East Chapel Hill boys, Cardinal Gibbons girls win PAC-6 cross country titles

The PAC-6 4A had a cross country championship for both kinds of fans.

For those who like suspense, the boys’ race came down to the legs of East Chapel Hill’s Clay Watters and George Hotelling. By finishing seventh and 11th, respectively, they gave the Wildcats a 29-32 edge against Cardinal Gibbons.

Gibbons’ runners crossed the line first (Connor Lane, 15:18), third (Connor Peoples, 16:01), sixth (Sam Grelck, 16:25), 10th (Sam Thorton, 16:30) and 12th (Jared Eytcheson 16:47).

East’s runners finished second (Connor McDonald, 15:43), fourth (Ethan Ready, 16:04.00), fifth (16:04.90), seventh (Watters (16:27) and 11th (Hotelling 16:46).

“It really boost our confidence. A lot of the 4-5-6-7 guys have not necessarily been where they needed to be so far, but they really proved themselves this race,” McDonald said.

For PAC-6 champ Lane, coming up short as a team still gives them hope for the coming weeks.

“I’m really happy with our effort as a team,” Lane said. “We believe if we work together and we pack up in those races (regional and state championship) we’ll do really well.”

Jordan, which was third, was led by eighth-place Quinton Meyer (16:29) and ninth-place Matthew Staehle (16:31).

For those who like domination, Cardinal Gibbons’ girls had a perfect 15 points, finishing first through fifth led by individual champ Sophie Ebihara (18:37).

Annie Pierce (18:50), Marissa Bishop (19:04), Sloan Walker (19:26) and Caroline Todd (19:36) all crossed the finish line before the first non-Crusader, Riverside’s Ceara Gannon (19:42). The Crusaders also had runners seventh and eighth in the PAC-6 who did not count towards the team score, which only takes the top five.

“Cardinal Gibbons is unstoppable,” Gannon said.

The Crusaders’ girls think they have a shot at winning the 4A title in their first year, viewing themselves as an underdog just now becoming full strength after dealing with various illnesses this year.

“This is the first race we’ve all been together racing,” Ebihara said. “I think at states when we all put it together, it’s going to be amazing.”

East Chapel Hill, led by Milena Wuerth (20:42, ninth), was second with 60 points followed by Jordan (80 points), led by Sarah Staehle (20.45, 10th).

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 8:10 PM with the headline "East Chapel Hill boys, Cardinal Gibbons girls win PAC-6 cross country titles."