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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
Hurricane's Alex Dent keys Redskin triumph
Hurricane High senior Alex Dent finished first with a time of 19:16 in the Class AAA girls during the State High School Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 31, 2009, at Cabell Midland High School.
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ONA -- Hurricane's Alex Dent achieved a personal goal Saturday under trying conditions.
The senior negotiated her way around a 5K circuit made quite sloppy by heavy early morning rain and won the Class AAA girls title in the West Virginia High School Cross Country Championships at Cabell Midland High School.
The dream of a team championship, though, didn't materialize for Dent and the Redskins who had been ranked No. 1 in the Run WV Power Rankings all season.
Jefferson, which moved up to No. 2 in the poll after last week's regionals, got strong efforts from runners up front and captured its first team championship with 73 points. University, which knocked off Hurricane last year, placed second with 80 and Hurricane settled for third with 98.
"This is all I wanted to do to end my career," said Dent, who posted time of 19:16. "I kept thinking I could've done better (over the years). This was the last chance. I wanted the team to win so bad, too. But I heard the people coming in and thought I don't think we did. Oh well, we have next year."
Jefferson had three runners finish in the top 10 to secure the Cougars their first spot on the podium at an awards ceremony.
In Class AA-A, St. Marys got the nod in a tight four-way battle. The top-ranked Blue Devils had 81 points to 87 for No. 2 Grafton, 88 for No. 3 Berkeley Springs and 89 for No. 4 Shady Spring. St. Marys freshman Maggie Drazba helped the cause by winning the race (20:09) to finish the season undefeated.
In team points, Andrea Nickerson placed fourth to lead Jefferson. Alyssa Boucher took sixth and Lindsey Hash seventh.
"We've banded together," Boucher said. "We came down determined to have a great day."
Thanks to the sloppy conditions, runners had problems handling the hill on the course. There were some spills with Boucher one of the runners going down. Hash was close by and helped her up.
"When you run you prepare for anything that can go wrong," Boucher said. "Lindsey was there for me."
Hash said the win is one of the highlights of her life.
"We had good cross country fans here," she said. "The sport is oblivious to some people. To us, to know we're the best at something that means so much is special."
Dent, who went to the front early and stayed there, said the elements didn't change her plans for her final race.
"I said don't go to the lead early," she said. "When the girls were not going at a good pace, I said let's go and kept going."
Dent's effort denied Letitia Propst of Elkins a third straight individual title. Fairmont Senior's Chelsea Clark and Propst had the same time (19:42), but Clark got second.
"I kept looking back," Dent said. "I thought I'd hear the name Letitia, Letitia. I said I've gotta go and picked up the speed coming down the track (to the finish line). We didn't underestimate them (Jefferson). They're a good team."
Scott Biola, who coaches both Jefferson teams, said the girls came up with a big effort when needed.
"In bad weather upsets tend to happen," he said. "We had a plan, but it didn't happen. I wanted more pack running. The girls trusted their instincts and that worked better. Hash was the game breaker. This was a very good field."
Cabell Midland's Jorden Thornton led her team with a fourth-place finish. She was the lone freshman to place in the top 10 (19:46).
"Unbelievable," she said. "I ran the race I wanted. You forget about the conditions and go."
