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Cox takes 10th at state championship
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Published: November 8, 2009
Setting his eye on an all-state selection, Josh Cox had two seconds to spare in Saturday's cross country 4A state championship at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons.
The Mooresville senior outkicked Sanford's Chase Christianson to the finish line to clock in at 16 minutes, 14 seconds and take 10th place overall.
The top-10 finishers in each classification make the all-state team.
"Josh finishing 10th was definitely the highlight of our day," Blue Devils coach Michael Royal said. "It was a goal Josh had pretty much since last year. With our move up (to 4A), he wanted to finish his career out with that. It was a good goal that he accomplished, and we're proud of him."
Cox easily had the best performance of the day for the Blue Devils.
Mooresville's boys team took 15th in the 16-team event with a total score of 338 points.
Sanderson won the state title in dramatic fashion by finishing with 89 points.
That was just enough to outdistance favorite Raleigh Broughton, which earned 92 points.
On the girls side, Lake Norman's Jenny Gallagher had the top showing with an 18th-place finish.
She clocked in at 19 minutes, 22 seconds as the Wildcats took 13th place as a team with 276 points.
Millbrook was just ahead of them with 271.
"Jenny ran hard," Wildcats coach Kathleen Scott said. "At first she was a little disappointed in her time, but all the times are about 30-40 seconds off. This is a grass course and fairly hilly, so it was tough. Jenny was really happy with what she did. She said she had nothing left at the end."
It was the first time both Lake Norman and Mooresville competed for a state title at the 4A level.
"We do our research," Royal said. "Throughout the year, we know who is coming back strong. It was kind of a transition year as we made the jump. We watched these schools a lot more closely. It's a lot more competitive at 4A."
The next highest finisher for Mooresville was senior Jordan Hall (18 minutes, 93rd place).
Chase Martin was behind him at 95th as the Blue Devils were hurt by injuries and illness to their No. 2 and No. 3 runners.
Jordan Sledge (117) and Alex Brito (122) finished further back than anticipated.
"Jordan has been sick for a while, Alex still isn't 100 percent," Royal said. "It was tough for them to run."
For Lake Norman's girls team, Kelsie Rubino finished in the top half of the field. Her time of 20:31 was good enough for 59th place.
Sabrina Heck (21:05, 86th place), Taylor Sweet (21:10, 91st) and Kaitlyn Ferguson (21:16, 94) all scored for Lake Norman as well.
Of those top-five finishers, Ferguson is the only senior.
"We really wanted to get in the top-10, but it didn't happen today," Scott said. "That gives us something to work for. The great thing about the girls is they know what kind of work it's going to take for next year. We have a lot coming back, so it adds a little motivation."
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