The Clay County High School cross country teams traveled to Hamlin, West Virginia last week to compete in the Lincoln County Invitational. It was well worth the two-hour bus drive as both the boys and girls’ teams brought home first place trophies. Teams competing in the event included Spring Valley, Capital, Tolsia and Lincoln high schools. Leading the boys’ team was Sawyer Dobbins who won the race with an impressive time of 17:50, a personal record. Elijah Armes finished third, also with a personal record time of 19:59. Ethan Quinn finished fourth at 20:50 and Kane Nida came in fifth at 20:52. Rounding out the team, Trent Hinkle finished eleventh and Shane Quinn fifteenth. The girls’ team was led by Evie Young who placed third with a personal record time of 24:17. Destiney Mullins came in fourth, Shyenne Quinn finished seventh, Olivia Witt came in eighth, and Ashley Roberts twelfth.
The wins came as no surprise to coaches Ron Starcher and Phil Dobbins. The athletes have been working hard over the last several weeks to reach this point. On September 13, they traveled to Cowen to compete against Nicholas, Webster, Princeton, Wyoming East, Liberty Raleigh, Richwood, and Braxton in the Big Ditch Lake Invitational. Sawyer Dobbins medaled with an eighth-place finish, as did Elijah Armes in sixteenth place. For the girls, Evie Young medaled.
One week later on September 20, they traveled to Richwood to compete in the Cherry Hill Invitational. Teams at this meet included Nicholas, Webster, Summers, Richwood and Braxton. Again, Sawyer Dobbins led the boys with his third-place finish. Elijah Armes was next for the Panthers in eighth place. Ethan Quinn, Kane Nida and Trent Hinkle also earned medals for top twenty finishes. The girls’ team also ran well in this race, with Destiney Mullins, Claudia Vera and Evie Young earning medals for top twenty spots.
The following Saturday, on September 24, the teams competed in the Calhoun Invitational at Calhoun County Park. Teams came from Ritchie, Wood, Parkersburg, Braxton, Roane and Calhounto participate in this meet. Sawyer Dobbins finished fifth, and Ethan Quinn, Kane Nida and Trent Hinkle won medals for top twenty finishes. In the girls’ event, top twenty medal winners for the Panthers were Evie Young, Destiney Mullins, and Claudia Vera.
The Panther teams are gearing up for the last three races of the season. They will host the Elk River Trail Invitational on October 6. The LKC Conference meet is scheduled on October 13 at Big Ditch Lake near Cowen, and the regional meet to determine who earns the right to run at the WV State Cross Country Meet will be held on October 20 at West Side High School in Clear Fork, West Virginia. Best of luck to the teams in the upcoming events!
