Class 1A Girls State Championship Preview

Saturday will feature the most exciting day in KY cross country, the State Championships. All season our athletes have been building towards this point where everything is on the line. We will see great heartbreak, but also exceptional happiness. Without further ado, let's take a look at the Class 1A Girl's KHSAA State Championships

To begin, let's take a look at the Individual race. Class 1A is boasting exceptional young talent with two Freshman, 1 8th grader, and 1 Sophomore expected to finish in the Top 5, yet it's the Junior who makes her presence the most felt. Lily Parke of Beechwood is one of the best runners that Class 1A has seen. Her season's best is an 18:18 and her season average is 18:42. That average is the fastest in the field by 20 full seconds. She is also the top returner from last season where she will look to bring home an individual state championship. Another major player in the field is Lexington Christian's (LCA) Kennedy Moughamian. The Freshman has run 18:21 this season while maintaining a season average at just around 19:00. She is Parke's biggest threat and has the ability to play spoiler on Saturday. Other top contenders are 8th grader Hadley Raisor, Freshman Molly Chambers, Sophomore Elizabeth Mathews and Senior Isabelle Shearer. Also lurking is Owensboro Catholic's Peyton Reid who dominated her Regional Championship.

On the team side, there is a heavy favorite as the ladies of LCA look for revenge against Beechwood who beat them at last year's State Championship. LCA is currently projected to put 4 Girls in the Top 10 with 2 in the top 5. If LCA was able to accomplish that, they would be almost unbeatable Saturday. However, there are two other teams who can make a strong charge. Those teams are Owensboro Catholic and Beechwood. The strength of Owensboro Catholic lies in their top 2 as they are projected to put 2 athletes in the top 6. Likewise, Beechwood also benefits from a heavy front runner as Lily Parke is projected to win the State Championship on Saturday. Then comes the packs. Owensboro Catholic's 3 and 4 runners are currently projected to finish inside the top 15, whereas Beechwood's 3 and 4 are projected to finish inside the top 25. For Beechwood to beat Owensboro Catholic and have a chance at pulling off the upset over LCA, they will need their 3,4, and 5 runners to finish inside that Top 25. Another team to watch out for here is the Villa Madonna ladies. They are currently projected to finish 4th but have a front runner who should place in the top 10. After that, it's all about if their pack can get into the mix. 

Predictions from the Milesplit Team