Photo by Robin Campbell
Calvert sophomore Justin Diehl had yet to pick up the first major win of his cross country career, but he ended that on Wednesday at the SMAC Championships. In a rematch of last year's 2A South Regional meet he beat Westlake's Jay Hall, dropping an impressive 16:10.99 at Chaptico Park. The race served as a good preview for this year's 2A state meet, where Diehl and Hall figure to be two of the top contenders for the title.
River Hill's Rahul Reddy was also looking for his first big win, and earned it with an outstanding race at the Howard County Championships. In a rematch of the Howard County Invitational over a month earlier, Reddy changed his strategy and it paid off as he pulled away from the field and cracked the 16-minute mark on the challenging Centennial High School course. He also led the River Hill boys to their third straight county championship.
Smithsburg senior Will Merritt narrowly missed cracking 15 minutes on the three-mile Boonsboro High School course at the Frank Keyser Invitational earlier this month, so he made sure that he broke the barrier at the Washington County Championships on Thursday. He created a large gap within the first mile and never looked back, crossing the finish in 14:56 - one of the fastest times ever run on the Boonsboro course.
Photo by Chris Van Valkenburgh
South River senior Nick Boogades only started running cross country last year as a junior, but it only took him two seasons to crack the 16 minute mark. He won the Anne Arundel County Championships in 15:58, ahead of the Severna Park boys. In a 4A state meet that is shaping up to be Rohann Asfaw and then everyone else, Boogades has a strong chance for the second spot.
Finally, Kent Island junior Brandon Nichols won the Bayside Championships on Wednesday with a 16:08 three-mile performance. He went 1-2 with his teammate and fellow junior Erick Sanchez as the Kent Island boys won the race.