In what was the last weekend for big invitationals before the championship season starts, October 12th promised to bring some exciting matchups for teams all across the county. A surprising 50% of teams didn’t book a meet for the 12th, but the ones who found their way onto a race course put up some impressive results.

Frank Keyser Invitational:

With the power ranked MD#1 and MD#2 facing off, in the form of Severna Park and River Hill respectively, the afternoon race promised to be a barn burner. Severna’s top 5 never made it to the start line in Boonsboro, resting ahead of the fast approaching championship season. River Hill managed to sneak away with a 10 point win over the limited squad put out by the meet favorite, lead by senior Anish Nanjappa who crept under 15 minutes for the first time. Nanjappa’s 5 second victory over Arundel’s Tanner Piotrowski kept his undefeated season alive while coming just short of the course record on the flat, fast course known for producing personal records(PRs). Howard junior Kendall Phillips threw down an impressive 15:42 to place 4th in the stacked field, joined in the top 10 by Sean Krein and Josh Galindo, both of whom also broke the 16 minute mark. Awais Khan and Cameron Hindle rounded out the top 15 placings for in county competitors.

River Hill’s first place 49 points was followed by Howard with 169, Reservoir with 234, and Long Reach with 275. All four Howard County teams placed in the top 10 of the 16 team field.

Georgetown Prep Cross-Country Classic:

Oakland Mills took a trip to North Bethesda for the Georgetown Prep Invitational where they would see a strong field of competition. Junior Baidy Ba made the most of the opportunity, besting the entire field with a monster 16:25 5k for a single second victory. Despite Ba’s performance, Oakland Mills was still unable to place better than 12th in the 18 team field.

Gunpowder Falls Invitational:

The sixth and final team active this weekend was Marriotts Ridge. The Mustangs were able to bring home a top 5 team finish behind their junior star Grayson Max Crockett. Crockett ended his day with a new PR to the tune of 16:32 for 5000 meters.

This weekend was big for Howard County juniors; we will get to see Crockett, Ba, Phillips, and Galindo face off against each other as well as the rest of the county’s biggest names on October 23rd for the Howard County Championships to kickoff the championship season. The Wednesday afternoon is sure to showcase a shootout on the 3 mile course at Centennial High School.

-Ryan Rose, River Hill Senior