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Clarion Area Junior High Girls Cross Country Team Achieves Undefeated Season (10/21/16)

(By Matt Lerch)

The Clarion Area Junior High Girls Cross Country team has achieved an accomplishment never seen in Clarion, an undefeated regular season.

(Photos by Matt Lerch) Front Row (L-R): Joyce Kim, Evelyn Lerch, Liv Weckerley. Second Row (L-R): Alia Dittman, Grace Adams, Parker Boyden, Grace Schmader, Bella Scott. Third Row (L-R): Noel Anthony, Payton Simko, Jordan Best, Kaylee Hiles. Missing from the photo is Lauren Winters.

(Photos by Matt Lerch)
Front Row (L-R): Joyce Kim, Evelyn Lerch, Liv Weckerley. Second Row (L-R): Alia Dittman, Grace Adams, Parker Boyden, Grace Schmader, Bella Scott. Third Row (L-R): Noel Anthony, Payton Simko, Jordan Best, Kaylee Hiles. Missing from the photo is Lauren Winters.

Under the direction of Head Cross Country Coach Keith Murtha and Assistant Coaches Bill Grove and Tammy Lerch, this group of girls set out to upset the teams of the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference (KSAC) and set the stage for a dominating second year as they are all 7th graders.

The schools that faced defeat by the 13 seventh grade Clarion Area girls were Karns City, Moniteau, Cranberry, Clarion Limestone, AC Valley, Keystone and North Clarion. Scoring is tabulated by the first 5 runners for each team to cross the finish line of the 1.8 mile courses. With Clarion’s depth on the roster every runner was important to make this milestone come to fruition, as many other teams’ runners were displaced by the sheer number of Clarion runners.

Team Captain Joyce Kim helped to lead the team through the season. Evelyn Lerch maintained her undefeated race status through out the regular season by upsetting the 2015 KSAC winner.

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The team also competed during the regular season at The Big Red Invitational and Ridgway Invitational putting Clarion on the map in Junior High racing circles in western Pennsylvania. The Clarion girls look to defend their undefeated season at the KSAC Championship this Thursday, October 20th, at Cranberry High School.

 

(Thanks to Matt Lerch for the article and photos. GREAT SEASON, LADY CATS JUNIOR HIGH CROSS COUNTRY TEAM!!!!)