SUBMITTED BY BHS JOURNALISM STUDENT SAVANNAH BLYTHE

 

Conditions were not ideal on Saturday as Bridgeport’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams traveled to the Forest Festival Invitational. Pouring rain and chilly weather greeted the teams upon arriving at the campus of Davis & Elkins College. The course offered muddy hills, creek crossings, and holes to jump over. Although there were several setbacks due to the impending weather and multiple absences, both teams were successful.

 

The boys won the meet, while the girls finished fourth.

 

On the boys’ team, a handful of runners did not attend the meet due to various other activities. Many jayvee runners had to step up to varsity to compete, and they did not disappoint.

 

“I was kind of surprised. It was a very good day for those who filled in for the varsity. It’s nice to see the boys that are typically on the jayvee team come up to varsity and excel,” said Griffith.

 

Leading the boys’ varsity team was senior Michael Duez who placed 8th overall with a time of 19:07. Next to follow was the trio of Timmy Kinney, Drake Bolle, and Jack Funk who placed 11th, 12th, and 13th respectively with times of 19:22, 19:27, and 19:31. Jacob Love was the next Bridgeport runner across the finish line placing 21st with a time of 20:08. Sophomore Fisher Rector and freshman Mark Duez completed the boys’ varsity team placing 31st and 34th with times of 20:36 and 20:45.

 

By having all seven runners in the top 35, the boys team pulled off a first place victory with an impressive total of 64 points. The second place team, Hampshire High School, was over 53 points away with a total of 117 points. There was a field of 91 competitors in the boys’ varsity race and 14 completed teams.

 

On the girls’ varsity team, everyone was present and ready to race.

 

“The girls also had a very good day,” Griffith said, “Kendall Kirk and Madison Beverlin both had exceptional races. It was rainy and for all the girls to do as well as they did was fantastic.”

 

Leading the girls’ team was the duo of Caroline Ferrell and Savannah Blythe who placed 22nd and 23rd respectively with times of 24:06 and 24:08. Freshman Kendall Kirk was next placing 27th with a time of 24:34. The next duo across the finish line was sophomore Ashley Wojciechowicz and freshman Jenna Love who ran the course in 25:52 and 25:55 and placed 45th and 46th. Newcomer and junior Bailey Campbell finished the course with a time of 27:15 and placed 66th. The final varsity runner was Jenna Soltesz who placed 79th with a time of 28:43.

 

Even with the tough course conditions, the girls’ team managed to pull off a solid 4th place with a total of 142 points. There were 99 competitors in the girls’ varsity race and a field of 14 complete teams.

 

The boys’ jayvee race had six competitors from Bridgeport in attendance. The winner of the race was freshman Colton Marsh with a time of 21:12 and runner-up was freshman John Dolan with a time of 21:20. The next trio of Bridgeport runners consisted of Andrew Wilson 5th, Jacob Bice 6th, and Davey Field 7th with times of 21:31, 22:03, and 22:34. The final Bridgeport runner across the line was Andrew Gibson who placed 13th with a time of 24:40.

 

Out of three full teams, Bridgeport once again took first with 15 points. There were a total of 23 male runners in the jayvee race.

 

The girls’ jayvee runners lacked one member on the team due to other activities and there were four participants. The runner-up was Madison Beverlin with a time of 26:52. Junior Ashley Roop came in 3rd with a time of 27:06. Maggie Lohmann crossed the finish line with a time of 30:47 placing 8th. The final Bridgeport runner was Katy Weber with a time of 48:18 placing 16th.

 

Unfortunately, the girls did not have enough members to qualify as a team. There were a total of 16 female runners in the jayvee race.

 

The BHS teams will be competing again this weekend at the Bearcat Invitational in Taylor County. The races start Saturday at 9 a.m.

 

To see more photos from Saturday's race, click HERE.

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was done by Savannah Blythe in the Bridgeport High School Journalism Department under the direction of Mrs. Alice Rowe. Coverage of this event was not assigned by Connect-Bridgeport.com. The photos of the meet were submitted to Connect-Bridgeport.com.