They did it

again.

The McIntosh

Lady Chiefs cross-country team won the region championship for the ninth

straight year and this year it was no easy feat.

McIntosh is

part of the largest region in the state, 4-AAAAA, and battled 13 other

teams for region supremacy. McIntosh finished with 31 overall points,

while Lovejoy placed second with 87 points and Starr's Mill finished third

with 104 points.

Dana Van Winkle

was the overall winner of the girls race, finishing with a time of 19:54,

while Elizabeth Gardner finished second at 19:56.

Morgan Cunningham

finished eighth overall with a time of 20:41, while Tina Paone placed

ninth (20:48). Keri Pendergrass, Mary Katherine Crofton and Judy Thomasson

rounded out the top seven runners for the Lady Chiefs, placing 14th, 15th

and 17th respectively with times of 21:12, 21:16 and 21:24.

The Lady Chiefs

are still ranked third in the state. They must find a way to break up

the Brookwood pack if they are to find a way to claim the state championship.

They also must

stay healthy. Several of the girls play soccer year-round and have had

injuries occur on the soccer field.

The McIntosh

boys ran a fine race at the region meet but finished in fourth place.

The Fayette County Tigers, the region champs, lost to the Chiefs on the

same course the week before at the county championship. They came fired

up and won with their senior-laden squad.

Shaun Emery

finished in 12th place with a time of 17:19, followed by Randy Hutchinson

in 13th place at 17:23. Ben Brantley finished in 20th place (17:42), while

Ian Hardy placed 22nd overall (17:45) and Tony Luciano placed 24th (17:46).

Rounding out

the top seven runners for the Chiefs were Clint Adams in 34th place (18:29)

and Charlie Gonzalez in 36th place (18:40).

This is where

the season ends for the McIntosh boys team. The entire squad returns next

year with the exception of Tony Luciano, and McIntosh will be one of the

top programs in the region again.

Starr's Mill's

boys finished in fifth place overall at the region meet. Les Page finished

in 17th place with a time of 17:31, while Jason Buttram placed 27th at

18:03. Jason Fitzgerald finished 33rd (18:26), followed by Patrick O'Donnell

in 37th (18:42) and Ricardo Ramos in 39th (18:46). Jay Touchstone finished

in 42nd place with a time of 18:49.

The Starr's

Mill girls team placed third overall in the region meet. The Lady Panthers

were led by Ashley Meredith, who finished in third place with a time of

20:03. Katie Hughes finished 18th at 21:24, while Heather Krehbiel finished

22nd (21:36). Finsihing 32nd and 33rd were Jessie Klos (23:01) and Jennifer

Kroupa-Alt (23:10). Katy Underwood placed 43rd with a time of 23:42 and

Jeannine Guertin finished in 45th place at 23:47.

The Fayette

County boys and the McIntosh girls are the only two county teams to head

to the state meet next Saturday at Carrollton High School.

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