West Laurens got the edge over Perry Tuesday at the Region 2-AAAA cross country championships held at Cherokee Pines Golf Course in Perry.
The Raiders finished with 47 points. The Panthers had 50.
Mary Persons was third with 82, followed by Spalding with 84, Howard with 121 and Upson-Lee with 135.
With the top four teams advancing to state via GHSA rules, Perry easily qualified. The state race is Nov. 3 and 4 on the track at Carrollton High School.
Perry also had the region champion in Tanner Reid, who finished the 5k race in 16:14.81.
Also, Bryan Storie for the Panthers was fourth. He crossed the line in 17:19.72.
Luke Merritt was the next closest finisher for Perry. He was 12th with a time of 18:05.94.
For the girls, Ansley Long for West Laurens was first with a time of 20:17.69. Jordan Rozier was second at 20:53.75, followed by Lady Raiders Madelyn Rogers (21:45.25) and Evan Walker (21:59.88).
Ava Mckallip for Mary Persons was fifth with a time of 22:40.66 and with the top six individuals earning a state berth, Brynn Upshaw for West Laurens locked in that spot with a time of 23:03.84.
Perry’s first finisher was Rachel Baldwin in ninth. She was followed by Ella Rose Rigdon. Baldwin crossed in 23:45.78, Rigdon in 23:53.59.
