LANDOVER – While sprints, jumps and throws produced an occasional winner or state qualifier, distance events ruled the day for Cecil County squads at the 1A East and 2A East Region meets on Monday at the Prince George’s Sports and Learning Complex in Landover.
County runners swept the four qualifying spots in the 1A girls’ 1,600-meter run and the 1A boys’ 3,200-meter run and produced 15 state qualifiers for the county in the mile and two-mile alone.
In the four 1A races of 1,600 or 3,200 meters, a county runner took first each time. Perryville senior Kaylee Haberkam swept the girls’ mile and two-mile runs, while Bohemia Manor took both boys’ races, with freshman Ty Franks winning the 1,600 and junior Chandler Brooks prevailing in the 3,200.
Additionally, North East junior Kaitlyn Henderson went 2-for-2 as the lone 2A girls’ entrant from Cecil County, finishing second in the 1,600 and fourth in the 3,200 to qualify for the state meet in both events.
Such is the dominance of the Panthers’ female distance runners, a group containing just one senior, that Monday’s region crown gave them a fourth consecutive title across a trio of sports. Perryville claimed a 1A East title in 2012 indoor track and followed it up with 1A North championships in outdoor track and cross country in 2012.
Although track features more than a dozen events, the small group of cross country runners has been the driving force behind the county’s success at outdoor and indoor track.
“I think it’s because a lot of people from Cecil County have a lot of heart,” Henderson said. “With other people, it just seems like they have a lot of talent. In the end, heart always beats talent, so I think that’s where we all get it from. Also, the coaching staffs are pretty amazing.”
The distance dominance carried the Panthers to a sweep of the boys’ and girls’ East Region titles, while the Eagles, buoyed by Franks and Chandler, finished fourth in the boys’ standings.
Winning at distance races is nothing new for Franks, who conquered the demanding Hereford course as a freshman last fall to win the 1A Boys’ Cross Country State Championship. With the 3,200 still on tap, he coasted through most of the mile in second place before his competitive instincts kicked in on the final lap.
“I saw (Forestville senior) Shaun Allen slowing down, so I thought, ‘I’m not just going to sit here and take second when I can get first,’” Franks said. “I just went out and got it.”
Brooks, on the other hand, sat out the mile and was fresh for the 3,200. On the third of 16 laps, he surged ahead of Franks and Perryville senior Eric Barton, who ultimately finished second and third, respectively. He maintained the lead for the remainder of the race to win by 4.02 seconds and claim the first region crown of his career.
“After the third lap, I just went after them,” he said. “With eight laps left, I turned around, and there was nobody there. I figured I might as well hold it.”
All 42 points scored by the Bo Manor boys came from members of the cross country program, which has won three titles in five years and finished second by one point in 2012.
“It’s what they love to do,” Eagles coach Evan Cohn said. “The indoor season is so tough with the weather. You have to be there every day, but it’s something that they want to do. When it’s something that you enjoy doing, it makes a huge difference.”
Follow Ryan Ginn on Twitter: @Ryan_CecilWhig
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She is a junior (11th grade).
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