Led by individual champion Kebryl Chandler, the Parry McCluer High School boys cross country team won its third consecutive Region 1C title on Tuesday afternoon at Blacksburg High School.
With five runners in the top nine, the PM boys scored 27 points to defeat runner-up Eastern Montgomery, which won the Pioneer District meet last Wednesday at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, when the Blues were resting their top five runners and placed second. Auburn placed third of five teams with 69 points, George Wythe (103) finished fourth, and Galax (125) came in fifth.
Chandler, a junior, repeated as the boys’ individual champion, completing the hilly 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 48 seconds. Eastern Montgomery’s Calvin Wilbon placed a distant second of 45 harriers in 16:30, and EM’s Grayson Welcher finished third in 16:31.
Sophomore Caleb Cooper was PM’s second runner, placing fourth in 16:33, and senior teammate Logan Wheelock followed in fifth in 16:35. Other Blues in the top nine were senior Josh Cooper (eighth, 17:05) and sophomore Hinckley Lovelace (ninth, 17:17). PM’s final two runners were sophomore Sebastian George (17th, 18:51) and junior Sam Carpenter (23rd, 19:47.6).
PM has no girls running this fall.
From the regional meet, the top three teams and the top five individuals outside of those teams advanced to the Class 1 state meet, which will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8 at Green Hill Park in Salem, with the boys’ race at 1:45 p.m. The PM boys will be attempting to win their third consecutive state title, and Chandler will aim for an individual state title after placing second the last two years.
The story on the regional meet will be in our Nov. 5 newspaper, and the story and photos from the Pioneer District meet will be in our Oct. 29 newspaper.
