Fort Defiance girls cross country team finishes third at VHSL Class 2 state championships
The Fort Defiance girls cross country team earned at third-place finish at the Virginia High School League Class 2 state championships on Saturday in Blacksburg.
The Indians finished with 78 points, trailing only second-place Clarke County (45 points) and state champion Floyd County (44 points).
Fort had three runners place in the top 15, led by Madison Conner, who finished 12th in 21:28.6. Henley Ann Coffman finished 13th in 21:34.2, while Camila Cruz crossed the line in 15th in 21:39.6 for the Indians.
Fort's other scoring runners were Kelsey Lambert (32nd, 23:11) and Molly O'Brien (34th, 23:13.3). Karina Clark (35th, 23:18) and Violet Bast (46th, 24:01.8) also had top-50 performances for the Indians.
In the Class 2 boys race, Fort senior Parker Blosser earned a 19th-place finish in 17:36.7, while Stuarts Draft freshman Easton Nice placed 34th in 18:06.9.
Rowe finishes 15th in Class 3 meet
Competing in her first high school state cross country meet, Waynesboro freshman Macy Rowe raced to a 15th-place finish in the VHSL Class 3 state championships on Saturday in Blacksburg. Rowe crossed the line in 19:47.8 to lead the way for the Little Giants, who placed eighth in the team standings.
Alexis Austin was the second Waynesboro runner into the chute, finishing 49th in 21:27.3. Austin's teammate, Lacey Keagy, finished right behind her in 50th in 21:32. The Little Giants' other scoring runners were Lydia Kimmell (62nd, 22:02.1) and Amelia Kimmell (69th, 22:18.1).
Fort volleyball reaches state semifinals
The Fort Defiance volleyball team advanced to the VHSL Class 2 state semifinals in thrilling fashion on Saturday in a five-set win over Bruton in Williamsburg.
The Indians (25-2) won the first two sets handily (25-17, 25-16) and appeared poised to earn a three-set sweep. But Bruton bounced back, winning the third set 25-20 to extend the match. The Panthers built on the momentum in the fourth set, winning 25-22 to force a winner-take-all fifth set.
Bruton started the fifth set strong, jumping out to a 6-1 lead, but it was all Fort from there. The Indians outscored the Panthers 14-3 the rest of the way to win the set, 15-9, and take the match.
Maecy Frizzelle finished with 36 kills and 11 digs to lead Fort. Ella Shreckhise added nine kills, 16 digs and seven assists, while Caroline Hanger chipped in five kills, 23 assists and 10 digs for the Indians.
Fort will travel to Clarke County on Tuesday for the VHSL Class 2 state semifinals. It will be a rematch of the Region 2B championship game, which the Eagles won in straight sets.
