Waurika will play host to the regional cross country meets for Classes 2A, 3A and 4A at Harmon Park on Saturday.
The competition begins at 10 a.m. with the Class 4A girls race. The Class 4A boys race will follow at 10:45 a.m. There are 14 schools that have been assigned to the Waurika regional.
The Class 4A girls race will feature three top ten teams and second-ranked Madill and fourth-ranked Pauls Valley are expected to battle for the team title.
The Class 4A boys grouping will feature third-ranked Madill and fourth-ranked Byng along with seventh-ranked Cache.
The Class 2A portion of the competition which will feature teams from Waurika and Ryan and the girls competition begins at 12 noon, while the boys race will follow at 12:45. Runners from 33 different schools are expected to compete.
The Ryan and Waurika girls, along with Merritt, are the top ranked teams entered in the Waurika regional. The Cowgirls and Eagles have battled on near even terms in a number of meets this season, but the Cowgirls come into the regional ranked fourth, while Waurika is ranked fifth.
Ryan has won a total of five meet titles during the regular season. The Merritt girls are ranked sixth so the Class 2A girls race may be the one to watch throughout the day.
The Class 2A boys will have a total of seven top twenty teams. Carnegie, ranked fourth, and Merritt, ranked fifth, are expected to battle for the team title. Waurika will also be running on its home course and while the Eagles are ranked just outside the top 20, they could contend for the team title.
The Class 3A girls and boys will run at 2 and 2:45 p.m., respectively. There are 16 schools expected for the Class 3A part of the meet.
Marietta is the top-ranked Class 3A girls team in the state, while the Marietta boys hold down the number two spot in the state rankings.
Plainview will feature to be the threat to Marietta. Plainview girls are ranked second, while the Plainview boys are ranked fifth.
This will be an excellent opportunity to witness some of the top cross country teams and individuals in the state as they compete to advance into next week’s state cross country competition.
The top seven teams in each class will advance to the state cross country meet, while the top seven individuals not on a qualifying team will also earn spots in the state meet.
The Class 2A, 3A and 4A state meets will be conducted at Shawnee’s Gordon Cooper Technology Center on October 26. The Class 2A portion of the meet will begin at 12:30 with the girls competition and the boys will follow at 1:15.
