PM Boys Repeat

Blues Claim Second Straight Class 1 State Title

With five finishers in the top 11, the Parry McCluer High School boys cross country team defended its Class 1 state title with a decisive victory over Pioneer District rival Eastern Montgomery on Saturday afternoon at the Virginia Tech Buford Meredith course in Blacksburg. PM’s lone girl competing, junior Kyra Lee, earned all-state (top 15) honors by placing 10th.

The PM boys scored 29 points to win their fourth state title in six years, while Eastern Montgomery placed second of 11 teams with 61.

The Mustangs had also finished second to the Fighting Blues at the Pioneer District and Region 1C meets, by 20 points and 13 points, respectively, so the state meet was the most convincing victory of the three titles for PM.

PM head coach Chris Poluikis said the win was more dominant than he expected.

Last year, PM won the state title by 19 points over Mathews. This year, Mathews placed third, tallying 89 points. Rounding out the top five were Middlesex (141) and Rappahannock County (172).

Grundy junior Keyston Hartford won the boys’ race, taking on windy weather and completing the moderately hilly 5-kilometer course in 15 minutes, 40.1 seconds, an improvement of about 22 seconds from his time on the course at the East Coast Elite XC Meet on Sept. 28. The course was a change from the flat course at Green Hill Park in Salem, the state meet venue for the last five years. Last year, Hartford placed third at the state meet, finishing about seven seconds behind the winner, PM’s Kebryl Chandler.

With sunny and windy weather and temperatures in the upper 50s, the top three boys ran together for much of the race before Hartford pulled away at the end. Leading the Blues was Chandler, now a sophomore, finishing as the runner-up for the second consecutive year in 15:49.3. Last year, Chandler trailed only his older brother Kovyk Chandler, who graduated in May, by five seconds. Late in the race on Saturday, Kebryl Chandler pulled away from Altavista’s Shane Stevens, who placed third of 101 harriers in 16:07.9, well ahead of the fourth-place finisher, EM’s Spencer Sisson (16:39.1).

Kebryl Chandler said he thought his race was “just OK, not terrible, but not great.”

As for the team victory, he said, “It’s good because, to win one year, it’s like, people say it’s a fluke or something, but two in a row, you kind of shut up. We work as a team well.”

PM’s second runner was junior Logan Wheelock (fifth, 16:43.1), improving on his seventh-place finish last year and cutting nearly a minute off his late September time. Next in for the Blues was junior Josh Cooper (eighth, 17:03.1), moving up two spots after placing 12th last year and running about 32 seconds faster than he did in late September.

Wheelock and Cooper, competing at the state meet for the third consecutive year, both commented on the more challenging course. “It kind of makes you work a lot harder, and your legs get burned out,” said Wheelock. “It’s a real mental game out there.”

“It’s harder mentally, too, but I think it makes it more fun,” said Cooper. “It feels a lot more fulfilling.”

Cooper said “a solid mix of training” contributed to the Blues’ success this season.

Earning all-state honors in their state meet debuts were PM freshmen Hinckley Lovelace (10th, 17:11.4) and Caleb Cooper (11th, 17:13). Also racing for the Blues were freshman Sebastian George (50th, 19:26.3) and sophomore Sam Carpenter (71st, 20:06). All four Blues improved notably on their times in late September.

Of the keys to the Blues’ dominant win, Poluikis said, “We had really good races from Hinckley, Logan and Josh. Kebryl and Caleb did what they usually do.”

The PM coach, completing his 18th season of coaching the Blues’ harriers, said that with their high mileage, the Blues prepared themselves well for the state meet course, which he said “is kind of an equalizer for some people.”

In the girls’ race, Eastside junior Shelby Stanley won in 19:58.9.

For PM, Lee placed 10th of 96 harriers in 21:49, an improvement of 1:17 on her late September time on the course. Donning her peanut butter and jelly socks, Lee moved up five spots after running in 15th place early in the race. She’s improved each year at the state meet, after placing 23rd as a freshman and 21st as a sophomore. Reacting to learning of her time on Saturday, Lee said, “That’s really good.”

“Kyra had a great race,” said Poluikis. “I was hoping for 15th. It was pretty close to her overall [personal record], which is crazy because it’s a slower course.”

Lee said she didn’t mind the tougher course. “I kind of like this one,” she said.

Auburn won the girls’ title with 89 points, Mathews placed second of 11 teams with 94 points, winning a tiebreaker over third-place George Wythe (94). Completing the top five were Galileo (104) and Rappahannock (151).

The future looks bright for the Blues, who have no seniors. Many of the Blues plan to run indoor and outdoor track.