Owensboro Invitational
VARSITY RACE PREVIEWS
GIRLS : LADY PANTHERS, O’BRYAN LOOK TO LEAD FIELD
The Lady Panthers of Daviess County (#3 AAA) come into the 46th Annual OHS Invitational as the pre-meet favorite after their opening weekend win at the Daviess County 6k Relay on August 28th, narrowing defeating Bowling Green by a single point. Last weekend, DC traveled to Terre Haute, IN to participate in the Indiana State Preview Meet where they finished sixth among most of the best harriers in Indiana. They are led by freshman Whitney O’Bryan (#3 AAA), the Region 1 Champion in 2009, and the individual favorite at this meet. Coach Mark Fortney’s squad is young and confident, with experience gained from last year when they finished 2nd in the KHSAA State Championships. The Owensboro Lady Red Devils experienced resurgence last season under new head coach Summer Bell by finishing 10th in the KHSAA State Championships in Class AAA. Having many components of that team back this season, they look to challenge Daviess County for team honors. Ranked 10th in the pre-season KYTrackXC poll, they have fallen out of the latest set of rankings and will look to bounce back at their home meet. Owensboro will be depending on a strong pack that includes freshman Rachel Keeley and sophomore Marisa Derenzo. Not to be overlooked in the Girls Varsity is Scott High School. Coach Jerry Mohr’s young ladies are a traditional power in Northern Kentucky. They have traveled West again early in the season to mix things up with teams they would not normally see till later in the year at the KHSAA State Meet in Lexington. They should prove to be an excellent addition to an already strong field and could surprise some folks this weekend.
OHS CROSS-COUNTRY INVITATIONAL 2010
VARSITY RACE PREVIEWS
BOYS : PANTHERS AND EAGLES COLLIDE FOR TEAM TITLE; HOUSE AND HURD GO ROUND 2 FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CROWN
The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Daviess County Panthers and Apollo Eagles have shared a rivalry over the last several years built on mutual respect and bitter competitiveness. Coaches Tony Rowe (DC; 3rd AAA) and Bo Phelan (Apollo; 6th AAA) have youthful squads seeking to add to the rivalry between the two schools in the 46th edition of the OHS Invitational. The race for the individual win should be great to watch. Senior Justin House (9th AAA) of Apollo is two-time defending champion of this meet, but Sean Hurd (SR, Christian County) is ranked 3rd in Class 3A and got the better of House at last weekend’s Madisonville Invitational winning by 26 seconds. Senior Evan Ehrenheim (Daviess County; 2nd in AAA) is not competing because of the ACT Test Date being today. For the team championship, Apollo looks to use House up front and a young pack of Eagles to try to upset Daviess County. Look for Brad Sikes (JR, Daviess County) to challenge Hurd and House for individual honors. Also on the team front, an interesting story is that of the Owensboro Catholic Aces. Scott Lowe’s Aces (7th in Class A) were ranked 1st in Class A in the pre-season, returning six out of seven runners that finished 2nd behind St. Henry at the KHSAA State Championships. The Aces have struggled a bit early in this season with senior Sam Thompson being sidelined with injury. At the DC 6K Relay and the Madisonville Invitational, they have had team finishes of 7th and 3rd respectively. Senior Chase Kauffeld and company look to present a challenge to DC and Apollo today and get their quest for Class A supremacy back on track.