Article from The Star-Democrat

Fisher, Shaw pace North pack at Tidewater Classic

By GREG REINBOLD Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, October 2, 2008 4:24 AM CDT

SALISBURY Easton High's Jackie Fisher and Queen Anne's Mark Shaw were the North Bayside's top finishers Wednesday as Damascus dominated the annual Tidewater Fall Classic cross-country meet at Winterplace Park.

The girls opened the afternoon's racing with a field of 198 runners, followed by the even larger boys' race, where 229 jockeyed for position along the 5-kilometer course.

Damascus made its 300-mile round trip worthwhile, breezing to the both team titles. The Hornets finished with 41 points in the girls' standings, 42 in the boys', while placing four boys and three girls in their respective top-10s. Thomas Arias led Damascus with a third-place finish (16 minutes, 49 seconds) followed by Cecil Jonas in seventh (17:09). Damascus runners Ben Constantidines (17:11) and Alex Arias (17.12) finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

In the girls' race Damascus executed the pack running strategy to perfection, taking fifth, sixth and seventh as Janna Domico (20:24), Taylor Colbert (20:33) and Alex Carroll (20:47) finished in rapid succession.

Fisher led a group of three North Bayside runners on the girls' side receiving top-15 medals. Fisher finished fourth with a time of 20:07. Cambridge-South Dorchester's Ashley Simmons crossed the line in 20:53, good for eighth place, and North Caroline's Autumn Irby took 15th place, finishing in 21:38.

On the boys' side, Shaw finished 12th with a time of 17:21, just edging cross-county rival Nolan Matthews of Kent Island (17:34), who took 14th place.

Kent Island's boys were the only North team to take home hardware in the team standings, placing third with a team score of 114.

Ian Andrews (19th, 18:05) and John Frey (22nd, 18:13) finished next for Kent Island.

The Buccanneers were the top-placing North Bayside team in the girls' competition as well, managing eighth place with 235 points.

Queen Anne's was the only other North team to finish in the top 10 in the boys' race, coming in ninth.

North Caroline (287), Cambridge-SD (305), and Easton (315) placed 10th through 12th in the girls' standings