The Salem and Glenvar cross country teams went head-to-head last Wednesday, October 8, on a course laid out on the Salem Municipal Golf Course on Academy Street. Both the boys and girls varsity races were decided by one stroke on a beautiful Salem day.
In the boys’ 5,000 meter race Glenvar edged Salem, 27 points to 28, and Cave Spring also had several runners competing. Glenvar’s Tyler Davis won the race in a time of 17:26.5, outdueling Salem’s Austin Prosser who was less than a second behind at 17:27.3. Also scoring for the Highlanders were Aldin Smith in third, Zachary Davis in sixth, Evan Harris in eighth and Asher Faught in ninth place.
For Salem, John Stovall and Thomas Scharp were fourth and fifth overall. Also scoring were Isaac Snow in seventh place and Grant Horner in 10th.
In the girls’ 5,000 meter race Salem won by a point, 28 to 29. Salem’s Keeley Prosser was the overall winner in 22:23 followed by Glenvar’s Rayya Bryson in 22:52. Also scoring for Salem were Olivia Huff in fifth, Ashlyn Davis in sixth, Madesyn Grubb in seventh and Hannah Patel in ninth. Glenvar had spots three and four with Everly Shanks and Anna Hall. Genna Shanks was eighth and Naomi Kidd was Glenvar’s fifth scorer in 16th place.
There was also a 4,000 meter middle school race run concurrently for boys and girls. Glenvar’s Jaxson Kuzmich won the boys’ race by almost a minute with a time of 13:23. Salem’s Camden Burns was second at 14:20 followed by Cannon Cowling of the Wolverines at 14:21 and Sawyer Austin of Glenvar at 14:22. Madelyn Eversole of Lewis won the girls’ middle school race in 15:29. Glenvar’s boys beat Lewis in the team score, 26-30. Glenvar did not have a complete girls’ team.
Prior to the races Salem recognized senior runners Grant Horner, Luke Stovall, Rick Rawlins, Chloe Underwood, Hannah Patel and Madesyn Grubb.
Glenvar also ran in Dublin last Saturday in the Cougar Clash at Randolph Park, hosted by Pulaski County High School. The Glenvar boys and Christiansburg girls won team titles while Glenvar’s girls finished sixth.
In the varsity boys’ race Glenvar demonstrated exceptional pack running to claim the championship with a low score of 39 points. The Highlanders placed four runners in the top 11 finishers. Senior Davis led the charge, finishing as the individual runner-up with a 5,000-meter time of 17:22.60.
Hot on Davis’ heels were teammates Smith (3rd, 17:44.40) and Davis (4th, 17:46.70), giving Glenvar a powerful 2-3-4 finish. Harris (11th) and Colin Graffeo (21st) completed the scoring for the victorious Highlanders.
The Glenvar girls’ team also competed well in a tough field. The Lady Highlanders were led by senior Hall, who placed 14th with a time of 22:57.50. Teammates Shanks (17th) and Bryson (23rd) also secured top-25 individual finishes.
Not to be outdone, the middle school boys’ team delivered one of the most dominant performances of the day, winning their division with a near-perfect score of 16 points.
Eighth-grader Kuzmich continued his undefeated season, winning the individual 4,000-meter title by nearly a minute with a time of 14:54.20. The team’s victory was sealed by a pack of runners finishing right behind him, including Matthew Gard (3rd), Sawyer Austin (4th), Hudson Brendal (5th) and Matthew Brennan (7th).
Glenvar is scheduled to run in a meet at Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville Saturday while Salem is next in action on Wednesday, October 22nd, at the Metro Cross Country Meet at Blacksburg High School.
