Morgantown’s Irene Riggs claimed first place to help lead the Mohigans to first place as a team Thursday (Kyle Lutz/The Intelligencer). 
Caroline Kirby claimed second place as the Hawks took second place as a team Thursday (Kyle Lutz/The Intelligencer). 
University’s Larry Josh Edwards claimed first place on the boys’ side, on the way to leading the Hawks’ to first place as a team Thursday (Kyle Lutz/The Intelligencer). 
Morgantown’s Quinn Jacquez finished third and helped the Mohigans grab second place as a team Thursday (Kyle Lutz/The Intelligencer).
By KYLE LUTZ
The Intelligencer
WHEELING, W.Va. — The Morgantown High girls’ cross-country team claimed first place in Thursday’s Region 1 championships, while the University boys’ team also claimed first.
The top three teams on each side now qualify for the state championships, which will take place next week.
The Hawks claimed first on the boys’ side, while Morgantown received second as a team. Larry Josh Edwards paced UHS and won the race in a time of 16:27.27.77. Teammate Rocco DeVincent finished second (16:51.42). Also scoring for the Hawks were Jordan Thomas (sixth, 17:23.11); TaKaleb Turner (11th, 17:41.33) and Ryan Blohm (17:50.13).
“They’ve ran much better than they did (Thursday). But its a win. I’m happy to qualify for the state meet. Hopefully, we can get it back together in the next 10 days,” University coach Ed Frohnapfel said.
Morgantown, which secured second as a team also punched its ticket to the state meet. Quinn Jacquez (third, 17:03.04); Landon Young (eighth, 17:26.76) and Jackson Snyder (ninth, 17:28.59) all placed in the top 10 for the Mohigans.
Preston’s Lowell Cerbone individually qualified for the state meet, placing 10th in a time of 17:32.65.
On the girls’ side, University and Preston followed the Mohigans. Hawks placed second and the Knights finished third, respectively.
MHS placed six runners inside the top 11 — all of which would have been individual qualifiers. Irene Riggs ran to a victory as she crossed the finish line in a time of 18:46.37. Amelia Summers (fifth, 21:06.21); Anna Lester (sixth, 21:19.53); Lea Hatcher (seventh, 21:21.49); Madeline Gump (10th, 21:39.40) and Jennifer OPalko (11th, 21:42.10) also would have qualified individually.
“I think we were pretty disappointed after OVACs. We knew we were a better team than how we raced there,” Morgantown coach Mike Ryan said. “We kind of focused really on ourselves and preparing mentally for this race. We knew it was going to be hot, so we took some precautions and made sure were were extra hydrated.
“We still have a very young team out there without having a lot of races with Mon County being in red. We haven’t had a lot of opportunities to test things out and fail and come back and learn from it. I really think they ran very disciplined and that’s what I’m happy of.”
University’s Caroline Kirby (second, 19:44.32) and Mia Murray (third, 20:01.87) also placed in the top 11, along with Preston’s Allie Martin (fourth, 20:52.32) and Abby Nolan (ninth, 21:30.31).
