Contributed Report
The Washington Pam Pack girls cross country team was getting a little nervous on Saturday at the regional meet.  The team had not qualified for the state meet since 1998 and only the top four from the field of twenty teams advanced.
“The officials were counting backwards and giving scores” said coach Toby McMahon. “When they reached about eighth the girls were getting excited. Sixth place was announced and I was thinking ‘Please don’t be fifth.  Don’t let us be one place short.’  I honestly do not know who was fifth; I just know it wasn’t us.  The girls looked at each other a smiled, then cheered when we were announced as fourth.”
Alana Jefferson placed 19th with a time of 22:55 to lead the Pack.  She will be joined at state by fellow runners Anna McLawhorn (23rd place, 23:14), Callie Landen (36th place, 23:58) Sarah Jennings (37th place, 24:01), Quanitra Bommer (75th place, 27:28), Alyssa Krajewski (77th place, 27:37) and Stephanie McMahon.
Not to be outdone, Victor Santos placed 8th individually for the boys with a time 18:00 and earned one of five individual qualifying places for the state meet.  He is the first Pam Pack to qualify individually since 2007 and the first male runner since 2001 to qualify.
“We set some team goals at the beginning of the season.  Three of them were to win conference, place top four at regionals and qualify for state” explains McMahon.  “The girls accomplished all three of them.”
Sixteen team in the state qualified for the state meet held today at Ivey M. Redmon Park in Kernersville.  The boys are running at 3:30 p.m. and the girls will follow at 4:30 p.m.  For the seniors, Jefferson, Landen, Jennings, Bommer, and Santos, this is their last race.
“Sarah and Callie have run each year of high school” said McMahon.  “Their freshman year we barely had a girls team, only five or six runners competed.  They have helped recruit and brought others to practice.  Without their work the team wouldn’t being going anywhere on Saturday.”