Springs Valley Community High School

The Springs Valley cross country team got a picturesque day to compete on Saturday at Crawford County and compete it did. The Blackhawks lined up alongside their Patoka Lake Athletic Conference rivals and went to work, accomplishing quite a bit. The girls opened the day with a strong effort. Jadyn Lynch bolted out of the gates and led the race after the first half-mile. When the Blackhawks got to the mile mark they’d each run their fastest first mile of the season. By the end of the race, they’d placed a pair of runners on the All-PLAC team and four of their five runners had set a new personal-record time. They’d also taken a third-place finish as a team. “The girls started this day off like gangbusters. It was a great tone setter,” Springs Valley coach Derek Freeman said. “They put us in a position to do well and they’re starting to realize what they’re capable of. They’re realizing that it’s going to hurt a little bit, but they’re realizing what they’re capable of.” One of the most impressive parts of the girls’ accomplishments is that they did it without one of their best runners. Sophie Harris, typically one of their top three, wasn’t able to compete on Saturday. It was a big loss for the Blackhawks, but they rallied to put together a big day. “They were absolutely devastated that Sophie couldn’t run today. We hope to get her back for sectional and we know that if she was in there we’re a better team so they ran for her,” Freeman said. “I felt like they went and they attacked and they picked up the slack for their and they made a concerted effort to make her absence unknown. They did a really good job of rising to that challenge.” Leading the way for Springs Valley were Jadyn and Keira Lynch. The sophomores earned themselves all-conference honors, finishing fourth and fifth respectively, and each set a new personal record as well. Jadyn was particularly impressive, cracking the 23-minute mark with a time of 22:55. That puts the school record squarely in her sights given that she still has two seasons left in her career. “If you compare where they were last year to this year, we’re talking six and seven minutes off their times. That’s a huge amount in a 5k and they’re realizing what they’re capable of and what it takes to put in the work to do that,” Freeman said. “I think they’ve got more in the tank. I think the two of them are probably already in our top 10 in school history in cross country and between them and Sophie, I think they could be the best three (girls) to ever run here. They’ve got that in them, they’re starting to see it, and that’s huge.” The boys’ team was also quite successful at the conference meet. They ultimately finished second, falling two points behind Perry Central, but put three runners on the All-PLAC team. Grant Brown finished third, Alan Marshall finished fourth, and Carson Brown finished ninth to earn those honors. The Blackhawks also saw six of their seven boys set new personal records, including Grant Browns’ impressive 16:47 and Marshall nearly breaking the 17-minute mark at 17:01. It was another key step in their preparation for the state tournament, which opens up this weekend. “We put a big emphasis on the tournament, on sectional and beyond, so we had a really challenging day on Thursday (at the Jasper Invite) and we knew that was going to be on their legs, but we also knew that these kids had the capability of coming out here and winning,” Freeman said. “Grant was going for the win, Alan ran the best time of his life — I think Grant ran the best time of his life, he scared the school record a little bit — and if I’m not mistaken, six of our seven boys ran their personal best today. “To know that they did that and that we’re still not where we want to be and we still have more in us is huge for us.” The Blackhawks also got strong performances from its seniors, Owen Weisensteiner and Max Pendley. The former finished 11th, the latter finished 12th, and they both set new personal records. Despite being first-year runners, the pair have quickly become important for Springs Valley. Their presence has exponentially increased the team’s ceiling and the stability they provide as the Blackhawks’ fourth and fifth runners has been beneficial to the runners both above them and below them in the lineup. “Just having them is a big, big plus for us because they’re both athletes and they give us a solid five. That allows some of our younger kids who are coming into cross country for the first time ever to not have so much pressure on them,” Freeman said. “If they don’t come out, we’re nowhere near where we’re at. We’re not two points out of winning the conference. Because of them we’re much better off and they’re just lighthearted, they have fun, and they know how to put work in and give effort while they’re doing it. They keep us lighthearted and set a tone.” With the conference meet settled Springs Valley will move on to sectional, the meet it’s been preparing for all season. The Blackhawks will compete at Jasper on Saturday and if all goes to plan, they’ll leave the course having made some history. “I’ve been wrong many times in my life, but to my knowledge we’ve never qualified for regionals as a boys’ team. The girls did it once, but the boys have never done it. That’s something we’re capable of and this is our fuel for that,” Freeman said. “That Perry team is in our sectional and they beat us by two points (today) so if we go after them, we’ll be in the place we need to be. We need to do everything right and try to challenge them. If we can do that, we’ll be a regional team. “We’re ready, and this is a major fueling point for us.” Patoka Lake Athletic Conference Meet - Boys Perry Central 40, Springs Valley 42, Orleans 49, Mitchell 104, Crawford County 139, Paoli 163, West Washington NTS Top Ten 1. Bryce Jones, Orleans, 16:42. 2. Gavin Lock, Perry Central, 16:44. 3. Grant Brown, Springs Valley, 16:47. 4. Alan Marshall, Springs Valley, 17:01. 5. Thomas Hogan, Perry Central, 17:08. 6. Adam Oster, Mitchell, 17:45. 7. Seth Guillaume, Perry Central, 17:50. 8. Xavier Alston, Orleans, 18:06. 9. Carson Brown, Springs Valley, 18:22. 10. Ammon Morgan, Orleans, 18:23. Other Springs Valley — Owen Weisensteiner 18:26, Max Pendley 19:00, Harold Dybsetter 21:46, Matthew Woolsey 22:41. Patoka Lake Athletic Conference Meet - Girls Perry Central 42, Orleans 50, Springs Valley 70, Mitchell 70, Crawford County 115, Paoli NTS Top Ten 1. Summer Guillaume, Perry Central, 20:59. 2. Savannah Schaad, Perry Central, 21:29. 3. Allison Hughett, Orleans, 22:12. 4. Ayla Steele, Orleans, 22:24. 5. Jadyn Lynch, Springs Valley, 22:56. 6. Keira Lynch, Springs Valley, 23:16. 7. Tessa Price, Orleans, 23:31. 8. Zoey Smith, Mitchell, 23:46. 9. Jennifer Guevarra, Mitchell, 23:52. 10. Kaydyn Jarboe, Perry Central, 24:42. Other Springs Valley — Lily Hickman 27:00, Josie Robison 27:04, Alexis Courtney 28:29.