Photos by Tina Laney
The calendar said 2022, but the results Saturday at the Chick-fil-A Invitational cross meet hosted by Woodrow Wilson were on repeat.
The Flying Eagles repeated as champions on the high school boys side, while Braxton County brought home its second straight title in the girls high division.
Both teams dominated their races respectively with Woodrow besting George Washington by 34 points, while the Eagles were 41 points better that second place Woodrow Wilson.
“That was big win today,” Woodrow Wilson head coach George Barbera said about the boys team. “We had a racer that had to step out today. Mason Nettles was not able to run because of a sciatica nerve issue. Hopefully he can get that straightened out in a week or two. We could have used him out there. The rest of the runners stepped up big, got inside that top-20 and took home a win. I am very proud of them.”
Aiden Kneeland was the overall individual winner, dominating the boys race winning by over a minute.
“It was pretty hot outside and that did something with my time,” Kneeland said. “I thought I could have done a little better, but it is a good starting point this year.”
The talented sophomore took the lead immediately and quickly left no doubt who the winner would be Saturday.
“He just took charge from the beginning. He comes out and trains all summer doing tempo runs on this course. He knows this course better than I do,” Barbera said. “He is chasing Chris’ (Barbera) record. Chris is the only person to ever break 16 (minutes) on this course. He did it in 2017 and I think Aiden has had his eye on that since the seventh grade. Hopefully he will get it next year.”
Kneeland was joined inside the top-20 by teammates Brandon Canaday (6), Robert Shirey (12), Michael Haddadin (15) and Jonah Morgan (19).
“Bob, Michael and Jonah getting up there in the top-20 was great. Brandon got spiked early, so that hindered him pushing off. Bob really shined and Michael and Jonah really stepped up. I told them we were a man down and they had to step up. We took a solid win and didn’t just squeak by. Nearly everybody in the (AAA) region was here today, so this is a good showing of what we can expect in the regional in about six weeks.”
Lauren Cain and Addison Lloyd led the charge for Braxton finishing fourth and seventh, respectively. Bethany Payne and Heidi Payne also finished inside the top-20.
Charleston Catholic freshman, Bella Boggs made her run look easy Saturday and was never challenged for the individual girl’s crown.
Woodrow Wilson was led by Cecilia Lindley (11), Lauren Curtis (12) and Kyndall Ince (14).
“I knew Braxton was tough coming in. Our girls weren’t at 100 percent either,” Barbera said. “We are missing a runner or two, but the girls also stepped up. Out of fifteen teams and my girls take second place, I was really impressed. They don’t have a senior on the team, but they have been running for three or four years.”
Individually on the boy’s side, A.J. Skeens from Class A Sherman opened some eyes with a third place finish battling runners from the big schools. Matt Murphy from PikeView proved he will be a factor this year as well, coming home seventh Saturday.
Each year, the Chick-fil-A event seems to highlight a breakout runner. This year that runner could be junior Hank Marson from Bluefield.
Marson finished 14th overall, but was the third best finisher from a Class AA school. Making his performance even more impressive was the fact that Marson had never raced on the course previously.
“The hills were rough and a little challenging, but I think my finish helped me a lot today,” Marson said. “I ran cross country my eighth grade year and got back into it my sophomore year. I really started working at it seriously this year, so I am satisfied with how I ran to start the season.”
Wyoming East is hoping to pull the double this year and qualify both the boys and girls team for the state meet later in the year.
Senior Colleen Lookabill has been to the state meet before and has a solid chance to make the trip back to Ona this year.
“I am satisfied with my run. I knew this meet was going to be a hard one, especially with it being the first meet of the year,” Lookabill said. “It is usually a tricky one and there were a lot more teams here this year that are running schools.”
Head coach Randall McKinney has some young talent on the boys team, mixed with some seniors. One of those youngsters is Tommy Wiekel who finished an impressive run in 22nd place.
“Tommy Wiekel ran well and Colleen will only get better. She was a little better than last year, but the competition was better too. I think she is where she should be right now,” McKinney said. “There were a lot of AAA schools here. I try to get mine to look at who is in their region and count their spots.”
The Richwood duo of Baylee Jarrett and Kelsey Davis both had strong runs Saturday. Jarrett finished eighth, while Davis was 15th on the day. The Lumberjacks are also looking for a return trip to the state meet.
“They are getting there, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.. Hopefully by the end of the year they will do exceptionally well,” head coach Doris Smith said. “They have been pushing hard in practice and setting personal goals. I have seven girls and they are a good group of kids. I think they will do well. I think they would be disappointed with themselves if they didn’t get back to states.”
Always a very popular event, Barbera was pleased with how things went Saturday.
“We had 45 schools represented today. We are very grateful for Richard Jarrell and Chick-fil-A of Beckley for being our title sponsor. We also have other sponsors as well that sponsor the team,” Barbera said. “It takes a village to run something like this. Beckley wrestling has been great for us. If I had a business, I would hire one of those kids. They do a fantastic job and all of the parents chipping in is really important. I have a cross country army.”
High School Girls
Team Results
1. Braxton County, 41
2. Woodrow Wilson, 82
3. George Washington, 104
4. Greenbrier East, 109
5. Charleston Catholic, 121
Individual top-20
1. Bella Boggs (20:08.0), Charleston Catholic; 2. Violet Wall, Jefferson Christian Academy; 3. Abigail Torman, St. Albans; 4. Laura Cain, Braxton County; 5. Hannah Fisher, Charleston Catholic; 6. Emma Shirey, Jefferson Christian Academy; 7. Addison Lloyd, Braxton County; 8. Baylee Jarrett, Richwood; 9. Makayla Carter, St. Albans; 10. Ava Mitias, George Washington.
11. Cecilia Lindley, Woodrow Wilson, 12. Lauren Curtis, Woodrow Wilson; 13. Bethany Payne, Braxton County; 14. Kyndall Ince, Woodrow Wilson; 15. Kelsey Davis, Richwood; 16. Okuno Lucia, Charleston Catholic; 17. Alexis White, Webster County; 18. Heidi Payne, Braxton County; 19. Abigail Londeree, Greenbrier East; 20. Annaliese Miller, Jefferson Christian Academy.
High School Boys
Team Results
1. Woodrow Wilson, 47
2. George Washington, 81
3. Jefferson Christian Academy, 118
4. Charleston Catholic, 123
5. St. Albans, 155
Individual top-20
1. Aiden Kneeland, Woodrow Wilson (16:44.6); 2. Ryan Bazzle, George Washington; 3. A.J. Skeens, Sherman; 4. Skylar Hudnall, Riverside; 5. Gage Fox, George Washington; 6. Brandon Canaday, Woodrow Wilson; 7. Matt Murphy, PikeView; 8. Noah Endres, St. Albans; 9. Isaac Collins, Charleston Catholic; 10. Crawford Goldman, George Washington.
11. Sawyer Dobbins, Clay County; 12. Robert Shirey, Woodrow Wilson; 13. Tony Trout, Jefferson Christian Academy; 14. Hank Marson, Bluefield; 15. Michael Haddadin, Woodrow Wilson; 16. Josiah Lavender, St. Albans; 17. James Stalnaker, Jefferson Christian Academy; 18. Ryan Vanbibber, St. Albans; 19. Jonah Morgan, Woodrow Wilson; 20. Hunter Perry, Charleston Catholic.
