Photo by Ted Plunkett
At the beginning of the season, things were not looking good for the Jefferson boys cross country team. Star senior Brian Landry missed the entire month of August with a knee injury and coach Matt Ryan didn't sense the right team chemistry.
“It was not realistic to sit there and say, 'We're going to try and win the state meet,'” Ryan said of his team's start to the season. “Get to the state meet and do your best, but to win would've been kind of a stretch.”
Two months later, with a healthy Landry leading the way, the Colonials captured their second Virginia AAA state championship in four years, finishing 10 points ahead of second-place Midlothian.