The McIntosh boys and girls cross country squads continue to run their best races of the year. On Saturday, the Chiefs captured the boys and girls region 4-AAAA championship and prepare for the state meet this Saturday in Carrollton, Ga.

The girls squashed their competion with an overall score of 17 points. Remember that 15 points is a perfect score in cross country. Finishing in first place for the girls was Dana Van Winkle, with a time of 19:34. She was followed by Elizabeth Gardner in second place with a time of 19:47, Judy Thomasson in third place with a time of 20:09 and Mary Katherine Crofton in fourth place with a time of 20:12. Tina Paone finished in seventh place with a time of 20:47, while Jamie Hyatt and Connie Gaan finished 12th and 13th respectively with times of 22:12 and 22:17. Hyatt and Gaan will be on the state meet squad which features the top seven runners per team. Their toughest competition this weekend will be from Walton Academy, the team that beat them at the Berry Invitational by two points.

The boys got an outstanding race from it's seniors on Saturday. The Chiefs finished with an overall score of 27 points and won the region for the fourth year in a row. Kevin Panke was the individual champion of the race, finishing in first place with a time of 16:12. Geoff Melymuk finished in second place at a time of 16:29. Nick Van Winkle finished sixth, Robby Johnston finished eighth and Michael Patrick finished 10th with times of 17:31, 17:41 and 17:47 respectively. Matt O'Donnell and sophomore Brandon Ring rounded out the top seven, finishing 11th and 13th with times of 17:49 and 17:58.

" We did a good job of breaking up Lovejoy's secondary pack," Coach Buckle said. " The gap between the number two and three runners is smaller for both squads. I am very pleased with the performance the last two weeks. We are running our fastest times of the year and staying very consistent." The boys will have some stiff competition Saturday from top ranked Brookwood as well as strong programs from Milton and Lassiter.

Fayette County did not qualify for the state meet as a team but they are sending senior Preston Pack. Pack qualified for the meet on an individual basis by coming in fifth place at the region meet with a time of 17:29. Trey Alverson and Blake Riley were the number two and three runners for the Tigers with times of 18:03 and 18:07. David Deering was the number four runner finishing at 18:25 and Andrew Husack was number five at 18:50. The majority of the boys team will be returning for the Tigers next year and should be very competitive.

The girls squad ran a good race but just couldn't catch McIntosh or Lovejoy. Jessica Tyre finished first for the Tigers and took ninth place with a time of 21:24. Dana Teat followed Tyre finishing second for the team with a time of 22:24. Carrie Howard was only five seconds behind Teat, finishing at 22:29. Clarinda Phillips was fourth for the team with a time of 23:08, while Sara Owens was fifth with a time of 23:09. Congratulations to the Tigers on a fun and exciting season.

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