Bridgeport’s boys cross country team won its fifth straight regional championship and the girls won their second in a row this afternoon in the Class AA Region II championship at Davis & Elkins College in Randolph County.

 

The five straight titles are the only five the boys have won in school history. The girls have another regional crown to go with their two straight. The girls were regional winners in 2011.

 

Bridgeport’s boys rolled to the title with 48 points as their depth again proved a factor. Doddridge County was a distant second with 84 points, while Elkins was third with 91 and Robert C. Byrd finished with 98. All four teams qualified for the state championship meet.

 

“The boys ran well.  We had seven in the top 27 with our scoring five in the top 19.  We still need to close the time gap from our number one to number five a little more,” said BHS Coach Jon Griffith. “Mark Duez looked very good and Cade Robinson came up with a very good race today.  The rest of the group ran well, just need to improve a little more.”

 

Duez had an extremely strong day as he was the region’s overall winner. Robinson came in seventh and Jackson Jacobs finished in the eight spot among the top 10 runers. Hunter Hutson, at No. 15, and Coleton Marsh, at No. 19, rounded out the five runners whose finishes counted toward Bridgeport’s winning total.

 

The girls finished with a winning total of 33 points. Doddridge County was the runner-up here as well with 53 points, while RCB was third with a total of 77 points. All three teams will compete for a state title later this month.

 

“The girls looked very good. With seven in the top 21 and our scoring five in the top 11, I couldn't ask for much more.  I still will ask them to improve a little, but I will feel a little bad about it,” Griffith said. 

 

BHS nearly pulled off an overall win sweep as Julia Muller finished second overall. She was one of four runners in the top 10 as Emma Campbell was fourth, Brooke Wagner was ninth and Jenna Soltesz finished in 10^th place. Allison Hess rounded out the top five scorers with a finish at No. 11.

 

The Class AA state meet is set for Saturday, Oct. 28 at Cabell Midland High School. The meet will begin at 1 p.m.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows the boys team after today's regional win, while the girls are shown below.