The Triangle dominates the N.C. Cross Country Coaches weekly polls.
The top three boys 4-A teams are Broughton, Green Hope and Leesville Road. The girls 4-A poll is led by Green Hope, and the top 10 includes Broughton, Cary and Athens Drive at Nos. 5, 6 and 8, respectively.
The rankings domination continues in other classifications, with Chapel Hill on top in boys and girls 3-A and Carrboro on top of the boys and girls 2-A.
Durham Science & Math leads the 1-A boys, while Durham Academy leads N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association girls.
Falcons, Caps win: The Green Hope girls and the Broughton boys won team titles in the Charlotte Providence Invitational at McAlpine Park last weekend. Green Hope's Ryan Walling (15:38) and Cardinal Gibbons' Sarah Rapp (18:27) won the boys and girls individual championships.
The Green Hope girls, ranked No. 17 in the country in the Harrier magazine, demolished a strong field. The Falcons' Jessica Rossabi (18:40), Erica Amatori (18:43), Sarah Alexander (18:59), Olivia Enright (19:05) and Mo McDonell (19:12) finished Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7 and 9, respectively.
The Falcons won with 29 points, while runner-up Charlotte Ardrey Kell had 97 points. Cardinal Gibbons, Broughton and Cary were Nos. 3, 4 and 5 while Athens Drive was seventh.
Broughton's Alvin Martin (16:13), Jacob Hyman (16:30), Sam Roberson (16:31) and Nathan Staub (16:36) were all among the top 15 at the Providence Invitational.
Graham impressive: Thomas Graham of Cary Academy won the Western N.C. Cross Country Carnival in Hendersonville on Saturday with a 15:28.07. He led the way against a strong field by almost 30 seconds.
Chapel Hill easily won the team title, topping second-place Morristown (Tenn.) Morristown-Hamblen West, 26-68. The Tigers' William Bunch (16:15.33) and Asher Colburn-Hertsberg (16:21.15) were third and fourth, and Bradley Viles (16:23.35) was sixth.
The Chapel Hill girls also won, beating runner-up Charlotte Latin 38-94. Sophomore Tristan Van Ord (19:18.77) was third.
Wendell race: The Hope Mills South View boys and the Southern Pines Pinecrest girls won the Wendell Park Early Bird Invitational. Nash Central (65 points) and West Johnston (73) trailed South View (51) in the boys race. Chris Garrett (16:07.36) of West Johnston was runner-up to William Bass of Nash Central (15:57.48).
West Johnston (77 points) was runner-up to Pinecrest (64) in the girls race. Trey LeSane of Fayetteville Sanford (20:07.87) led West Johnston's Lauren Pollard (20:09.88) and Dakota Foskey (20:18.57) in the girls individual race.
Knights' Williams ranked: Northern Durham's Blake Williams is ranked No. 13 in the country in ESPN/Rise's preseason cross country rankings. Williams was 20th in last year's Foot Locker national championships in San Diego.
Caps, Wildcats meet: Broughton, ranked No. 6 in the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association poll, has a tough assignment on the road at 6:30 tonight at East Chapel Hill, which is ranked No. 9.
East Chapel Hill is 4-0, while Broughton is 3-2-1, including losses to Durham Jordan 2-1 and Jacksonville 2-1 and a 0-0 tie with East Wake.
Athens' leadership: Athens Drive boys soccer coach Travis Seese said senior leadership has been a strength of his 3-1-1 club this season.
After Monday's 3-2 loss to Green Hope, Seese said midfielder Cooper Vandermaas-Peeler, a North Carolina recruit; center back Andrew Joyce, a UNC Wilmington recruit , and left back Tyler Dravoitch have been exceptional.
"We just need to be a little better organized across the field and make sure we mark better," Seese said. "We let some of their guys get loose for shots."
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