Lynn Burke
09-06-2007, 03:29 PM
Jamestown boys out to improve state finish
By Dan Maher | Correspondent
Jamestown was the area’s strongest boys’ cross country team last year, finishing fourth in the combined state meet and nabbing the runner-up position in Group AA competition. The Eagles aim to do better this season, returning five runners who placed among the top 13 in the 2006 Region I championships.
Junior Andrew Colley is the defending Region I title holder, and he will be counted upon to help the Eagles repeat as Bay Rivers District and regional champs. Jamestown is ranked No. 8 in the Southeast Region by Nike Team Nationals Selection Committee and could rise higher, because none of its top seven runners are seniors.
The battle for second place in the Bay Rivers should be entertaining, because Lafayette, New Kent, Tabb, and Poquoson have reason to hope they might slip into the No. 2 spot. Tabb returns district runner-up Will Mulherin, while Poquoson leans on last year’s third place finisher, David Burleson.
The first meet victory by Tabb this season will make coach George Coulter the second in state history to notch 250 meet wins.
In the Peninsula District, Gloucester benefits from the return of senior Douglas Fenstermacher, last year’s district champion and Eastern Region second place finisher. The Dukes are probably sufficiently strong to add another crown to their three district titles in four years.
The Dukes could be challenged by a young Menchville squad that is on the rise, and Bethel, Kecoughtan and Warwick return some key personnel from teams that were among the top five in the district in 2006.
Among the smaller schools, Peninsula Catholic and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy will be hard pressed to challenge Norfolk Collegiate for supremacy in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, but each should be in the hunt for the runner-up position in the conference.
A deep West Point team returns Tidewater District runner-up Dustin See and fourth-place finisher Caleb Gill, making them a favorite to repeat as district champs.
PENINSULA DISTRICT BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY
TEAMS TO WATCH: Gloucester, Menchville, Warwick, Kecoughtan, and Bethel.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Douglas Fenstermacher, Gloucester, Sr.; Orlando Burton, Heritage, Jr.; David Gerlach, Menchville, So.; Brandon Burton, Woodside, So.; Ryan Speray, Gloucester, Jr.; Ben Lothian, Gloucester, Sr.; Robert Alberti, Kecoughtan, Jr.; Mackenzie Webb, Bethel, Jr.; Zach Highsmith, Menchville, So.
MEETS TO WATCH: Bethel vs. Warwick, Sept. 18 @ 4 p.m. (Mariners’ Museum Park); Menchville vs. Kecoughtan, Sept. 18 @ 4 p.m. (Gosnold Hope Park); Menchville vs. Warwick, Sept. 25 @ 4 p.m. (Mariners’ Museum Park); Kecoughtan vs. Bethel, Oct. 2 @ 4 p.m. (Sandy Bottom Park); Gloucester vs. Warwick, Oct. 2 @ 4 p.m. (Mariners’ Museum Park); Bethel vs. Gloucester, Oct. 16 @ 4 p.m. (Beaverdam Park); Peninsula District Meet, Oct. 25 @ 3:00 p.m. (Newport News Park); Eastern Region Meet, Nov. 1 (Bells Mill Park, Chesapeake); State Meet, Nov. 10 (Great Meadows Park, The Plains).Dan Maher
BAY RIVERS DISTRICT BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY
TEAMS TO WATCH: Jamestown, Lafayette, New Kent, Tabb and Poquoson.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Andrew Colley, Jamestown, Jr.; Will Mulherin, Tabb, Sr.; David Burleson, Poquoson, Jr.; John Holt, Jamestown, Jr.; Colin Mearns, Jamestown, So.; Eric Lawler, New Kent, Jr.; Robert Webb, Lafayette, Sr.; Russell Hornsby, Jamestown, Jr.; Mike Clark, Grafton, Sr.
MEETS TO WATCH: William & Mary Invitational, Sept. 22 @ 8 a.m. (Eastern State Hospital); Grafton and Poquoson @ Lafayette, Sept. 26 @ 4 p.m.; Maymont Festival, Sept. 29 @ 9 a.m. (Maymont Park, Richmond); Lafayette, New Kent and Jamestown @ Tabb, Oct. 17 @ 4 p.m.; Bay Rivers District Meet, Oct. 25 (Eastern State Hospital); Region I Meet, Nov. 1 (Loriella Park, Fredericksburg); State Meet, Nov. 10 (Great Meadows Park, The Plains).
PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND SMALL SCHOOLS
TEAMS TO WATCH: Peninsula Catholic, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, King William and West Point.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Thomas Gounley, Peninsula Catholic, Sr.; Emerson Burkey, Walsingham, Sr.; Justin Gonzalez, Peninsula Catholic, So.; Dustin See, West Point, Sr.; Caleb Gill, West Point, So., Patrick McDonald, Nansemond-Suffolk, Sr.; Nick Miller, Nansemond-Suffolk, Jr.; Bobby Writtenberry, Nansemond-Suffolk, Jr.; Otto Williams, King William, Jr.
MEETS TO WATCH: Bill McGough Invitational, Sept. 15 @ 9:30 a.m. (Peninsula Catholic); King William and Lancaster @ West Point, Sept. 19 @ 4:30 p.m.; Peninsula Catholic @ Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Oct. 11 @ 4 p.m.; Virginia Catholic League Championship, Oct. 23 (Newport News Park); Tidewater District Meet, Oct. 24 @ 3 p.m.; Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools Meet, Nov. 2 @ 3:40 p.m.; Virginia Independent Schools State Meet, Nov. 9 @ 2 p.m. (Woodberry Forest).
By Dan Maher | Correspondent
Jamestown was the area’s strongest boys’ cross country team last year, finishing fourth in the combined state meet and nabbing the runner-up position in Group AA competition. The Eagles aim to do better this season, returning five runners who placed among the top 13 in the 2006 Region I championships.
Junior Andrew Colley is the defending Region I title holder, and he will be counted upon to help the Eagles repeat as Bay Rivers District and regional champs. Jamestown is ranked No. 8 in the Southeast Region by Nike Team Nationals Selection Committee and could rise higher, because none of its top seven runners are seniors.
The battle for second place in the Bay Rivers should be entertaining, because Lafayette, New Kent, Tabb, and Poquoson have reason to hope they might slip into the No. 2 spot. Tabb returns district runner-up Will Mulherin, while Poquoson leans on last year’s third place finisher, David Burleson.
The first meet victory by Tabb this season will make coach George Coulter the second in state history to notch 250 meet wins.
In the Peninsula District, Gloucester benefits from the return of senior Douglas Fenstermacher, last year’s district champion and Eastern Region second place finisher. The Dukes are probably sufficiently strong to add another crown to their three district titles in four years.
The Dukes could be challenged by a young Menchville squad that is on the rise, and Bethel, Kecoughtan and Warwick return some key personnel from teams that were among the top five in the district in 2006.
Among the smaller schools, Peninsula Catholic and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy will be hard pressed to challenge Norfolk Collegiate for supremacy in the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools, but each should be in the hunt for the runner-up position in the conference.
A deep West Point team returns Tidewater District runner-up Dustin See and fourth-place finisher Caleb Gill, making them a favorite to repeat as district champs.
PENINSULA DISTRICT BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY
TEAMS TO WATCH: Gloucester, Menchville, Warwick, Kecoughtan, and Bethel.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Douglas Fenstermacher, Gloucester, Sr.; Orlando Burton, Heritage, Jr.; David Gerlach, Menchville, So.; Brandon Burton, Woodside, So.; Ryan Speray, Gloucester, Jr.; Ben Lothian, Gloucester, Sr.; Robert Alberti, Kecoughtan, Jr.; Mackenzie Webb, Bethel, Jr.; Zach Highsmith, Menchville, So.
MEETS TO WATCH: Bethel vs. Warwick, Sept. 18 @ 4 p.m. (Mariners’ Museum Park); Menchville vs. Kecoughtan, Sept. 18 @ 4 p.m. (Gosnold Hope Park); Menchville vs. Warwick, Sept. 25 @ 4 p.m. (Mariners’ Museum Park); Kecoughtan vs. Bethel, Oct. 2 @ 4 p.m. (Sandy Bottom Park); Gloucester vs. Warwick, Oct. 2 @ 4 p.m. (Mariners’ Museum Park); Bethel vs. Gloucester, Oct. 16 @ 4 p.m. (Beaverdam Park); Peninsula District Meet, Oct. 25 @ 3:00 p.m. (Newport News Park); Eastern Region Meet, Nov. 1 (Bells Mill Park, Chesapeake); State Meet, Nov. 10 (Great Meadows Park, The Plains).Dan Maher
BAY RIVERS DISTRICT BOYS’ CROSS COUNTRY
TEAMS TO WATCH: Jamestown, Lafayette, New Kent, Tabb and Poquoson.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Andrew Colley, Jamestown, Jr.; Will Mulherin, Tabb, Sr.; David Burleson, Poquoson, Jr.; John Holt, Jamestown, Jr.; Colin Mearns, Jamestown, So.; Eric Lawler, New Kent, Jr.; Robert Webb, Lafayette, Sr.; Russell Hornsby, Jamestown, Jr.; Mike Clark, Grafton, Sr.
MEETS TO WATCH: William & Mary Invitational, Sept. 22 @ 8 a.m. (Eastern State Hospital); Grafton and Poquoson @ Lafayette, Sept. 26 @ 4 p.m.; Maymont Festival, Sept. 29 @ 9 a.m. (Maymont Park, Richmond); Lafayette, New Kent and Jamestown @ Tabb, Oct. 17 @ 4 p.m.; Bay Rivers District Meet, Oct. 25 (Eastern State Hospital); Region I Meet, Nov. 1 (Loriella Park, Fredericksburg); State Meet, Nov. 10 (Great Meadows Park, The Plains).
PRIVATE SCHOOLS AND SMALL SCHOOLS
TEAMS TO WATCH: Peninsula Catholic, Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, King William and West Point.
RUNNERS TO WATCH: Thomas Gounley, Peninsula Catholic, Sr.; Emerson Burkey, Walsingham, Sr.; Justin Gonzalez, Peninsula Catholic, So.; Dustin See, West Point, Sr.; Caleb Gill, West Point, So., Patrick McDonald, Nansemond-Suffolk, Sr.; Nick Miller, Nansemond-Suffolk, Jr.; Bobby Writtenberry, Nansemond-Suffolk, Jr.; Otto Williams, King William, Jr.
MEETS TO WATCH: Bill McGough Invitational, Sept. 15 @ 9:30 a.m. (Peninsula Catholic); King William and Lancaster @ West Point, Sept. 19 @ 4:30 p.m.; Peninsula Catholic @ Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Oct. 11 @ 4 p.m.; Virginia Catholic League Championship, Oct. 23 (Newport News Park); Tidewater District Meet, Oct. 24 @ 3 p.m.; Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools Meet, Nov. 2 @ 3:40 p.m.; Virginia Independent Schools State Meet, Nov. 9 @ 2 p.m. (Woodberry Forest).