PM Harriers Aim To Win Third Straight State Title
Led by individual champion Kebryl Chandler, the Parry McCluer High School boys cross country team won its third consecutive Region 1C title on Tuesday of last wek 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 the previous 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 at the regional meet with 69 points, George Wythe (103) finished fourth, and Galax (125) came in fifth.
For their top five runners, the Blues had an average time of 16 minutes, 39 seconds.
Chandler, a junior, won the 5-kilometer race in 15 minutes, 48 seconds, the thirdfastest time ever on the course. “It’s a very hilly course and has been regularly used for the last ten years,” said PM head coach Chris Poluikis. “It’s impressive.”
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.
The next PM runner to cross the line was sophomore Caleb Cooper, 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. Reviewing the meet, Poluikis said, “The boys’ times were very fast compared to last year and times I’ve had previous teams run on it. I was very happy with their times.”
Finishing the race for the Blues was Sebastian George in 17th (18:51) and Sam Carpenter (19:47.60).
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 on the flat course 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 their fifth in the last seven years, and Chandler will aim for an individual state title after placing second the past two years.
Last year, the Blues ran away with the state title, scoring 29 points to defeat runner-up Eastern Montgomery (61) by 32 points.
