CANNONSBURG —
The Boyd County Cross Country Invitational is in its 37th year, and first-year Lions head coach Dirk Hollar can hardly wait.
“I’m excited,” Hollar said about Saturday’s race. “From what I understand, we’ve never had this many teams before.”
Twenty schools will be represented, with the girls varsity race set for 11:30 a.m. and the boys to start an hour later. The 5,000-meter course begins on the BCHS football practice field and ends on the track.
Both defending team champions — Russell’s boys and Fairview’s girls — are back with several key returners from their 2011 lineups.
Overall, the field is loaded with runners from across the region and beyond — Dixie Heights (northern Kentucky), Wayne (W.Va.) and Coal Grove (Ohio).
“There are a lot of good teams, that’s what we are excited about,” Hollar said.
One of them is Hollar’s own girls squad, which jumped to fifth in the Class 2A rankings last week. The Lady Lions finished ahead of the state-ranked trio of Elizabethtown, Mason County and Christian Academy in a Sept. 22 meet at Kentucky Horse Park.
“The girls were excited about being ranked that high,” said Hollar, whose team was No. 10 the week before. “When I told them, Alliya Kautzman’s eyes got really big.”
Boyd County’s top seven runners include Darian Steele, Courtney Gibson, Kautzman, Hannah Cassady, Sarahlyn Miller, Taylor Cyrus and Cortney Cook. Cassady and Cyrus, a first-year runner, are the only seniors in the group.
Miller has a sore hip flexor and Cyrus is dealing with knee tendinitis, but both are expected to compete Saturday.
The Lady Lions have closed the gap on Class A power Fairview this season and are looking forward to another opportunity.
“We would like to knock them off,” Hollar said. “We keep getting closer and closer. We would be happy with second, but not satisfied.”
Last year, Fairview’s Lyndsey Burke won the individual title in 20:37. Katie Richard and Brooklyn Bowen of the Lady Eagles finished second and fourth, respectively.
East Carter senior Macy Dyer is ranked ninth in Class 2A.
“East Carter has been sneaking up on the other teams,” Hollar said. “And Dixie Heights is bringing about 50 kids overall.”
The meet opens at 9 a.m. with 1,600-meter races for elementary girls and boys. Middle schoolers take the course at 10 a.m. and will run 3,000 meters.
In the varsity boys race, Russell and Ashland will continue their competitive battle. Russell won last year’s BC Invitational championship as Jacob Heyerly, Josh Riley and Brandon Yates placed fourth, fifth and sixth.
ROCKY STANLEY can be reached at rstanley@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2671.
Local Sports
Boyd gears up for long-running meet
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Locals struggle to make impact
Some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug.
It is a saying that proved to be all too true for Rowan County on Friday night at the KHSAA Class 2A State Track and Field Championships at the University of Louisville’s Owsley Frazier Cardinal Park. -
Rough Ending
Fairview senior Kennedy Womack wasn’t her consistent self in Saturday morning’s state tennis semifinals at the University of Kentucky’s Hilary Boone Tennis Complex.
As a result, the top seed fell to Lexington Sayre sophomore Madeline Rolph 6-1, 6-0.
Womack was obviously disappointed with her finish, especially after losing in last year’s state finals, but she was happy for her good friend Rolph. -
FLYING HIGH
If Fairview could have fielded a combined track and field team at Saturday’s Class A State Track and Field Championships, the Eagles and Lady Eagles would have had a record day. Instead, the Fairview girls had to “settle” for fifth, while the boys’ claimed 10th.
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Womack eliminated in semifinals
Top-seeded Kennedy Womack was eliminated in the semifinals of the State Tournament on Saturday at the University of Kentucky tennis courts.
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Big-inning Dawgs
It looked for a while that a questionable call may have determined the outcome of the game, but in the end, it was just an afterthought.
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Boyd County finds senior spark
Losers of four straight, Boyd County was searching for something positive Friday night before beginning postseason play Monday night.
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Doubles teams head to semis at state tourney
With rain staying away, the KHSAA State Tennis Tournament got into full swing on Friday afternoon.
Semifinals and finals will be held today at the University of Kentucky Boone/Downing Tennis Complex for boys and girls singles competitions. -
McKnight hurdling to Georgetown
Fairview’s Paige McKnight is known for jumping hurdles. She cleared a pretty big one on Thursday.
In front of friends and family at Fairview Elementary School, McKnight signed a letter of intent to run track for Georgetown College. -
Several area schools will be represented at State Track and Field championships
Local track and field athletes are ready to try to carry region competition success onto the state stage.
Several area schools will be represented at this weekend’s State Track and Field championships at the University of Louisville. The Class 2A meet is set for today at 3:15 p.m. and Class A competition is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 8:15 a.m. -
EAST KENTUCKY BASKETBALL HISTORY: Reflections on 'The Shot'
Paintsville High School legend J.R. VanHoose is also an eastern Kentucky basketball sports historian. This is one in an ongoing series of stories.
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