Waynesboro's Miles Jolin, Fort's Abby Lane take first in district cross country

VERONA — Waynesboro's Miles Jolin had his coach, Julie Stevens, a bit concerned at the start of the race. She wasn't sure what her top runner's plan was as he paced himself early and fell behind his top competitor, Fort Defiance's Parker Blosser.

Jolin said everything was under control. His plan was to stay behind Blosser until they neared the second mile and then make his move. He saw Blosser start slowing down just enough around a mile and a half into the race on Fort Defiance's home course in Verona. That's when Jolin passed him and never gave up the lead.

Jolin won the individual boys championship at the Shenandoah District cross country meet Wednesday with a time of 16:42.27. The Waynesboro sophomore helped lead his team to a win with 29 points, easily beating second-place Wilson which finished with 49.

Fort Defiance (77) finished third, followed by Riverheads (106), Stuarts Draft (129), Staunton (169) and Buffalo Gap (180).

Stevens knows how talented Blosser is and she worried that he might get too far ahead for Jolin to catch him. She just didn't want her runner to be too comfortable against a quality opponent. Still, she trusts Jolin.

"I know he's a smart runner," Stevens said. "I know he understands the whole aspect of cross country. He's smart enough going into regionals to know what he has to accomplish."

Dylan Colander was third, part of a group of five Waynesboro runners who finished in the top 10 Wednesday.

Waynesboro took a practice run on the Fort course a few days ago. Stevens admitted that the hilly course located just off of Route 11 near the Staunton-Augusta County border in the Green Hills Industrial Park isn't her runners' favorite. She worried that would impact them mentally.

"They just needed to run," she said. "Not worry about time. Today's course was not going to be a place where you get a PR (personal record)."

The Little Giants were favored Wednesday, but Stevens reminded her team that they weren't expected to win the regional meet last year and found a way to do it. So, just because you're supposed win doesn't mean it will happen.

"Days like today when the weather's hot and it's not been this hot in a few weeks, anybody can have a good race and anybody can have a bad race," Stevens said.

Wilson Memorial's Liam McMahon and Joseph Childress rounded out the top five in the district championships.

Girls race

Fort Defiance's Abby Lane was not going to be caught, or even threatened, Wednesday on her last cross country meet on her home course. The Fort senior ran a 19:44.63.

Lane said she felt off standing at the starting line. She usually has an adrenaline rush just before a race begins, but that didn't come on Wednesday. Even after the race she wasn't sure what was off. It certainly wasn't her running, recording her best time ever on the Verona course.

"I knew in the back of my head, 'Where's that adrenaline?'" Lane said after the race. "I think I was thinking too much about this race. Usually my technique is to not think about it at all."

During the race she kept telling herself to stop thinking and just run.

"I kept fighting myself in my head," she said. "Also, the heat. It came back. I think that was part of it."

While Lane won the individual title, it was Wilson Memorial taking the team championship, placing runners at second, third, sixth, seventh and ninth for 27 points, ahead of Fort Defiance's 49.

Waynesboro was third with 62, followed by Riverheads (100) and Staunton (129). Stuarts Draft didn't have enough runners to field a full team and Buffalo Gap doesn't have a girls team this year.

"It means a lot," Wilson Memorial's Quinn Franklin said of the team title. "We worked so hard for his. The whole team, collectively, we help boost each other."

Franklin finished third Wednesday behind teammate Cassidy Plautz.

"We've run hilly courses, we've run hot days," Plautz said. "I feel like this course especially challenges you because there's not a lot of recovery between the sections where you have to push."

Wilson coach Natalie Hall said Plautz and Franklin are so consistent. She was so happy that they got to win a district title in their senior seasons. She said her third and fourth runners Wednesday, Alison Troxell and Thea Franklin, have been coming on so strong at the end of the season.

But it was the team's fifth runner, Sydney Troxell, who finished ninth overall, who really stepped up Wednesday when another top runner was slowed some by injury.

"One to seven, the focus has been we're strong together," Hall said. "You don't win championships with just one or two. You've got to have five. Sydney looked great."

Quinn Franklin said she couldn't be happier with the way Sydney Troxell ran.

"I'm so proud of her," Franklin said. "It takes so much guts to see where you need to fill in a spot for your team and where you need to work. She saw that and she went and really brought it all."

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Waynesboro's Miles Jolin, Fort's Abby Lane take first in district cross country