Talented Panthers Setting to Defend District Crowns
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Talented Panthers Setting to Defend District Crowns

Potomac Falls cross country readying for Brentsville Relays this Saturday.

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Potomac Falls high boys’ cross country runner Josh Hardin (left) is one of a number of experienced athletes back on the Panthers’ squad this fall. Last year, he finished 14th overall at the state championships.

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Panther girls’ runner Christina Lee was the individual Dulles District champion last year as a sophomore.

The Potomac Falls High cross country teams were looking forward to competing at last Saturday's scheduled Great Meadows event. The large, annual early season meet is considered to be one of the highlights of the Northern Virginia high-school season and the Panthers, who have never raced at the renowned meet, were hoping to be participants this year.

But the rainy weather forced the Great Meadows competition to be cancelled. There will be no makeup date.

"We were supposed to be at Great Meadows and were greatly disappointed we weren't able to go," Potomac Falls coach, Dolph Null, said. "And I'm sure [all the other] teams were disappointed."

In recent years, Potomac Falls has not competed at the Great Meadows races because it was committed to participating at the Keyser Invitational, a smaller meet in Boonesboro.

But Null said many of his boys and girls team members expressed an interest in competing at the Great Meadows event this season. So Null entered his team in the larger meet.

The Great Meadows Invitational is considered, in local cross country circles, to be one of three fall meets that make up the area's cross country triple crown. The other two such meets are the annual Oatlands and Octoberfest showcase events.

"It was the first year we were going to take part in it," Null said of Great Meadows. "We normally always go to the Keyser Invitational.

It's a great meet we've always gone to. But the kids wanted to go to Great Meadows. We were going to go to Great Meadows just for the experience of going. It's highly touted."

<b>BOTH THE POTOMAC FALLS</b> varsity boys and girls teams are coming off respective Dulles District titles in 2007. Last Wednesday, both the Panther boys and girls teams finished first in a tri-meet at Oatlands.

The participating teams, along with Potomac Falls, were district rivals Dominion and Freedom high schools. It was the first meet of the season for the Panthers.

Null said the game plan going into the tri-meet was for Potomac Falls to pace itself on both the boys and girls sides because of the Great Meadows competition slated for that following weekend.

They wanted to be fully rested for Great Meadows.

"We kind of held back with respect to the fact we would be at the Great Meadows last weekend," Null said.

This year's Potomac Falls boys team has lots of key members back from last year's squad that ultimately finished fifth in the state. Those runners, all seniors, include Josh Belin, Ryan Hagen, Josh Hardin, Ryan Kiefer, Andrew Mott and Brian Robinson.

"They've been outstanding leaders," Null said of the 12th-graders.

The Panther girls' top two runners from last year return in junior Christina Lee and sophomore Melissa Saunders. Lee was the individual district champion last year before finishing second at the Region II meet and fourth at states.

Other talented runners for the Potomac Falls girls will be seniors Denise Cordary, Kaitlyn Hunter, Suzanne Rodgers, Margaret Williams, Sinead Gilmore and Shannon Brady; junior Rachel Diniega; and sophomore Rachel Hagen.

Null said his boys and girls teams' chances this fall will not be dependent on a handful of runners.

"Its such a team sport," said the coach. "You're just as good as you're No. 1 runner, but really no better than you're No. 7."

Lee, the Panther girls' top runner, has not competed yet this season as a result of some injury struggles. Null said he will bring her along slowly this season in hopes of having the standout at full

strength for the postseason.

"She's running, but not [full speed]. We're trying to take care of her," Null said.

Potomac Falls will compete at the Brentsville Relays in Nokesville

this Saturday. The meet will begin at 4:30 p.m. and run into the night under the lights.