Springs Valley Community High School

What an incredible feeling for the cross country coaches and the upperclassmen walking to the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference awards ceremony carrying the feeling of how many times they had come so close, the ‘what ifs’ from years past, but knowing today there was a BIG, HUGE difference in every step. They had finally broken through after 45 years and won Valley's first ever PLAC XC Championship. The close calls of yesterday were replaced by the accomplishment of today. “As Coach Freeman told the kids with tears in his eyes, “Today we celebrate. You've done something today that no other Valley XC team has ever done. ” Indeed it was a time of celebration ‘times x2!!’ Double the celebration because not only did the boys win the school’s first ever PLAC championship but the girls did as well. The boys did it by grabbing 4 of the top 6 places to race past Orleans 28-43. The girl's path to the championship was much closer with Valley squeezing past Mitchell by just 2 points 44-46. In the boys race it was Valley’s top 3 of Grant Brown, Alan Marshall, Carson Brown and Orleans’ Bryce Jones battling it out in the early going. Alan led the pack for much of the first 2 miles but finally gave way to Grant and Jones to fight it out for the individual title. Jones was able to pull away in the final stages to win but Grant finished second, just 13 seconds behind in a new course PR of 16:02. Alan stumbled in the last mile but recovered to still finish in 3rd with a new PR of 16:14. As a result of their Top 10 finish, both Alan and Grant became the first XC runners in school history to earn All-Conference in every year of their varsity careers. Throw in their junior high years, 7th and 8th grade All-Conference races, and they close out their PLAC careers with All-Conference honors for the 6th straight year. Right behind them also earning All-Conference was Carson Brown who finished in 4th place in a new course PR of 16:34. Andre Ayers was the 4th Valley runner to earn All-Conference with his 6th place finish and course PR of 17:08. Harry Dybsetter, who was running his first race in over 3 weeks after an injury, was the final scoring place for the Hawks with his 13th place finish in 18:34. Dane Harris and Matthew Woolsey both lowered their PR’s with Dane placing 18th overall and 6th for the team in 19:05. Matthew went under 21 minutes for the first time in his career finishing 7th for the team in 20:52. For the girls' race, all of the 4 teams were within 20 points of each other. It came down to Valley and Mitchell battling for the top spot.. Every single place and every extra effort by our Valley girls made the difference. Whether it be Sophie Harris fighting with determination in the last mile to take back the spot from the Mitchell girl who had just passed her or the Lynch twins who fought and fought to stay just ahead of the Mitchell girl who was just seconds behind them or Addi Moffatt with her All-Conference 5th place run or Macie Mayhew staying strong and steady to finish in 17th. They each played a critical part in winning, with each of their finishing places being just as important as the other. Sophie Harris and Addi Moffatt earned All-Conference for their efforts and Top 10 finishes. It was a day like no other in the history of cross country at Springs Valley. The kids can cross out ‘PLAC Championship’ off their list of season goals but as they huddled on the track to celebrate they spoke of the work that still needs to be done. The PLAC was not a destination but just a stepping stone to greater things. Coach Derek Freeman commented on the historic day for the program, "Yesterday was just such an awesome day for each and every person in this program. Our kids have worked so hard and to see some payoff is so cool. I work so hard on teaching these kids there is value in showing up, working hard and being a great human being will go far in life but it sure is nice to see some pay off on the course. Today the boys did what we expected. They took care of business showing how good they are and getting ready for the post season. Our boys ran some really great races individually and that's super exciting this time of year. On the girls I could go on and on. Sophie Harris fighting to hold 3rd place was so massive for the team. Keira and Jadyn Lynch passed a handful of girls in the last 2 miles to get us much needed points. That was huge. Addi Moffatt ran possibly her best race to date was really big. Last but not least Macie Mayhew beating every other teams number 5 runner and some teams number 4 runners was astronomical. I could gush on forever about the toughness and grit of this girls team. We are so proud of them. We love these kids and it is a blessing to see them having fun and being successful!" A surprise awaited the team when they arrived back in town. Local law enforcement and fire trucks were there to welcome and lead their bus with an escort down the Boulevard through French Lick and West Baden. There were several cheering fans along the way to help them celebrate. Usually police escorts for teams are reserved for IHSAA tournament successes, but the magnitude of the moment called for an exception. Plus the same officers and firefighters escorting the team have seen these runners, day in and day out, for years running throughout the towns, practicing for moments like these. It was only fitting for the kids to be led by them. Next up for the varsity teams is the Crawford County Sectional on Saturday. The top 5 finishing teams will advance to the Evansville Regional. BOYS ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS Grant Brown - Record 4th time AC Alan Marshall - Record 4th time AC Carson Brown - 2nd time Boys Team Scores Springs Valley - 28 Orleans - 43 Perry Central - 53 Mitchell - 105 Crawford Co. - 128 West Washington - no score Paoli - no score Girls Individual Finishes 3. Sophie Harris 22:10 Course PR! 5. Addi Moffatt 22:42 Course PR! 11. Keira Lynch 24:28 Top 15 Ribbon! 12. Jadyn Lynch 24:36 Top 15 Ribbon 17. Macie Mayhew 27:20 New PR! GIRLS ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS Sophie Harris - 2nd time Addi Moffatt Girls Team Scores Springs Valley - 44 Mitchell - 46 Perry Central - 55 Orleans - 65 Crawford Co. - no score West Washington - no score Paoli - no score