Clash with the Titans Results: Individual Results - Boys Team Scores - Girls Team Scores
The Hidden Valley girls, ranked #19 in the nation according to MileSplit US recent national team rankings, began their 2009 season with a victory in their home invitational in the second annual Clash with the Titans. The Hidden Valley girls were competing without three of their top five runners, but still were able to hold off Christiansburg by 10 points for a first place team finish with 47 points.
Mary Catherine Sowder (pictured by John Tyree), a runner-up in last year's Clash with the Titans, won easily without her other teammates in the race with a time of 20:56. Hidden Valley had four runners in the top 11 with Sowder, Lindsay Skolrood (7th, 22:21), Carolyn Bethel (8th, 22:35), and Gretta Weidner (11th, 23:07). While the Hidden Valley girls will rarely run at full strength in the first half of the season with two of their top five members also juggling soccer commitments in Haley Cutright and Claire Sibley, Coach Daniel king has to be encouraged by additional depth this year with Bethel and Weidner coming along in the sixth and seventh runner spots.
The Christiansburg girls ran very well for a runner-up team finish behind the host school Hidden Valley with a strong front three placing among the top five in Eliza Eaton (3rd, 22:05), Mikayla Ford (4th, 22:09), and Jennifer Brugh (5th, 22:09) coming in a quick wave at the finish line. Northside's Erin Wheeler found herself in a gap between race winner Sowder and the Christinsburg trio in second place with a final time of 21:42.
Coming from the flat land of Tidewater Virginia, Greenbrier Christian Academy's Michael Bailey sure had no problem tackling the hills on Hidden Valley High School's home course. Bailey pulled away for 17:10 win with Christiansburg's Andy Eddleton 12 seconds back at 17:22. Bailey, who will be competing on a similarly difficult course for the private school state championships at Woodberry Forest, is considered one of several state title contenders after a strong track season in which he broke 16 minutes on the track in the post-season.
Eddleton, pre-season ranked in Group AA, helped lead his Group AA #4 ranked squad to the team title over River Ridge district rival Cave Spring (Group AA #5) with the Blue Demons placing five among the top 25. With a 19 point margin of victory against Cave Spring, Christiansburg coach Shane Guynn was pleased of the team's season oper, but would like to decrease their 2:24 gap among their first scoring five runners.
