Merritt, Lindsay win Small School division races
Boonsboro boys, Smithsburg girls top team standings
By Kevin Spradlin
PeeDeePost.com
* Photo gallery – more than 1,200 images
* Results: * Large School – Boys – Girls * Small School – Boys – Girls
* JV results: * Boys * Girls
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CLEAR SPRING, Md. — For Maryland schools, the Interstate Classic served as team members’ first chance to size up their opponents on the cross country course.
Runners and coaches alike were left with a variety of impressions on the outcome of the 3-mile races, staged at Clear Spring High School under the direction of Blazers coach Jaime Mason-Lego. Some understood there was plenty of room for improvement. Others liked what they saw.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Fort Hill junior Scott Saez leads the chase pack in the first mile of the Interstate Classic on Saturday at Clear Spring High School. Saez finished ninth overall in 18:13.2.
The last time the Boonsboro girls competed in Class 1A, the Warriors earned the state title. After a two-year hiatus in Class 2A, Boonsboro’s back in 1A — and runners from longtime rival Smithsburg showed Saturday they won’t stand aside and let the Warriors take back the 1A crown.
The Leopards, paced by Small School division winner Erica Lindsay, tallied 37 points to edge the Warriors (40) for the team championship. Northern Garrett was third with 91 points, followed by Allegany (105), St. Mary’s (133), Clear Spring (135), Southern Garrett (143) and Fort Hill (202).
The Leopards took four of the top seven spots in the win. Lindsay, a junior, finished in 21 minutes and 29.2 seconds — an average of 7:10 per mile — to lead Smithsburg, which aims to repeat as Washington County’s top team. Allegany junior Kaylee Buckbee was second (21:49.4), followed by Boonsboro junior Molly Jones (21:51.2) and freshman teammate Kaitlyn Rogers (21:52.2). But the Leopards’ Maddie Mazenko (22:04), Quinn Wandalowski (22:20.1) and Mikaela Jerwick (22:25) took spots five through seven to help seal the deal.
Kevin Spradlin | PeeDeePost.com
Williamsport junior Abby Koons, left, eyes Allie Dittmer of Mountain Ridge as Dittmer passes her with less than 100 meters to go in the 3-mile race. Koons came back to edge Dittmer by less than a second — 27:03.8 to 27:04.5 — to finish 52nd in a 62-runner field.
Boys – Small School
Smithsburg junior Will Merritt posted the fastest time of the day in his division, leading all Small School runners to the finish line with a time of 16:40.3. It wasn’t quite enough, however, to pace the Leopards to the team title as the rival Warriors posted 57 points for the win. Smithsburg (85) was second, followed by Fort Hill (89), Mount Airy Christian (110), Southern Garrett (123), Northern Garrett (135), Allegany (142), Paw Paw (183), St. Mary’s Ryken (240) and St. James (272).
Boonsboro placed three in the top 10 — senior Michael Blair (fifth, 17:47.1), sophomore Ben Hartings (sixth, 17:47.6) and senior Ethan Connelly (10th, 18:17.7) — to set the stage for the team victory.
Mount Airy Christian’s Judge Russell (16:50.8) was second in the individual standings, followed by Southern Garrett sophomore Declan Horner (16:59.7) and Paw Paw’s Hunter Kasekamp (17:33.8).
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