The Lord Botetourt boys finished second as a team at the Region 3D cross country meet last week. LB’s Ethan Thorne was the individual winner and Eric Duncan was third overall on a hilly and muddy Smith River Sports Complex course in Martinsville.
“Conditions rendered the clock irrelevant, so it was simply a battle for position,” said LB coach Noel Preece.
The team competition was very tightly contested with three teams ranking within a six-point spread. LB finished second, sandwiched between team champion Abingdon and third place Christiansburg.
Thorne led the charge for the Cavaliers, taking home the
Photos by Noel Preece
first individual region title for cross country in Lord Botetourt High School history. Duncan chased the leaders home in third place while Preston Vaughn and Archer Lee both fought to score well above their pre-meet rankings, bringing the LB boys into close contention for the team title. This led to some tense final moments as John Moughrabi raced home for the team’s final points-scoring position. Thorne was named Region 3D Runner of the Year.
“A well deserved victory after an incredible return from injury last spring,” said Preece of Thorne.
On the girls’ side Jules Banka led the team with her most impressive performance of the season, clocking 23:46 for 28th. Ember Wiley followed her home with a sub-27 clocking for 41st position.
The Lord Botetourt boys will compete in the Class 3 state championship this Saturday at Green Hill Park, just west of Salem. The current pre-meet rankings place LB in fourth with third through sixth expected to be tightly contested. The Class 3 boys are scheduled to take the gun at 11:15 a.m.
