The Blue Devils Cross Country teams took home the titles this past week at the GHSA Region 2 AAAA Championship.
Both the girls and boys teams, along with their respective JV teams, came out victorious in LaGrange, sweeping the competition.
Seniors Hugh Carney (17:37.94) and Owen Hartshorn (18:15.24) led the way for the boys, finishing 1st and 2nd.
“It feels great, especially after coming back from being injured all of last season,” says Carney, who was sidelined last year due to a stress fracture in his right ankle.
The girls team had runners finish in each of the Top 5 positions: 1st - Haley Heard (21:22.32), 2nd - Sara Takagi (21:45.94), 3rd - Victoria Marto (22:25.00), 4th - Charlotte Young (22:32.03), and 5th - Layla Albright (22:43.01).
“It felt great,” describes Heard, who has excelled in her freshman season, “I felt that we knew that as a team we had the necessary skills to take home the win.”
These victories did not come without hard work, though. The team practiced over the summer and nearly every day since the start of school.
“Our team just works really hard,” explains Carney, “we try to get better every day.”
The team is particularly young this year, with half of the team being freshmen, but they are still confident as they prepare to compete for the State Title this Friday.
Heard explains how the team has gotten to where it is now, “As a team we have a strong bond that only other athletes can feel. We have faith and trust in each other.”