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Region cross country: Boonsboro's Matthews, North's Stine earn second-place finishes

daniel kauffman, the herald-mail
·3 min read
Boonsboro junior Caroline Matthews leads Mountain Ridge senior Mary Delaney at about the halfway point of the Maryland Class 1A West region girls cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022. Matthews finished second to Delaney.
Boonsboro junior Caroline Matthews leads Mountain Ridge senior Mary Delaney at about the halfway point of the Maryland Class 1A West region girls cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022. Matthews finished second to Delaney.

Class 1A West

THURMONT, Md. — Boonsboro junior Caroline Matthews declared herself fully fit for the Maryland state cross country championships in nine days after finishing second in the region girls race Thursday at Catoctin.

Matthews crossed the finish line in 19:07, trailing only Mountain Ridge senior Mary Delaney (19:02), who outkicked her to the line.

"We raced each other all last year," Matthews said of Delaney. "She has a great kick."

Matthews also finished second in last year's 1A state championship race, behind Northern Garrett's Lydia Nelson. Nelson finished seventh in 21:06 on Thursday.

Matthews has not been at her best for most of this season after suffering from bronchitis early in September — "This season has been full of a lot of roadblocks," she said. "I'm getting through it with the help of my coaches and teammates."

She said she felt good Thursday and is ready for the state meet at Hereford on Nov. 12.

"I need to make sure I'm mentally in (the race) but not put too much pressure on myself," she said. "The fitness is there."

Boonsboro senior Cami Row finished fifth in the Maryland Class 1A West region girls cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022.
Boonsboro senior Cami Row finished fifth in the Maryland Class 1A West region girls cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022.

Warriors senior Cami Row had the best race of her season Thursday, placing fifth in 20:55.

"I felt amazing," said Row, who hours later played in Boonsboro's opening playoff volleyball victory. "I usually get tired at the end, but I felt like I was pushing the entire time. I'm proud of how I ran today."

Smithsburg's girls finished second to Northern Garrett in the team standings — just as they did in last year's state meet. The Leopards scored 73 points to the Huskies' 59.

Smithsburg sophomore Kayla Hawbecker (576) and sophomore Cora Gentzel (573) compete in the Maryland Class 1A West region girls cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022. Hawbecker finished sixth and Gentzel placed 12th.
Smithsburg sophomore Kayla Hawbecker (576) and sophomore Cora Gentzel (573) compete in the Maryland Class 1A West region girls cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022. Hawbecker finished sixth and Gentzel placed 12th.

Sophomore Kayla Hawbecker (sixth, 21:02), sophomore Cora Gentzel (12th, 21:38), junior Michaela Gross (13th, 21:39), junior MacKenna Mantz (22nd, 22:26) and senior Amanda Hawbecker (24th, 22:56) were the Leopards' scoring runners.

Boonsboro's girls also qualified as a team, finishing fourth with 114 points — just one behind third-place Mountain Ridge. Freshman Rhonda Shalaby (32nd, 24:18), senior Morgan Schuckman (36th, 24:50) and junior Sarah Frushour (45th, 26:30) rounded out the Warriors' scorers.

Williamsport senior Lauren Leather (10th, 21:28) qualified for the state meet individually.

Boonsboro's Jakob Davidson was the top Washington County finisher in the Maryland Class 1A West region boys cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022, finishing 13th.
Boonsboro's Jakob Davidson was the top Washington County finisher in the Maryland Class 1A West region boys cross country race at Catoctin on Nov. 3, 2022, finishing 13th.

In the boys race, two county individuals qualified for the state meet. Boonsboro's Jakob Davidson placed 13th in 18:06 and Smithsburg's Michael Wynkoop was 16th in 18:27.

Smithsburg finished fifth out of eight complete teams with 114 points, Boonsboro was sixth with 162 points and Clear Spring was eighth with 212 points. The top four teams qualified for states.

Class 3A West

FREDERICK, Md. — North Hagerstown sophomore Lauren Stine finished second in the girls race, and the Hubs finished third out of 10 complete teams in the girls team competition at Thomas Johnson on Thursday, qualifying for the state meet.

Stine finished in 19:29.5, trailing only Frederick's Caroline Gregory (18:38.1). Freshman Anna Chamberlin (11th, 21:32.6) and sophomore Rian Johnson (15th, 22:00.8) earned top-15 finishes, and sophomore Ella Hajel (35th, 23:48.6) and senior Raya Mustafa (40th, 24:04.1) rounded out North's scorers.

North's boys finished fifth out of 13 complete teams to qualify for the state meet. The Hubs scored 104 points, trailing region champion Oakdale (69), Magruder (86), Springbrook (99) and Linganore (101).

Senior Jacob O'Neil was North's top finisher, placing 14th in 17:55.9. Sophomore Rishi Bhat (16th, 17:56.9) and freshman Walker Mason (17th, 17:57.2) earned top-20 finishes, while junior Sullivan McGreevy (26th, 18:27.0) and freshman Carson Wilt (31st, 18:42.3) rounded out the Hubs' scorers.

South Hagerstown's boys finished 11th with 344 points. Senior Lorenzo Decastro was the Rebels' top finisher, placing 42nd in 19:07.7.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Region cross country: Washington County roundup