Falcons sweep Class 4A for first time
The top-ranked Severna Park boys cross country team repeated as Class 4A state champions with a dominant performance at Hereford on Saturday. The Falcons placed three runners in the top 10 and finished with 48 points, beating out Northwood (105).
Garrison Clark (fourth), Samuel Martin (fifth) and Jake Gelfand (eighth) led the way for the Falcons, who now have won five times in the last seven years.
The top-ranked Severna Park girls won their first state title since 2009 with a tough win over No. 3 Howard (102-125). Coach Josh Alcombright guides both teams and said this is the first time the Falcons have swept the boys and girls championships.
“It definitely takes a collective effort to have a program like we do,” Alcombright said. “We knew [sweeping] was a possibility. We just knew that if they all did their jobs…we thought we’d come out on top."
For the girls, Allysa Combs was the lone Severna Park runner in the top 20, finishing fourth overall but the Falcons found enough to win.
Bronwyn Patterson of South River won the race in 19:06.19 thanks to a strong late move. She took off with about 1,000 yards to go while sitting in sixth place.
“I was really hoping I could hold on,” she said. “[At the end], it was kind of an ‘Oh-my-God moment.”