New Classification, No Problem For Maggie Walker Girls

The Green Dragons of Maggie Walker have once again proved they are one of the best teams in the state, this time by winning the Class 3 Girls team title against some very tough competition. Maggie Walker won with 48 points, Western Albemarle was second with 62 points, and Hidden Valley finished third with 66 points. 

Even though Maggie Walker had won five out of the previous six state team titles they ran for, this year they had something to prove. 

It all started back in 2013 when the VHSL moved from AAA, AA, A class systems to Classes 1-6. That meant moving Maggie Walker, a "triple A" school, down to Class 2. What ensued the next five years was absolute dominance by the Green Dragons. 

The powerhouse from Maggie Walker went on to win five state team titles in a row on the girls side and six on the boys side. They simply dominated by individually and as an entire team for years. 

Last year though it was Clarke County though pulling off the upset and winning the Class 2 team title over Maggie Walker 51-69. 

That brings us to this season where Maggie Walker was moved up to Class 3 and the whole landscape changed. This year they had tough competition from many directions and had to work extremely hard to even be in contention for the team title against defending champions Hidden Valley and 2017's team champions Western Albemarle. 

Maggie Walker week after week had one goal on their mind, winning back that team title but now winning it back in Class 3. A noticeably harder classification. 

Throughout the season all three of these teams had their own time in the spotlight and atop the Class 3 leaderboard but entering the meet it was Maggie Walker favored on paper. The coaches though were even more focused now more than ever to make sure everyone raced up to their potential. 

That is exactly what the Green Dragons did too. They ran so well that you could have swapped their 4th and 5th runners with their 6th and 7th runners and they would have still won. It was truly a team effort where the number seven raced through the line to make sure every point counted in their favor. 

One of the downsides of having two separate state meet locations is comparing their performances against other teams. It is safe to say though that the way these girls performed could have gotten them onto the podium in nearly any classification. 

This performance also reminds us that just because a school is small does not mean they cannot perform well. Many people have looked at Maggie Walker in Class 2 and thought of them as a team dominating others who were much weaker while the truth is they were battle hardened by those teams in Class 2 and now just won the Class 3 title thanks to the competition they had to face in the smaller classification.

And for those who need a history lesson... Maggie Walker finished as the state runner-up in 2010 and 2008 in AAA and came within 9 points of winning a AAA state team title. 

Maggie Walker Girls' Results