MORGANTOWN, W.Va.. — Larry Josh Edwards was going to be a soccer star, or at least that’s what he thought.
Irene Riggs was going to be a swimmer, which made sense, considering her father, Vic Riggs, is the head swimming and diving coach at WVU.
Funny how much one’s journey in life can change in middle school.
“Honestly, I first started running track in middle school just to stay in shape for soccer,” said Edwards, the University High junior who is the defending Class AAA state cross-country champion. “Competing as a runner wasn’t really on my radar.”
Riggs, who finished third as a freshman for Morgantown High in last year’s state meet and will join teammate Lea Hatcher as a duo on pace to finish 1-2 a season later, also said distance running was something she never put a lot of thought into early in her life.
It was only after watching her older sister compete in cross-country and track did it create some sort of spark in Riggs.
“I was swimming until the eighth grade,” she said. “Once I started running, I began to feel more passion for that sport. The way you push yourself in running was something that made me very excited.”
Swimming was out for Riggs. So was soccer for Edwards.
“Yeah, I don’t play at all anymore,” he said. “Too much kicking of the ankles and that sort of thing. I don’t need that.”
Both runners made their season debuts in winning fashion Wednesday, much later than most other distance runners around the state, because of Monongalia County’s designation on the state’s COVID-19 map.
Both schools were permitted this week by the state to begin competition in all fall sports.
In a dual meet at University High, Edwards set the school’s course record with a time of 15:16.02, while Riggs won with a time of 17:51.3.
Hatcher, the defending Class AAA girls’ champion, sat out the race while dealing with an injury, but Riggs said she would likely race Saturday in a meet at Wheeling Park.
“I love having Lea as a teammate and it’s a lot of fun having her push me and for me to push her,” Riggs said. “You may not have that everywhere, but we both really enjoy it. We work really well together. Competing in a race is a little different, but we both work really hard at making each other a better runner.”
Edwards may not have that luxury this season.
He won last year’s state meet by 15 seconds and the next three finishers were seniors.
For him, it’s a race against the clock. It’s in setting a pace that can help him compete on the national level.
It was last year’s Footlocker regional race in Charlotte when Edwards last ran a race looking at the backs of other runners.
“I took 14th and the top 10 got to move on to nationals,” Edwards said. “That was frustrating, because I didn’t really run a very good race. It also made me realize just how talented other runners are and so that pushes me when I’m running and training now. That’s the level I’m trying to reach.”
Getting there, he said, has Edwards running at least 75 miles per week in the offseason. Now that the season has begun, he’s cut back to 65.
“Just to keep me fresh,” he said.
“I knew when he was a freshman that he was going to be one of the best we’ve ever had here,” UHS cross-country coach Ed Frohnapfel said. “You hate to make assumptions on what someone does at a younger age, but he has a physical talent for the sport that you don’t always see in others. He never stops. He can run hard for so long, which does not come easy.”
Both the UHS boys’ and MHS girls’ are looking to repeat as state champions in 2020.
In the dual meet, UHS swept the competition. The boys won, 18-41, while the girls won, 27-29.
UHS also saw Rocco DeVincent take second in the boys’ race with a time of 16:04.25, while Caroline Kirby took second in the girls’ race with a time of 19:12.2.
Morgantown High’s top boys finisher was Quinn Jacquez, who took third with a time of 16:35.11.
The trick now is to cram as much competition as possible until the regional meet on Oct. 22.
The state meet is scheduled for Oct. 31, at Cabell Midland.
“Once we get everyone healthy, I think we have a really good chance to win it again,” Riggs said. “We have a lot of really talented younger runners who came in this year and we have a lot of team pride and good support from our coaches and they’ll have us ready to go when that time comes.”
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