Competing in the 3A cross country region meet, Apollo’s boys team took home first place, while Daviess County won the girls’ race.
In a heavily contested boys’ race, Apollo beat Daviess County by 14 points to take home gold, with Asher Alvey (2nd, 16:10.70) leading the way. He was followed by Noah Gray (3rd, 16:19.50), Axton Alvey (4th, 16:58.00), Eli Currington (9th, 17:13.30), and Grayson Turner (11th, 17:43.40).
“I’m incredibly proud of this group of guys. They’re one of the most selfless teams I’ve ever been around, and they genuinely want to see each other succeed,” Apollo boys’ Head Coach Daniel Southard said. “All season long, they’ve shown up excited and ready to compete for one another. Several times this season, I’ve been in awe watching them grow into a family. For our seniors, I’m thrilled they got to experience a regional championship — they’ve invested so much into this program and helped shape the standard for what it means to be an Apollo runner. We’ll compete in the state meet on Saturday, and we’re looking forward to another fight.”
On the girls’ side, the E-Gals finished second with Addy Alvey (3rd, 20:25.60), Lola Falloway (10th, 21:31.59), Stella Clark (11th, 21:36.64), Ava Falloway (20th, 22:23.02), and Avery Boarman (24th, 23:07.51) rounding out the team’s top five.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group of young ladies,” Apollo girls’ Head Coach Charlie Shoulta said. “We lined up this morning with a unique mix of athletes, and we brought up a few middle school runners a few weeks back as their season was winding down. They’ve blended in with our high school girls beautifully. It’s been a long time since Apollo has finished in the top two in this region, so I’m especially happy for our seniors to go out with a trophy in their hands. This group has raised the bar for what’s possible moving forward, and with the young talent we have coming up, I’m really excited about the future of this program.”
It was a dominant performance for the Lady Panthers, with Haley Wolfe and Bentlei Stallings coming in first and second. Kloee Gaynor (4th, 20:29.82), Rylee Emmick (9th, 21:21.25), and Mallory Raines (14th, 21:57.66) rounded out the team’s top five.
“They did a great job on the toughest course we have raced on this season,” Daviess County girls’ Head Coach Les Orlow said. ‘It was a great team performance.”
Finishing second in the boys’ race, the Panthers were led by Judson Redfern (6th, 17:05.90), Camryn Edge (7th, 17:11.00), Joseph Edge (8th, 17:12.40), Austin Spurrier (10th, 17:22.70), and Jordan Norris (14th, 17:47.60).
“The team ran well today,” Daviess County Head Coach James Loi said. “Apollo was the better team today. Now we are the underdogs the next time we compete, and we will compete next week at state.”
For Owensboro, the boys’ team just missed the cutoff to advance to the state tournament as a team, being edged out by Henderson County by seven points. However, sophomore Isrell Roberts (18th, 18:01.40) advanced as an individual.
“I’m incredibly proud of this group,” Owensboro boys’ Head Coach Griffin Kelley said. “We came into the season with the goal of being in the mix to qualify for state, and we were right there, finishing just seven points out from making it. It hurts to come that close, but it also shows how far we’ve come as a program. We were led by Isrell Roberts, who ran an outstanding race. He placed 18th overall and qualified for the State Championship as an individual. He’s earned every bit of that opportunity.”
The Lady Devils finished seventh, but senior Kiley Palmer advanced as an individual, finishing 18th with a time of 22:10.32.
“My team went out and competed today,” Owensboro girls’ Head Coach Matt Morris said. “The end result does not reflect the effort they have put in all season or how they performed, but I am very proud of the effort. Senior Kiley Palmer punched her ticket to state for the fifth time as a member of Owensboro Cross Country, so there is still work to do. We will reflect on the season next week, recover, and set our sights on the track season. The girls have so much heart, and I know they will be ready to get back at it.”
Region 2 Class 1A
Owensboro Catholic’s Lady Aces cruised to a Class 1A Region 2 title, with Peyton Reid coming in first overall. Charlie Reid (2nd, 20:03.09), Ainsley Sutter (3rd, 20:21.08), Ashlie Hayden (4th, 20:26.11), and Natalie Atherton (7th, 21:11.00) rounded out the team’s top five times.
“I’m happy with how the girls ran today,” Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Jacob Reid said. “They looked really strong and seemed to be peaking right when you want them to be at their best. Today was a confidence booster for our group, and we are excited for state next week.”
On the boys’ side, the Aces finished fourth and were led by Owen Brey (3rd, 17:16.41), Simon Thompson (10th, 18:09.89), John Wathen (14th, 18:23.60), Ben Booker (24th, 19:12.94), and Luke Pfeifer (31st, 19:50.05).
“It was a solid team race,” Owensboro Catholic boys’ Head Coach Willie Polio said.
For Hancock County, the Lady Hornets finished fourth with Ellen Meserve (15th, 23:26.89), Isabella Ross (16th, 23:50.26), Lyla DeJarnette (26th, 24:31.11), Elizabeth Seaton (29th, 24:58.63), and Alyson Goodall (31st, 25:17.74) leading the way.
On the boys’ side, the Hornets finished fifth, with Emmitt Meserve (4th, 17:18.99), Hunter Stephens (18th, 18:49.44), Noah Henson (20th, 18:52.22), Max DeJarnette (32nd, 19:51.64), and Ethan Heavrin (35th, 20:33.69) rounding out the team’s top five times.
“The girls qualified for their 30th straight state meet despite having our number one girl racing with a taped-up sprained ankle,” Hancock County Head Coach Wes Meserve said. “On the boys’ side, Emmitt Meserve made the All-Region Team and led the boys to qualify for state for the first time since 2019. Overall, this was one of the best region performances we’ve had in years.”
