JCHS seeded No. 1 (10/17/2008)

The Patriots will have a chance at their first regional berth.

Jay County High School's girls cross country team enters Saturday's regional competition as a slight favorite after winnings its third straight sectional title Tuesday at The Water Bowl in Muncie. JCHS will return to the same course Saturday to battle Pendleton Heights for the regional crown.

Tevan Nichols of the Patriot boys team will also compete Saturday.

Based on sectional times, Jay County enters as the No. 1 seed for Saturday's girls competition. However, less than 10 points separates the Patriots and Pendleton Heights.

Last season the Arabains finished as the runner-up while JCHS was third.

Delta and Mount Vernon are projected to finish third and fourth respectively with Shenandoah, Winchester, Randolph Southern and Muncie Central battling for the final semi-state berth.

The top five teams and top 15 individuals will advance to the semi-state meet at New Haven.

The Patriots' Aly Miller, who won her second straight sectional title Tuesday, is the No. 1 individual seed after winning the Delta sectional in 20-minutes, 16 seconds. Lapel's Leah Steele, who won the sectional at Pendleton Heights, had the No. 2 time at 20:25.

Leah Wellman and Katie Simmons are also seeded in the top 15 for JCHS.

Nichols, who finished 11th Tuesday to become the first Jay County boy to advance to a regional in about two decades, is within striking distance of a semi-state berth. His time of 17:41 places him as the 20th seed for the regional meet. The No. 15 seed finished in 17:35.[[In-content Ad]]