Thursday's 4A East boys race did little to provide any clarity to this upcoming weekend's 4A state meet race. (Photo by Alicia Anthony)
4A North Regional (Results - Photos - Videos)
Boys
The Dulaney boys gave Northwood a fight on their home course on Thursday, coming within six points of taking down the Gladiators (who won their second straight 4A North title). Their narrow 30-second 1-5 spread could help the Lions next week as they aim for the first time since four straight top-two finishes from 2014-17. Northwood's top four boys scored a combined 19 points, but their search for a reliable fifth runner keeps them closer to the pack in the 4A field that includes teams like Dulaney and Walter Johnson than they were last year. It was Springbrook senior Surafel Mengist who won his first major cross country race on Thursday, turning the tables on Northwood's Ayalew Fantaw who had beat him in their previous two meetings on the season. Both boys will likely be in the running in what is still a fairly wide-open 4A boys race this weekend.
Girls
Thursday's girls race provided less drama as far as the team battle went. Dulaney put five runners in the top 13 on their home course, while no other team could claim more than three medalists. The Sherwood girls, led by repeat regional champion Katie Kaneko, were the next-closest team, finishing 19 points behind the Lions. Kaneko joins Isabel Griffith (who won three times) as the only repeat 4A North winners this decade; Catonsville's Jessica McDivitt was the only senior among the top ten runners in a young field. In the race for the final team spot at the state meet, Springbrook (191 points) beat out John F. Kennedy (194) and Paint Branch (208).
4A South Regional (Results)
Boys
Parkdale senior Jafar Hussen turned in another impressive effort on Thursday at Fort Washington Park. His 16:15 performance was just a few seconds off the time he ran at the Prince George's County Championships, and he'll be a dark-horse candidate for a top ten spot at this weekend's 4A state meet. Once again, however, the Roosevelt boys overwhelmed the field with their depth, putting six runners in the top 13 to win the regional title.
Girls
The Flowers girls dominated once again, even without senior leader Javon Watts, with six of the top ten finishers in Thursday's race. Roosevelt's Rachel Antigua - this year's county runner-up - took advantage, winning her first regional title.
4A East Regional (Results - Photos - Videos)
Boys
Jake Gelfand had been the third wheel in the Anne Arundel County field all season behind Sam Keeny and Tanner Piotrowski, but not on Thursday. Gelfand led for much of the sloppy race at Centennial High School, only relinquishing the lead to a late-charging Keeny in the final steps of the race on the track. A tight finish that saw Keeny, Gelfand, Kendall Phillips and Piotrowski all finish within a few seconds of each other only adds more uncertainty as to who the favorite will be at the 4A state meet this weekend (the best answer - there is no favorite, just eight or so potential contenders). Gelfand's getting caught at the finish line did not affect Severna Park's finish as they squeezed six runners in the top 11 and handily won another 4A East regional title. South River edged Broadneck for runner-up honors, while Arundel, Howard and Leonardtown also punched their tickets to states.
Girls
Yet another matchup between the top three teams in the states played out as it has all season, as Howard put more distance between them and Severna Park than they did in their last meeting at Frank Keyser. A full-strength Amanda Eliker certainly helped as she was back in top form, outlasting Arundel's Niya Torres in a back-and-forth battle through the wind and mud. With a 17-point margin of victory over the Falcons, Howard will be the favorites at the state meet over the defending champions. South River grabbed the sixth and final state qualifying spot by a comfortable margin over Annapolis.
4A West Regional (Results - Videos)
Boys
The Walter Johnson boys confirmed their status as the top team in the region - something that wasn't clear as recent as prior to the Montgomery County Championships - as they put five runners in the top 14 at High Point Farm on Thursday. The defending champions from Richard Montgomery did go 1-3-4, led by state title contender Garrett Suhr, but the depth just wasn't there for the Rockets to compete with Walter Johnson. The Churchill boys emerged as the clear-cut third best team in the region out of a sizeable group that included Whitman and Gaithersburg who battled for the final spot at states; the Vikings won with an eight-point edge.
Girls
A rematch between Jenna Goldberg and Charlotte Turesson went much like their previous meeting at the Montgomery County Championships, with Goldberg putting over 45 seconds between herself and the Richard Montgomery junior. Even with the talent in the 4A East region, it's hard to call anyone but Goldberg the favorite at Saturday's state meet; if her 17:28 county meet performance wasn't enough, she ran 18:10 on a challenging course in non-ideal conditions at High Point Farm. Behind Goldberg, the Walter Johnson girls made the team battle much closer than it was at the county meet, although pack-minded Whitman defended their regional title by a mere one point; both teams will be chasing a top-three spot, at the least, on Saturday. The race for the sixth and seventh spots grew intense, as Churchill, B-CC, Richard Montgomery and Northwest were all separated by just 20 points.