in Region 4D) lost an All-State runner in Dylan McGraw (fifth in Class 4; now at NCAA Division III Old Dominion Athletic Conference power Lynchburg) as well as Brock Smith. The Warriors do bring their other five runners from the Region 4D meet. Senior Ryan Maki is coming off a 2023 season in which he placed 25th in Region 4D and had a season personal record of 16:54.8 at the Third Battle Invitational.

Handley took sixth in Region 4D after losing its two biggest stars, both 2022 All-State runners, before the postseason started due to injuries. Will Pardue — the 2022 Star Cross Country Runner of the Year — sat out the last three meets of the year and is now at NCAA Division I New Mexico. Garrett Stickley — the 2023 Star Boys’ Track & Field Athlete of the Year — missed almost the entire season and is now at NCAA Division I Florida State.

The Judges do return a state-qualifying runner in junior Will Thomas and all their other scoring runners from last year’s Region 4D meet. Thomas placed 17th in Region 4D last year and had a season personal record of 16:09 at the MileStat.com Invitational. Thomas won the 3,200-meter title at the Region 4D track & field meet.

Millbrook (eighth in Region 4D) lost three of its top four finishers from the Region 4D meet. The Pioneers bring back junior Peter Warner, who paced Millbrook at the Region 4D meet by taking 35th in 18:26.9.

Charlottesville is the defending champion in Region 4D, though Blacksburg went on to win its second straight Class 4 title while the Black Knights took second. Jefferson Forest placed third in Region 4D and Class 4 last year. Each team had at least four underclassmen run at last year’s Region 4D meet.

The following is a glance at each area team:

Clarke County

Coach: Jeff Webster, 10th year.

Last year: Second in Class 2 state; Region 2B and Bull Run District champions.

Key losses: Cal Beckett, Matthew Stroot.

Key returnees: James Casey, Sr.; Jackson Ellis, Sr.; Aidan Kreeb, Sr.; Landon Horton, So.; Matthew Lisk, So.

Key newcomers: Brody Ellis, So.; Adam Hillerson, So.; Carter Starley, So.

Webster’s outlook: “The boys have set a high bar for themselves, but we are all aware that past performance is no guarantee of future results. With veteran leadership and returning eight of 10 varsity boys — reinforced by key additions — we are optimistic for this season. James, Jackson, Landon and Aidan are leading the talented team of returning varsity runners.”

First meet: Saturday at Central Invitational in Woodstock

James Wood

Coach: Matthew Lofton, fifth year.

Last year: Fourth in Region 4D.

Key losses: Ethan Pratt-Perez, Will Simko, Tyler DeWarf.

Key returnees: Eli Clark, Sr.; Zach Harrington, So.; Thomas Newman, Jr.; Carrick Amerine, Jr.; Cole McDonald, Sr.

Key newcomers: Nathan Reynolds, Fr.; Abe Miller Fr.

Lofton’s outlook: “Our goal for this year is the same as last year — to be the top team in the area. We lost three scoring seniors from last year so we have some ground to make up. We accomplished the goal last year and I hope to be able to repeat it. I think the district is going to be really close on the boys’ side. We all lost scoring seniors so we’ll be looking towards the younger runners to help fill the gaps. We have a great group of hard-working newcomers that will be the future of the team and some of them could make a big impact this year.”

First meet: Saturday at Central Invitational in Woodstock

Sherando

Coach: Megan Roberts, seventh year.

Last year: Fifth in Region 4D.

Key losses: Dylan McGraw, Brock Smith.

Key returnees: Ryan Maki, Sr.; Jed Bell Sr.; Sebastian Berrios Sr.; Andrew Ahrens, Jr.; Ethan Hicks, Jr.; Gus Barbe, Jr., Ward Heffern, So.

Key newcomers: Hatcher Smith Jr.; Chester Konisiewicz, Jr.

Roberts’ outlook: “They put in a lot of work over the summer and it is showing already. Based on our time trial, most are in better shape than last year and motivated to continue dropping time when we get to meets. Ryan Maki and Jed Bell are looking really strong and I expect to see big PRs in their races. We have some juniors and sophomores that are working hard and progressing together. It’s hard losing Dylan McGraw and Brock Smith, but we’ll still have Maki and Bell out front and we’re working with more depth to fill those other spots, so I think we’ll have a tighter spread this year.

“We have a very competitive region with some really solid teams that it will be hard to catch, but I think we can improve our team score with a stronger 3-5 this year and that creates the potential for moving up in the team scores. The entire varsity squad showed significant improvement from their time trial last year.”

First meet: Saturday at Central Invitational in Woodstock

Handley

Coach: Mark Stickley, 22nd year.

Last year: Sixth in Region 4D.

Key losses: Will Pardue, Garrett Stickley.

Key returnees: Will Thomas, Jr.; Noah Meleason, So.; Finn Slaughter, Jr.; Halston Wright, So.; Matt Doran, Sr.; Avery Miller, So.

Key newcomers: Samuel Plitt, Fr; Hudson Slaughter, Fr.; Everett Otto, So. (transfer from Homestead High School in Mequon, Wisconsin); Ethan Truban, Fr.

Stickley’s outlook: “Last year it seemed as if the boys’ team just fell apart. We stumbled out of the blocks and staggered to the finish coming nowhere close to our preseason expectations. We had way too many injuries and not enough depth to overcome it. So it was a disappointing end to Garrett and Will’s high school cross country careers and to the team as a whole. So certainly, we hope to finish the year stronger than last year. Putting together a solid top seven that is able to battle for a state berth is the goal right now. We limped into regionals last year and going in healthy is step one. Making it out to state would be the ultimate goal.

“The boys are really working well together. While Will Thomas is clearly No. 1, the other spots are completely up for grabs. They know that and they know they can’t rely on anyone else to carry the load. I like their work ethic. They are working well together and Samuel, despite being a freshman, isn’t backing down and helps keep them honest. Everett is going to make the pack tighter and so is Hudson, even though he is splitting time with golf. I like where we are, I like what they are doing and I like that they are taking accountability for the success of the team.”

First meet: Saturday at Patriot Season Opener in Nokesville

Millbrook

Coach: Jamie McCarty, fifth year.

Last year: Eighth in Region 4D.

Key losses: Teague Mendez, Caden Trieber, Steve Luna.

Key returnees: Peter Warner, Jr.; Bennett Weiss, Jr.; Jackson Carr, Jr.; Graham Davidson, Sr.

Key newcomers: John Robbin, So.; Samuel Lopez, Fr.; Samuel Lapp, Fr.

McCarty’s outlook: “We have a good blend of youth and experience. I expect we are going to be much better at the end of the season, but it will be difficult to advance to the state meet. I feel like we can be better than last year if we can stay healthy and our newcomers can continue to improve. We are hoping we can move up a couple of spots from last year [in Region 4D]. A top-five finish at the Region 4D meet would be great progress and help with building the program going forward.”

First meet: Seven-school home meet at Third Battle of Winchester course on Sept. 4

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