While some of their friends may have been considering last-minute costume ideas or working out plans for later on that evening, the Pam Pack cross country team spent its Halloween afternoon hosting the 2-A East Regional meet. Washington was among 21 schools competing for a spot at the state meet this Saturday.

The boys and girls teams both fell short of qualifying as a team. However, Chris Sulc and Kennedy Landen qualified as individuals and will make sure the Pam Pack is represented in Kernersville this weekend.

The boys finished ninth overall and the girls placed 10th. The results were a bit short of what coach Toby McMahon had hoped for, but he’s still proud of what his young squads accomplished.

“We’re very well represented,” he said. “We were the only team that had an individual boy and an individual girl qualify. It’s nice that we’re represented in both groups.”

Sulc finished the course in 17:26, which was good for seventh among boys. He was trailed by Jacob Smith in 34th, Win Martin in 63rd, Austin Coward in 70th and Trippe Bonner in 73rd as the top-five Pam Pack runners.

“The last few meets, nobody has been close to (Sulc),” McMahon said. “He’ll be up against some guys at the state meet that will be below 18. He’ll be in a pack.”

Landen finished 16th among the girls with a time of 22:13. The rest of Washington’s top-five girls were Sara Spencer in 62nd, Anna Frisbie in 77th, Carolyna Padilla in 85th and Cassie Texeira in 89th.

For Landen, the most important thing about going to states is the competition she will get to face.

“Next year, I’m going to compete and try my hardest time-wise,” she said. “Right now it’s new for me. Last year this wouldn’t have happened. This year it’s all different.”

Landen has made incredible strides this season. The junior dropped her time from about 30 minutes last year to 22 minutes this year.

“It’s totally awesome,” she said. “I’m just glad I have the experience to actually go to states and see it for myself before I graduate next year.”

One of the things that helped Landen improve was her mindset. She made it a point to communicate that positive attitude to her teammates, too.

“I’m one of the oldest girls on the team, so I try to influence everyone,” Landen said. “Especially the freshmen and sophomores. (I tell them) to try their hardest and put in all the effort they can. I think a lot of them have been trying, but, as they get older, they can put in more effort.”

Getting to host the regional meet was a bit of an advantage for the Pam Pack. The runners were familiar with the course. They also had the luxury of not sitting on a bus commuting to the event.

“One of the challenges with cross country is the course. Every course is different,” McMahon said. “Is there dirt? Are there hills? Are you in the sun a lot? So, when you go to a new course, a lot of the time the kids are worried about what’s coming up. They run that trail every day. They know everything about that trail. They can kind of ignore the trail and focus on the running. Hosting cross country is a huge advantage.”

The Pam Pack will have a bit if a lighter practice schedule between now and Saturday. McMahon said they will run around four miles each day, although some, like Landen, will add in some extra work outside of team practices.