The first-ever regional meet to be held in Bridgeport in the school’s history turned out to be memorable for more than just the location. The Indians boys and girls teams both captured the Class AA-A Region II championship this afternoon at the Bridgeport Recreation Complex.

 

Bridgeport’s boys were the heavy favorites as they went into the meet ranked No. 1 by RunWV.com. They didn’t disappoint. Neither did the girls’ team as they came into the meet as the top-seeded club and picked up a regional crown as well.

 

For the boys, the team was led by Jimmy Lacaria who was the overall race winner. Teammate Mark Duez finished fourth among the field, while Timmy Kinney continued his resurgence for a sixth place overall finish.

 

Those three helped lead Bridgeport to a point total of 39 points and the Indians’ fourth-straight regional crown. That was enough to get past Elkins in second place with 54 and Doddridge County with 80 in third place. All three teams qualify for the state meet.

 

“It was a pretty good showing,” said BHS Coach Jon Griffith. “I can say I’m happy with the effort and the result.”

 

Lacaria led the way with a time of 17 minutes, 44.5 seconds. Mark Duez was strong again as well with a time of 18 minutes, 26.2 seconds as the Tribe had two runners in the top five.

 

“Jimmy has been doing great … What you’re seeing now is the progression of running a lot early to a little bit less now and his numbers have been strong,” said Griffith. “Mark has had a phenomenal year and it’s a result of him really taking this serious and it’s showing in the results.”

 

Kinney’s sixth place finish came thanks to a time of 18 minutes, 43 seconds. He has gotten stronger in recent weeks, which could be big as the Tribe heads back to the state tournament on Oct. 29.

 

“(Timmy) had a good day,” said Griffith. “He’s been battling some things, but he’s starting to put it back together and it’s at the right time.”

 

Drake Bolle finished in the No. 16 spot (19:25.6) and Coleton Marsh rounded out the top five in the No. 17 position (19:51.9). Bridgeport’s Hunter Hutson was the sixth Indian to cross the line and No. 19 overall (20:09.8), while Brady Oldaker was right behind in the No. 20 spot (20:22.8) to give BHS seven runners in the top 20.

 

“All seven will compete at the state meet and when you have all seven placing high, even with the top five counting, the sixth and seventh runners push the scores lower for other teams when they’re finishing higher,” said Griffith. “That’s why it’s so important to have depth.”

 

Bridgeport’s girls’ team also won the regional. The Indians were the highest ranked Class AA-A team in the field at No. 5, according to RunWV.com, and lived up the billing.

 

In fact, the Indians captured their second regional title in school history and their first since 2001. The Tribe got the job done in relatively easy fashion.

 

The girls finished with 37 points, which was well ahead of Elkins’ total of 66. Doddridge County was third with 80 points.

 

Considering the win, one may assume the Indians had runners finish in the top five. While that didn’t happen, they did something nearly as impressive - they placed five runners in the top 11 finishers.

 

“They ran in a pack and the grouping was huge considering they all came in really close,” said Griffith. “It’s the depth that’s paying off.”

 

Once again Jenna Soltesz was the top finisher finishing in sixth place overall with a time of 23 minutes, 12.4 seconds. Brooke Driscoll was right on her heels at No. 7 with a time of 23 minutes, 15.2 seconds, while Emma Campbell was No. 8 with a mark of 23 minutes, 30.6 seconds.

 

Haley Chamberlain was at No. 10 (23:50.9) and Brooke Wagner was at No. 11 (23:58.2) to round out the top five runners. Allison Hess finished at No. 16 (24:15.5) and Julie Muller was at No. 19 (25:04.3) to round out a strong day for the group of seven that will represent BHS at the state meet.

 

“Considering where we’ve been the last few years and that we’ve struggled to qualify and even at times struggle to have numbers, to get here is really impressive. This is a big day for the girls’ program and they need to keep it up,” said Griffith.