DANVILLE, Va. (Caroline Hylton) — The Galileo Falcons ran away with medals galore and regional victories for both the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams in the 2021 VHSL Group 1A Region B Championships at Frazier Farms in Altavista on Wednesday, gaining a berth to the state finals along the way.
This annual competition brings together skilled runners from all over Virginia to decide which three schools will advance to the state championship. Ten member schools toed the line for the championship, but the outcome had a familiar ending: another Galileo sweep of the boys and girls finals.
In the boys’ competition, Rappahannock County senior Luke Ellis claimed male runner of the year for the region by winning the race with his time of 16:45. Kristopher Schultz, an Altavista senior, placed 2nd at 17:01. Following closely behind in places 3-6 were the Falcons swooping in for a victory.
Senior Cole Harbodin led the Falcon attack with a 17:12 (3rd). Juniors Alexander Gomez-Hernandez (17:15) and Jackson Herndon (17:18) placed 4th and 5th, respectively. Senior Jamison Mantooth came in 6th with a 17:43, and fellow senior Dylan Kirk placed 12th with a 19:06. Other notable runners included Jack Lingle (19th) and Neil Shroff (20th).
The Galileo boys tallied five medals and finished in first place with 24 points. The victory marked the 3rd straight region title, and four of the past 5 years.
Altavista Combined School came in 2nd with 42 points, and Buffalo Gap placed 3rd with 88 points. All three schools will be advancing to the cross country state championship.
On the girls’ side, Galileo’s Carol-Anne Garrett became the first Lady Falcon to win the individual championship with her strong 20:55 outing. Garrett’s performance earned her the 2021 female runner of the year for the region.
Senior Samaria Little of Altavista Combined School finished 2nd with a 21:25. After that, the Lady Falcons soared to the finish line.
Junior Camilla Rodriguez placed 3rd with a 21:29; junior Rowan Kirk placed 5th with a 21:40; and sophomore Ava Wray placed 7th with a 22:18. Freshman Sophia Markowitz came to the finish line 12th with a 24:11. Natalie Owen, in her first race since September 4th, rounded out the top 20.
Having graduated four of their top five runners from last year’s region championship team, many outside of the program anticipated Galileo to have a down year this season. Instead, the young Lady Falcons spread their wings and soared their way to a 4th consecutive region crown.
Galileo’s team score of 27 points, outdistancing Riverheads High School, which placed 2nd with 45 points. Altavista Combined School finished 3rd with 77 points.
Both Riverheads and Altavista will also advance to the state championship as well.
Galileo’s boys are currently ranked number one in the VHSL 1A division, and are the favorites to win the state championship November 13 at Green Hill Park in Salem, VA. If Galileo is able to secure the victory, they will become the first school in Southside Virginia to win a team cross country championship.