When Walter Johnson High School senior Scott Sheehan passed the mile marker in Saturday's 4A boys' cross country state meet at Hereford High School, he said he already knew that he had a chance to be among the top finishers in the race.
"I was in about 70th at the mile last year, and I finished in 24th," Sheehan said. "This is the kind of race that if you go out too fast, you are going to die off, so I just stayed in a spot where I could move up to the front. I was in about 20th at the mile, then five of us broke away from the pack."
What Sheehan didn't know was that minutes later he would be crossing the finish line as the state champion, the first Wildcat runner to earn that distinction since David Glynn won back-to-back 3A titles in 1997-98.
Sheehan (16:28) finished seven seconds ahead of Montgomery County champion Evan Laratta (16:35) of Quince Orchard. Next came Joshua Ellis (16:37) of Walter Johnson, followed by 4A West Region champion Will Conway (16:43) of Winston Churchill. Nick Adams (17:01) of Walt Whitman secured the eighth spot.
"There were a lot of great runners this year, and I wasn't really expected to be up there," said Sheehan, who finished sixth at the region meet. "I knew that I could kind of keep up with them, but I didn't expect to beat all of them. I knew Will Conway was probably the one to beat, and Evan Laratta showed that he was just as good at the county race."
The Wildcats claimed a fourth-consecutive team title, with James Sauro (17:17, 15th), Michael Spak (17:32, 23rd) and Franklin Floresca (17:35, 29th) contributing to the team total of 71 points. Severna Park (101 points) finished second, followed by 4A West Region champion Churchill (115). Quince Orchard (fourth, 170), Thomas S. Wootton (fifth, 175) and Sherwood (eighth, 230) rounded out the top ten teams from Montgomery County.
In the girls' race, Whitman senior Caroline Guiot (19:27) edged Churchill freshman Lucy Srour (19:36) for the individual 4A title. The two girls have traded wins recently, with Guiot claiming the 4A West Region title, and Srour winning the county championship.
"They are really competitive girls, and they set the bar really high for Montgomery County and for the state of Maryland," Bethesda-Chevy Chase coach Chad Young said. "It is always a lot of fun to watch them, because it is a battle at the front of the race."
The B-CC squad claimed the team title, with five runners placing in the top 34. Freshmen Nora Mcumber (20:18, seventh), Abby Fry (21:02, 19th) and Kat McNeill (21:21, 29th) joined senior Ava Farrell (20:47, 14th) and junior Laura Nakasaka (21:31, 34th) to give the Barons a team score of 103 points. B-CC narrowly edged defending champion Whitman (111), Severna Park (114), Dulaney (117) and Wootton (119) in the closest team competition of the day.
"It was an impressive day for sure," Young said. "A lot of that has to do with the team getting stronger throughout the season. We have three freshman on our varsity team, and they have really improved with each race, and that has a lot to do with how we have improved. The freshmen have added a lot of depth to our team."
In other divisions, Nick Simpson (17:08) earned 10th place in the 3A boys' race and led Albert Einstein to an eighth place team finish. Poolesville came in third in the 2A boys' with 121 points, paced by Chase Weaverling (17:05) claiming fourth place. Sophomore Chelsie Pennello (20:10) also finished fourth for Poolesville, racing as an individual in the 2A girls' event.
Montgomery County results
4A Girls
1. Caroline Guiot (Whitman) 19:27.5
2. Lucy Srour (Churchill) 19:36.3
4. Anna Ryba (Whitman) 19:48.8
6. Abbey Daley (Clarksburg) 20:15.3
7. Nora Mcumber (B-CC) 20:18.3
8. Madeline Rico (Wootton) 20:26.4
9. Sheppard Naomi (Northwest) 20:34.1
13. Morgana D'Ottavi (Blair) 20:41.0
15. Ava Farrell (B-CC) 20:47.6
18. Grace McDonald (Sherwood) 20:55.3
19. Karen Cohen (Wootton) 21:01.1
20. Abby Fry (B-CC) 21:02.1
22. Isabelle Latour (Quince Orchard) 21:07.3
24. Lucie Noall (Clarksburg) 21:09.4
Teams
1. Bethesda-Chevy Chase (103)
2. Walt Whitman (111)
5. Thomas S. Wootton (119)
7. Quince Orchard (233)
8. Winston Churchill (252)
9. Northwest (281)
11. Sherwood (297)
12. Montgomery Blair (317)
16. Springbrook (409)
4A Boys
1. Scott Sheehan (Walter Johnson) 16:28.5
2. Evan Laratta (Quince Orchard) 16:35.8
3. Josh Ellis (WJ) 16:37.2
4. Will Conway (Winston Churchill) 16:43.1
8. Nick Adams (Walt Whitman) 17:01.8
11. David Fitzgerald (Churchill) 17:10.5
13. Evan Burnham (QO) 17:15.5
15. James Sauro (WJ) 17:17.4
16. Josh Trzeciak (Wootton) 17:19.5
17. Zach Weinstein (Churchill) 17:20.7
19. David Levine (Wootton) 17:24.8
20. Daniel Belay (Gaithersburg) 17:25.6
22. Jamie Ertel (Wootton) 17:29.9
23. Michael Spak (WJ) 17:32.0
25. Dustin Kang (Sherwood) 17:32.9
Teams
1. Walter Johnson (71)
3. Winston Churchill (115)
4. Quince Orchard (170)
5. Thomas S. Wootton (175)
8. Sherwood (230)
t-12. Bethesda-Chevy Chase (302)
14. Walt Whitman (340)
15. Gaithersburg (396)
21. Paint Branch (592)
3A Girls
12. Allison Marella (Damascus) 21:13.9
21. Lauren Logan (Albert Einstein) 21:38.4
Teams
16. Albert Einstein (389)
3A Boys
10. Nick Simpson (Albert Einstein) 17:08.6
17. Jonaton Baginski (Rockville) 17:222.9
Teams
8. Albert Einstein (247)
14. Rockville (348)
2A Girls
4. Chelsie Pennello (Poolesville) 20:10.7
2A Boys
4. Chase Weaverling (Poolesville) 17:05.9
14. Naimbai Njerakey (Wheaton) 17:36.3
24. Jordan Psaltakis (Poolesville) 18:02.0
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