The boys and girls varsity cross country teams from Switzerland County High School will continue their outstanding seasons this Saturday after advancing out of Tuesday night’s IHSAA Sectional held at Hanover.
Both teams will be participating this Saturday in the Bedford Regional; with the boys team finishing fourth overall in the Hanover Sectional; and the girls squad was fifth overall. The top five teams and the top 12 runners advance.
Tuesday night, the Pacers saw a gutsy performance by senior Corey McFarland, who – after winning the individual conference title last Tuesday, ran toe-to-heel with Scottsburg’s Chris Sandlin despite being ill.
The two had battled at different times throughout the year, and Tuesday night in the sectional it came down to a matter of seconds, as Chris Sandlin won the individual championship with a time of 16:48; with Corey McFarland right behind in second place with a time of 16:53.
“I am very happy with what Corey did here today,” Pacer coach Mark Boggs said following the race. “He did everything he could do today. He ran a smart race, but I know him and he will be disappointed because he’s a great competitor.
“That’s Corey McFarland for you,” the coach continued. “He leaves it all out there on the course. He’s got nothing to be disappointed in. He was great today – he ran a great time – and Tray was great today for us, too. They both ran strong races.”
Scottsburg won the team title with a score of 53 to edge Jennings County, which finished with 54. Silver Creek had 81 points to claim third place; followed by Switzerland County with 91.
Austin was fifth with 124 points; Jeffersonville had 126; New Washington had 178; Henryville 220; and Madison, Madison Shawe, Rock Creek, and Charlestown did not have enough runners to record a team score.
The Pacers also got an outstanding effort from senior Tray Meyer, who finished fourth overall in a time of 17:14. Both he and Corey McFarland earned All Sectional honors for their performances.
Anthony Dennis was 16th overall in a time of 18:10; Quinn Meyer was 34th in a time of 19:21; Anthony Dasis was 44th in a time of 20:21; Bradlee Burk was 50th in a time of 20:44; and Alex Galbreath was 62nd in a time of 22:23.
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In the girls race, the Lady Pacers were again led by sophomore Allie Mathews, who came off of her individual conference championship to finish eighth overall in a strong Sectional field with a time of 21:56.
The finish earned her a spot on the All Sectional team; and teammate freshman Paige Freeman also earned her way onto the All Sectional team with a 15th place finish in a time of 22:48.
Taryn Parr was 21st in a time of 23:09; Halie Thomas was 47th in a time of 26:08; Alexis Carfield was 54th in a time of 27:41; Samantha Reynolds was 56th in a time of 28:30; and Andrea Brogan was 58th in a time of 29:56.
“Our one, two, and three girls have run strong all year, and they did that again today,” Coach Boggs said. “Allie, Paige, and Taryn really stepped up their performances in a strong field. We also ran great in our fourth spot. Halie Thomas just got back to us after being out most of the season, and she ran a great race for us today after so much time off.”
Madison won the Sectional title with a team score of 33; followed by Jeffersonville with 50; Silver Creek with 64; Scottsburg with 109; and Switzerland County with 125.
Jennings County was sixth with 141; then came Henryville with 161; Austin with 240; and New Washington, Madison Shawe, Charlestown, and Southwestern did not have enough runners to record a team score.
Both teams now advance to the Bedford Regional this Saturday, October 17th; with the girls race starting at approximately 11:10 a.m.