State Championship, Foot Locker

The State Championship is Saturday in Kernersville.  The Boys run at 10:30 and the Girls at 11:30am.  It should be cool and dry.

Coach Mac needs to know by this Friday who would like to run at Foot Locker on Saturday, November 24.  This involves an overnight stay.  This is a big meet with teams and runners from all over the South (from Virginia to Kentucky to Texas to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands).  Anyone can run.  There is no minimum qualifying time.  There will also be an Open Race for anyone 18 and up and a Masters Race for anyone 40 and up.  Foot Locker meet page.  NC Runners meet page.

Banquet November 13. 

Reviewing Regional -- the good and bad

Let's hope that Darby is running again soon.  But the day was far from a total disappointment. 

Actually, the Boys had a good day without everyone being at full speed.  Josh had a strong 3rd place and PR.  Matt and Carson PRed, while Michael equaled his PR.  Drew was just a few seconds off his best time.  Peter and Bryan cruised, and the team qualified.

An hour later, Doria ran an amazing 18:59 PR.  Lynde and Riley PRed.  Madison had a season best time.  For 2 miles, the Girls team was on track to qualify in a close contest, and Myers Park would be going home.  But we did not quite own the Championship, and Brooke Gordon and Myers Park were ready and deserve what they won.  Doria and Madison will represent the Watauga girls next Saturday.

GoBlueRidge -- "Middlebrook Suffers Leg Injury at Regionals": "was forced to drop out of the race after she paced the field through the first two miles of the race. The end result, T.C. Roberson senior Brooke Gordon won the individual title."  "Josh Anderson paced the Pioneers by finishing third in 15:50. Michael Holland was 13th in 16:43. Peter Vandenburg, an all-state runner last season (he finished eighth at the state meet) who has been battling a foot injury since last spring, was 20th (16:59); Brian Brackney was 21st (17:00)."
Charlotte Observer  -- "Providence Dominates 4A West Cross Country Regionals":  "both Panthers teams put it all together Saturday, taking three of the four championships at the NCHSAA 4A West Regional."

Read more here: http://obsprepspot.blogspot.com/2012/10/providence-dominates-4a-west-cross.html#storylink=cpy

NC Runners' photos:
Josh in the lead group with Maxey and Sheehan, Peter leading an early chase group, Josh gets 3rd, Michael fights for 13th, Matt and Drew, Carson finishing. (Brackney never in focus.)
Darby near the start,  Darby in the lead, Doria having a good day, Madison, Celia, Doria finishes, Madison,  Lynde, Riley and Kathleen.
Brooke Gordon's turn.

2 More Seniors

2 more seniors who have run their last Watauga Cross Country races (except possibly, post-post-season races):

Riley Dobbins  14 XC races in 2 years
Darby Middlebrook  Probably 40 XC races (and the 10 fastest Watauga 5K XC times)

Darby hurt, Boys qualify, Girls do not, Madison and Doria qualify

Boys -- Maxey (Providence) wins, in about 15:42, ahead of Sheehan (Lake Norman).  Providence wins easily.  Watauga gets 3rd and qualifies.

Girls -- Darby may be injured, and the team did not qualify.  But Madison and Doria did qualify as individual runners.  Brooke Gordon (TC Roberson) wins with 18:09, but Providence wins team championships.

Feed from NC Runners here.  Meet page.

Boys Results : Josh 15:50, just barely behind  the 2 leaders (15:43 and 15:44).  Michael 13th 16:43.  Peter and Bryan together 20th and 21st, 16:59 and 17:00.  Matt and Drew 30th and 31st, 17:14 and 17:15.  Carson not far behind, 38th, 17:23.
Girls Results :  Good for Doria!  She and Madison were 12th and 13th, 18:59 and 19:05.  Lynde 24th, 19:50.  Celia 36th, 20:37.  Riley and Kathleen 39th and 40th, 20:47 and 20:48.  Darby did not finish.
Team Scores :
Boys

3. Watauga 87 (3 13 20 21 30 31 38) 

behind Providence 55 and TC Roberson 74.

Girls

6. Watauga 124 (12 13 24 36 39 40) 

Myers Parks gets the 4th place spot.

Results starting at 10:46am or so

First results will probably be here, if anyone is reporting.  Boys 10:30, Girls 11:30.  Meet page for full results in the afternoon.

NC Runners' 4A preview:
Girls --

• "a "murderer's row" of teams to have to beat for a spot in the state meet."
• "Darby Middlebrook (Watauga) and Brooke Gordon (TC Roberson) . . . Sydney Foreman (Ardrey Kell)"  
• "If you see Mary Prouty and Sonia Payerpaj in the chase pack, that could mean Myers Park is on track to upset of one of the top 4 teams."

Boys -- 

• "If everything is going to come together for Watauga in this postseason, it has to start Saturday."    
• "Josh Anderson (Watauga) will either have to make the leap to stay with them (Maxey and Sheehan), or find himself in open territory between the leaders and the first true pack."  
• "You can judge Watauga's fortunes by the location of Peter Vandenberg; if his recovery from nagging injuries earlier in the season leads him anywhere close to the 16-minute mark, the Pioneers will be hard to beat in this race." 

Back home to McAlpine

Go Watauga!  It's the big one!  A lot of good teams trying to qualify for the State Championships.

GoBlueRidge -- "WHS XC at Regionals Saturday" :  Back to our "home away from home, McAlpine Park in Charlotte, for the Class 4A Western Regional Saturday."

Peter finished 2nd last year with 15:50, behind only the eventual state champion, Mark Blackmon.  This year Peter may not be at full speed (the NC Runners interview curse?), although his teammates will be.  Josh finished 5th with 16:00.  The Watauga Boys were 3rd, not far behind TC Roberson and Ardrey Kell.  From last years' post: "Anderson, Brackney, Pitts, Hickernell, and Seagle all PRed, while the Vandenbergs just missed."

Darby is running to win her 3rd West Regional Championship in a row.  She won last year with a time of 17:35.  Madison was 6th, in 18:46.  Both PRed on a slightly muddy course.  Hannah Barbour was 8th.  The Girls team finished 2nd, behind only Ardrey Kell.  From Honea last year: "temporary possession of the RAT."

A few photos from 2010 Regional:  Peter.  Josh.  Darby and Brooke.  Darby.  Madison.

NC Runners should be previewing 4A Regionals any minute now (2:30pm).

In the West, the weather will be fine.  And if it deteriorates early, advantage Watauga.  Weather Service.  Weather Channel.

Seniors

Let's take a moment to look at Seniors who are not running this weekend in the Regional.  Thanks for all the hard work!

Juliana Bond -- has run 26 XC races over 4 years!!
Emily Cheshire -- 9 races
Kaitlyn Herman -- 20 races
Lauren Lehr -- 23 races
Ann Littlejohn -- 20 races
Jordan Stokes -- 23 races

Noah Allain -- 23 XC races in 4 years
Cam Greene --  25 races
Ryan Hellenbrand --14 races
Dustin Hinkernell -- 20 races
Luke Johnson -- 24 races
Dylan Lewis -- 29 races!!  plus he might run Foot Locker again
Adam Patton -- 16 races
Avery Pitts -- 20 races
Justin Reagan -- 25 races
Graham Sloboda -- 11 races
Sam Weeks -- 5 races
Caleb Wysor -- 9 races
Nick Younger -- 21 races

(Some of these Seniors will run for Watauga in Track through the Winter and Spring, but this site will wrap up in November, until summer.)  Watauga team page.  

and thanks also to all who helped with the Valle Fair sales.

Another run on Saturday -- Parent to Parent 5K and 10K

Coach Mac passed this along, though he'll probably be at McAlpine Park.
The team has been invited to participate in the Parent to Parent Family Support Network 5K and 10K runs at the Greenway this Saturday, October 27.  "This is a charity race that benefits families in the High Country who have children with special needs. You can find out more at  www.parent2parent.appstate.edu." 

$30 for the 10k and the $20 for the 5k.  $5 more on Saturday, but for a good cause.   
The 10 K starts at 8:30am and the 5K starts at 9:00am.  This was not what the team was invited for, but there's also a 1 mile fun run/roll at 9:30am.
Here's a registration page. 
Hand-drawn map of the 10K.

Good luck to all runners, at the Greenway and at the Regional.

Saturday Regional Championship

• The races are at 10:30am and 11:30am on Saturday. 10:30am for boys and 11:30am for girls.  Awards at 12noon.  NCHSAA schedules (from NC PrepTrack).
• NC Runners has rankings, but don't bother.  The races are coming up in a few days.  Same course, same conditions, same time of year.  No guessing.
• We know McAlpine well.  Here's the video run-through of the Beeson course for the state meet.
• Get some rest.

One race down. 2 more to go.

• Coach Honea on the Conference Champions, and Watauga's 15 All Conference selections.
• Except for about 14 to 20 runners, the season ended Thursday.  Keep running.
• The Regional meet is Saturday, October 27, at McAlpine Park.
• 4A West competition: I-MECK, Southwestern (also mentioned at bottom here), MAC, Mega7 (Thanks NC Prep Track)

Conference Champions!

Watauga did win in Lenoir:  Boys results.  Girls results.  Congratulations!  Darby first and Josh 2nd.  Watauga girls won 10 of the top 17 and had 31 competitors.  Boys won 12 of the top 22 and had 34 runners.

GoBlueRidge -- "Pioneers Sweep NW3A/4A Championships" (Thanks, NC PrepTrack)

From another Conference meet: "“It was a good time for us to come together. Right now, we’re just trying to be there for each other and make sure we do the right things in training. But even then, everyone is entitled to a good day or a bad day and you never know what’s going to happen.”

One more practice this afternoon for all runners.

Valle Country Fair -- still chance to work or bring tables or a few other things.

Northwestern Championship, practice Thursday?, rankings and the future

• 32 degrees on the Greenway this morning.  Black dog cooling his belly in the frost.
• Northwestern 3A/4A Championships this afternoon in Lenoir.
• All boys run at 4:30 and all girls at 5:15pm.
• Directions to Lenoir Soccer Complex  (Map):  From Boone, take Highway 321 through Blowing Rock to Lenoir. Take a left at Nuway Circle (stoplight before Bo's), go about 0.5 miles and turn right onto Zack Forks Road, which will take you to the soccer complex (on your right) and the start and finish of the race.
• Don't expect the team home early.
• A reliable source tells me that there is a mandatory practice Thursday for all runners.
• NC Runners has their all class and 4A rankings up and Watauga does well.  The rankings are based on best times for the year, and Watauga has just run on some fast courses.  6 of the top 10 4A Girls teams are in the West, so the West Regional should be fun.
• Runners should be thinking about running in the Foot Locker races in Charlotte November 24.
• Cross Country banquet November 13.  Lots of opportunities and needs.

Volunteer for Valle Country Fair this Saturday

Volunteer for the Valle Country Fair in Valle Crucis this Saturday, October 20. 
"Valle Country Fair has been a successful fundraiser for Watauga Cross Country. Coach Mac roasts hot dogs and the team sells drinks, dogs & chips. Volunteers are needed to bring items to the school on or before Friday the 19th and work at the Fair Saturday October 20th."

Conference Championship Wednesday UPDATE

The Northwestern 3A/4A  Conference Championship meet is coming up Wednesday in Lenoir.  There will be only two races, Boys 4:30pm and Girls 5:15pm..  Only the 5 fastest times count (except the 6th and 7th fastest can block other teams' top 5 scores), but everyone runs together.  The top 3 teams qualify for the West Regional on October 27.  (Last year, all 7 teams qualified for either the 4A or 3A West Regional, so maybe it's more complicated than that, but low risk, in any case.)

2011 results and 2010 Girls and Boys results.  Lots of Watauga near the top.  Coach Mac: "The girls will be looking for their 26th championship in the last 28 years.  The boys will be trying for their 23rd out of 28."

The team will eat together after the meet, before coming home.  

That will be the end of the season for most of us, though we'll be paying attention for the Regional and State meets.  Foot Locker November 24.

United Way splits -- Girls

It was a flat, 3 lap course, without a lot of variation, besides occasional gusts of wind.  A cool day.  So a good chance to look at Coach Honea's splits.  See these graphs. 
Obviously, a lot of runners felt strong for the last km.  Also note the consistency of Jesse and Sidney's first 4 kilometers.
Apologies to all those runners excluded here and also, for the partly arbitrary groupings of runners here.

United Way splits -- Boys

Based on Coach Honea's splits, see these graphs.  Bryan really did finish with a 2:36 for the last kilometer (though it could have been a few or many meters short--who knows?).  Note that the scale is a lot different for boys than girls.  The boys' splits vary much more.  It's also interesting to see several fast runners with 2nd km splits faster than their 1st.
Apologies to all those runners excluded here and also, for the partly arbitrary groupings of runners here. Also, I know little about distance running, so these are not very educated observations.

Video of the state meet course

The State XC Championships will take place at Beeson Park, in Kernersville,  on November 3.  NC Runners has a video run-through.  7 minutes.

Watauga Grade 1 to 8 Cross Country results

GoBlueRidge has results for Watauga Schools Elementary and Middle School Cross Country races -- "County Meet Results".  As often can happen, the distances may be a bit off.

Congratulations to all the runners!

More on United Way,

Coach Honea on United Way meet.  He tries to interpret the Open race's results.

GoBlueRidge -- "Middlebrook, Harman Lead WHS at United Way Invite"

The Conference Championship meet will take place in Lenoir next Wednesday.

Elementary and Middle School races! And ASU meet Friday

It looks like the Middle Schoolers are racing this afternoon at the Greenway. And younger grades too.

On Friday afternoon, starting at 3:30pm, ASU is hosting the Blue Ridge Open.  Watch for a Vandenberg, if he's back to full strength.  There might be a lot of alumni running competitively this weekend, but one was spotted running non-competitively (except maybe against her dad) last weekend.

United Way results -- Lots of PRs

It was great day (and evening) to run.
Boys Championship:  Ben Huffman of Providence Day broke Ryan Hill's course record with a time of 15:11.  Watauga came in 3rd.  Bryan 14th with 16:13 PR, Josh 16:19, Michael 16:30PR, MattO 17:00 PR, Drew 17:01 PR, Luke 18:16.
Girls Championship:  Darby and Madison cruised to 1st and 2nd, and the Girls won their race.  (Kathleen and Lynde would have come in 4th and 5th, with the times they ran in the later race.)  Riley and Celia came in 13th and 15th with PRs, almost breaking 20:00.  Lily PRed by more than a minute and a half.  Shelby and Jordan got PRs also.
Boys Invitational: Carson is back!  He ran a PR17:17 for 4th.  Jacob was not far behind for 10th and his first time under 18:00.  Joe, ZackS, Dylan, ZackC, and Ryan all came in under 18:30.  Watauga was 2nd as a team.
Girls Invitational:  Kathleen and Lynde led the race with 19:37 and 19:39.  The team came in 2nd, as Jesse, Sidney and Carson all beat 22 minutes for the first time.  TaylorM and Brook both beat 23 minutes for their first time.  Watauga was 2nd.
Boys Developmental:  MatthewH, Justin, and CalebZ ran sub-19s, while Devin and Cam just missed 19:00.  The team was 5th.
Girls Developmental: Watauga came in 3rd in this race, led by Rachel.  Rachel, LaurenW, Savanna, Sophia, and Addie beat 24 minutes, while Grace just missed.  Barbara got a PR 25:24.
Mixed Open Race: 

News reports: 
Hickory Daily Record on Huffman -- "“It was just perfect weather and a real fast course. When I turned to come down the stretch people were yelling times at me and at the time it didn’t mean anything until I could see the timer and knew I was so close to a sub-15, I just told myself you’ve gotta go and just took off down the final straightway.”"
"Watauga won the girls’ championship with 59 points, with the Pioneers’ Darby Middlebrook (18:09.66) and Madison Harman (18:33.24) taking the top two spots.
“I was pacing one of my best friends, Madison, so I wasn’t all out racing it but it was fun,” Middlebrook said. “We have a really deep team and have looked good all year.”"
"Wednesday’s meets included 33 schools and more than 1,000 runners."

High School is closed (lack of water). Meet at noon for bus to the meet.

The high school (and Hardin Park School) is closed today, due to the lack of potable water.  The meet will still happen.  Coach Mac says to be at WHS at 12 noon and the bus will leave at 12:30pm.  (And see the schedule of races in post below.)

Only the Town of Boone is affected.  HC Press -- Boil your water, GoBlueRidge -- School closed, Watauga Democrat -- other county schools are not affected and ASU has its own water supply.

If you drank water, you are still not likely to get sick.  Not drinking it straight from the tap is just a reasonable precaution.  It is also probably not necessary to hoard bottled water (although it's a good idea long-term to have a small supply).

United Way Wednesday -- UPDATE 2012 schedule of races

It looks like TC Roberson is coming to the meet Wednesday.  It's on their schedule.  They may be focusing more on their next meet on Saturday however.

Schedule for 2012 United Way meet:

3:00pm     Open Race  All boys and girls together that are not in one of the other races.

3:45pm     Boys Championship Race   (Josh A., Bryan B., Michael H., Drew B., Will V., Matt O., Luke J.)

4:15pm     Girls Championship Race   (Darby M., Madison H., Shelby H., Celia J., Riley D., Jordan S., Lily W.)

4:45pm     Boys Invitational Race        (Zach S., Carson N., Jacob S., Joe W., Zack C. Ryan H., Dylan L.)

5:15pm     Girls Invitational Race         (Kathleen M., Lynde W., Jesse W., Carson M., Sidney W., Brook B., Taylor M.)

5:45pm     Boys Developmental Race  (Devin W., Justin R., Caleb Z., Cam G., Bill B., Zak H., Matthew H.)

6:15pm     Girls Developmental Race   (Rachel F., Sophia P., Savanna R., Addie M., Grace B., Lauren W., Barbara R.)

There are United Way events after the races, including a hot dog supper.  The team should arrive back to the high school at about 9:00pm.

Directions to Southside Park (1775 Southwest Blvd) in Newton:  Take 321 through Hickory to Exit 37 for NC Hwy 10. Go left on Hwy 10 (east).  Turn right onto Southwest Blvd/321 Business. Turn right (south).  Look for Southside Park on right.  Google Map.

Notes -- Wendy's, United Way Wednesday

• Honea has video: "the fifth place finish was the best in a decade. . . exciting sprints from Zach S. and Caleb Z."
• GoBlueRidge -- " Middlebrook, Anderson Pace WHS at Wendy's Invite":  "Luke Johnson turned in an eighth-place finish in the men's Junior/Senior Race (17:41); Zack Styron of the Pioneers finished 24th in the Freshman/Sophomore Race (18:01)."
• Watauga Democrat -- " Middlebrook Takes Second at Wendy's Invitational":  "Kathleen Mansure finished 27th for the Pioneers with a time of 19:25. Lynde Wangler was third for Watauga and 47th overall with a time of 19:57.  Bryan Brackney finished 42nd with a time of 16:42. Michael Holland was 44th with a time of 16:43."
• NC Runners has recap of Saturday's Wendy's races:  "Sydney Foreman and Darby Middlebrook took the early lead from the gun.  By the time they reached the mile mark, they were joined by Laura Miller.  [A]s they approached the 2-mile mark, it was Middlebrook and Miller in the lead.  Miller made a move on the back side of the lake, and she was able to maintain a small lead all the way to the finish, running 17:47. Middlebrook finished in 17:54."  Great photos.
• NC Runners combines all the results from all of Wendy's races.  Darby still comes in 2nd.  Myers Park and AC Reynolds are not too far behind Watauga girls. 
• Jefferson Post -- "ACHS Freshman Wins Half Marathon":  "Ashe County cross country runner Andrew Tedder finished a grueling 13-mile run, and outran every runner on the course."
• We're kind of glad not to see her, but Charlotte's Alana Hadley is the nation's #2 high school runner.  Darby and Sydney Foreman of Ardrey Kell are Honorable Mentions, along with several other NC girls.  Foreman kept up with Darby and Laura Miller for a large part of the race Saturday.
• United Way Invitational Wednesday.  Watauga was distracted by the big Chesterfield race in Virginia last year, but should be at full strength this year.  Asheville School, Providence Day, and Lake Norman will be there.
• Last year, students left WHS at 12:30pm.  The first race was at 3:00 and the last at 6:15pm.
• Directions to Southside Park in Newton:  Take 321 through Hickory until Exit 37 for NC Hwy 10. When you get to end of exit go left (east).  Go until you come to 321 Business (Southwest Blvd). Turn right (south).  Look for Southside Park on right.  Google Map.

Boys 5th and Girls 6th! -- Full results UPDATE

• Honea has Girls splits: "there was a lot to like about the results."  There were lots of PRs despite the heat.  Lynde beat 20 minutes.  The team's 6th place was won without Madison and Jordan.
• Darby's 17:54 was (approximately) the 8th fastest ever on the McAlpine course at this stage of the season.  You have to give a lot of credit to the winner Laura Miller (and anybody that outruns Darby).
• There were lots of PRs for the boys too.  Drew 17:11, Devin 19:52, and ZackS 18:01 all dropped their PRs by more than 40 seconds.
• The Boys' 5th place team finish was up from 11th last year.
• 568 runners in the Freshman/Sophomore Boys race and 481 in the Individual Girls race (though results here are separated into 2 categories).  It was not easy to pass with a steady pace.
• The Charlotte Observer focused on the Girls Open race: "Providence girls win in Open division at Wendy's Invitational."
• Watauga's top 7 will get to race again this year at McAlpine Park in the Regional Championship and (almost?) anyone can run in the big post-season Foot Locker South race November 24th.

Full results

• Boys Invitational:  Team 5th.  Josh 10th 15:54PR.
• Girls Invitational:  Team 6th.  Darby 2nd 17:54, Kathleen 27th 19:25PR.
• Boys Junior/Senior 
• Boys Freshman/Sophomore 
• Girls Junior/Senior 
• Girls Freshman/Sophomore

UPDATE 12:30pm -- First results from McAlpine Park

NC Runners feed:
Darby 2nd, "close behind" behind Laura Miller (17:48) of South Carolina.
The Invitational Boys' winner, Bakri Abushouk of Cary, ran a 15:05.
Invitational Boys: Chapel Hill beats Cary.
Invitational Girls: Carrboro wins big, with TC Roberson and Ardrey Kell 2nd and 3rd..
Non-Watauga races: Providence girls won Open Girls (we'll see them in 2 weeks).  In the Open Boys, a boy from Tennessee in the Open race won in 14:55.

Full results will be posted here, probably not before mid-afternoon.

No SAT results yet either.

More Wendy's preview

NC Runners previews runners and teams to watch.  Lots of Watauga.  (Meet page)

• Of course, they mention the Champ and Josh, but also "watch out for Peter Vandenberg, who has been battling an injury this season."
• Boys -- " If you want a dark-horse candidate, how about Watauga, whose boys have been a little banged up but also working hard; they have the talent to crash the top-5 party here."
• Girls -- " . . . Watauga, . . .  round out the contenders, and any of them could either sneak into the top 3 or finish 9th depending on how they run."  (And on SAT test-taking.)
• It's too bad that Anna McBride and the Providence  girls will be in the Open race instead of the Invitational.  There's still plenty of competition (to understate it).

My alarm's set for 5:00am.

PreConference Meet -- no results, Wendy's information

No results reported so far on the meet in Lenoir Wednesday evening.  Only underclassmen competed and some of them were running at training paces.  The focus is on Wendy's and the races that count soon after.
UPDATE  GoBlueRidge "WHS XC Has 4 Top 10 Runners at Lenoir"  "Zack Cole led the men's team with a fifth-place finish."


Wendy's 

Here's a look at the schools racing in the faster races.  The Watauga Girls will run against West 4A rivals Ardrey Kell, Myers Park, and TC Roberson, plus lots of strong eastern and non-NC schools.  The Providence Girls are not in the Invitational race.  The line-up is the same for the Boys, except Providence boys are in the Invitational.
Last years results:  Girls Invitational, Boys Invitational, Girls Junior/Senior, Boys Junior/Senior, Girls Frosh/Soph, and Boys Frosh/Soph
Map of course.  Here's a video run-through also.

Directions: (GMap)
Coming from the north on I-77...take Brookshire Freeway (I-277) exit east to Independence Blvd. Follow Independence Blvd. east (approx. 6 miles) until Village Lake Drive. Turn right onto Village Lake Drive. Travel on Village Lake Drive for less than a mile until it dead ends into Monroe Road. Turn left onto Monroe Road and McAlpine Creek Park will be less than a mile on your left (just before Railroad overpass).
And this from WendyV (last year): "Usually if you go past the entrance to the park on your left, you will find overflow parking on the left at a shopping center just up the road.  It is much easier to get in and out if you park there.  Most of the time volunteers with vests will tell you where you can park - the businesses that are not open on Saturdays.  After you park, you just follow the others down a bank and go to the right at the bottom.  After you pass the train trestle, you will keep walking and usually see Watauga's tent on the left.  The starting line and finish will be straight ahead."

Wednesday in Lenoir

There's a meet for some Watauga runners in Lenoir Wednesday evening.  All competitors run at 5:00pm.

Freshmen will get experience running the course where the Conference meet takes place in 2 weeks. Maybe a few upperclassmen will run also, if they cannot run at Wendy's.

Directions to Lenoir Soccer Complex  (Map):  From Boone, take Highway 321 through Blowing Rock to Lenoir. Take a left at Nuway Circle (stoplight before Bo's), go about 0.5 miles and turn right onto Zack Forks Road, which will take you to the soccer complex (on your right) and the start and finish of the race.

Wendy's preview and schedule

NC Runners will give Wendy's its full coverage.  Here's their preview.  They've also posted a schedule, and these are the races for Watuaga runners.

Coach Mac says to be on the bus at 5:45am Saturday morning.

10:00 am Women's Invitational Race (top 7)

10:30 am Men's Invitational Race (top 7)

12:00 pm Men's Individual Freshman/Sophomore HS Race

12:30 pm Women's Individual HS Race

1:00 pm Men's Individual Junior/Senior HS Race

Wednesday meet in Lenoir, Wendy's Saturday, and beyond

Wednesday -- Most runners will not be going, but there is a meet in Lenoir Wednesday, the Northwestern 3A/4A PreConference Meet.  Coach Mac says that all participants in that meet will run together at 5:00pm.

Saturday -- Wendy's in Charlotte.  There should be more information on the meet any minute now.  (The first SAT dates of the year are on the same dates as Wendy's and the State Championships.  Juniors had better start planning.  It could happen next year too.)

Wednesday, October 10 -- United Way Invitational, in Newton.  This is a big meet too, with lots of local teams.  It's not Wendy's, but several very good teams and some of the best individual runners in the state showed up last year, along with the NC Runners' coverage.

Saturday, October 13 --  There is a "to be determined" meet on the schedule.  Could happen.

Then on to Conference, Regional, and State.  Most runners are done after the Conference meet October 17.

One more look at the High Country XC Classic

A reminder that the team is scheduled to go out to the Watauga River area to run this afternoon.  They should finish later than usual.

Varsity Boys: Josh, Peter, Michael, and Bryan finished in the top 10.  Michael and Drew had the fastest parents, although Peter's father did not compete.
Varsity Girls: Darby, Kathleen, and Lynde finished in the top 10.  Riley was 11th and Celia (and Shelby and Doria) ran well ahead of Dunwoody's 5th runner to hold the lead in the team scoring.