Coach Parsons and Timbo Edmunds gased up the vans and drove a few of Midland's athletes to Charlotte North Carolina for the 2007 Foot Locker South East Regionals. After a week that gave us 70' weather, we woke up to a 28' chilly morning. Coach Riley, Coach Shoemaker, Matthew Edmunds, Trey Beckett, Timbo Edmunds, and Ryan Smith and his family were the first ones to get to the course. The first round of athletes arrived around 7:15 as Coach Riley was scheduled to start at 8:00 AM followed by the Boys Freshman race at 8:30. The course was a very flat and fast 5k that was labled every 100 meters. The start had 400 meters of grass and the rest of the course was crushed gravel that was soft on the legs yet still firm enough to be fast. Coach Riley was well bundled up as he ran to a Post-HS PR of 17:55 in the 30' weather. Matthew Edmunds and Ryan Smith took the line about 12 minutes after Coach Riley finished. The race got out to a very quick start and both of them did a very good job. Ryan Smith finished in 59th place with a time of 18:00 while Matthew Edmunds finished in 135th place with a time of 20:23. After the freshman race was over, David Bias, Coach Parsons, and Andrew Edmunds arrived on the course as their races did not start till later in the day.

The Midland crew was able to watch a couple of exciting races that featured some of the best runners on the eastern seaboard before the most anticipated race of the day, the boys seeded race, took the gun. In fact, they took the gun THREE TIMES!!!! Apparently some of the guys were very exicted and they had to call the group back twice before everyone got a fair start. Senior David Bias was featured in the race. The top runner came across with an amazing time of 14:45. Bias ran a strong race and finished his last HS XC race with a very respectable time of 16:05. Congarts to David Bias on his great HS XC career. He closed it out in a big way in one of the best races in the nation!! He will have a long and successful career as he will certainly take his running to the next level in college.

Senior Andrew Edmunds taped up his ankles in all of those weird colors before he took the line and a tropical 50'!!! Andrew ran in the senior race and was thankfully easy to spot in the crowd of runners because of his new and fancy pink underarmour head band. Andrew ran a very gutsy race as he almost hit a new PR when he finished with a very good time of 18:27.

Soon after Andrew Edmunds finished the race the search was on for a missing Trey Beckett as the Midland crew were ready to get back on the road and head home. Congrats to all of the athletes who competed. This was a great experience for all of the athletes who trained after the season was over and continued to keep up the mileage and workouts when they were not asked to. This shows real heart and dedication to the sport. Hopefully other athletes in the future will step it up and decide to make their was south and compete in one of these races.

Today, we invited the top runners in the state to compete on our course. Coach Parsons actually went to sleep last night, mostly in part to the mother nature giving us a break. Yesterday, the weathermen said it was going to pour the ran, but the rain held off and the volunteers were able to finish up around 8 or 9 PM. The ENTIRE MIDLAND FAMILY was back on the course around sunrise and found a damp, but solid course.

The girls were the first to come out of the barn and through the tunnel on their way to the starting line beside of the soccer field. Doc Hale shot the gun at exactly 10:00 AM and the Midland girls got off to a strong start. As the girls came up the hill, Rachel Williams was battling with the top girls followed closely by Rachel Riley, DeeDee Winningham, and Brittany Taft. By the 2nd horseshoe, Riley was looking really strong as she was closing in on Williams and the leaders while towing Winningham and Taft right behind her. Michelle Schussler and Clara Stephens were not far behind and Jessica Beihl holding her own. By the time the girls entered the stadium to let Coach Riley scream their name over the PA system, Williams was in the top 15 with Taft finishing in 21st place, Winningham in 27th place, Senior Rachel Riley in 30th, and Schussler in 35th place. Stephens and Beihl finished in 43rd and 59th respectively.

After the race, there was plenty of hugs and congrats. The coaching staff and the rest of the Midland Family was very proud of the girls Top 7 as they fought and earned their 4th place. Midland girls will be graduating one great red-headed senior from the top 7 and should be a contender next year. Congrats to the girls for a great season and on a more personal note, Thank you girls for a great Seasons!!!

The girls, however, did not sit around long after their race. They boys were reading to bust out of the barn and through the tunnel on their way to the starting line. A car trying to sabotage the boys from reaching the starting could not prevent them from racing their best on this day.

The gun went off and the butterflies left the bellies of the Midland Top 7 that consisted of David Bias (Sr.), Trey Beckett (Jr.), Nolan Queen (Soph.), Corey Miller (Jr.), Dustin Stewart (Jr.), Ryan Smith (Fresh.), and Michael Niemann (Soph.). David Bias got off to a very strong start as he was ready to challenge the top racers for the 1st place position. As he reached the top of the hill he was in a great position. Beckett, Queen, Miller, and Stewart got off to a strong start but really didn't start racing till they got to the top. Beckett listened to his father and kept is shoulders back and ran tall while he was picking off runners the entire top part of the course while bringing his young counterpart, Queen, along. Corey Miller and Dustin Stewart keyed off of each other to maintain their position while picking up a couple of spots. When the Midland runners crossed the finish line, two of them had finished in the top ten (Bias, 4th and Beckett, 8th). Queen was not far behind in 23rd place, which made him the 2nd fastest sophomore in the state. Miller and Stewart worked together up to the end where Miller kicked it hard and finished 7 seconds faster to earn 34th place while Stewart was 36th place with a time of 17:51. Freshman Smith ran an amazing 18:28 and was 1 of only 9 freshman in the race. Micheal Niemann pulled his hair back to increase his aero-dynamics. He finished in 78th place.

When all was said and done, Midland redeemed themselves on their home course and was crowned the 2007 WV Cross Country State Runner Up. It took all 7 runners that competed on this day and the other 30+ team members who trained with and pushed the top 7 to earn this honor. In no way could Midland reach such high marks without the help of every athlete on the team who ran, cheered, screamed, and supported each other the entire season.

At 5:30, everyone finally set down for a nice dinner at Johnny's Pizza and talked about the season that seemed like it had just started yesterday. Talking and thinking about all of the summer runs at the Barboursville Park and Mileage Plus, the Church Camp, the repeats on the course, the spaghetti dinner, all of Nolan Queen's Boy Scout meetings he had to go to, stretching in the wrestling room, the summer that never seemed like it was going to end, Cake Day, a certain athlete swimming in the creek at the Geico Classic, Andrew Edmunds leading every race he competed in, Coach Parsons flipping the 4-wheeler, the new speakers at the stadium, the Alumni raiding Midland's Last Chance, The fantastic 14, hiding in the softball dugouts, orange flags, setting national record times at Boyd County, getting lost on Rio Grande's Course, Coach's unique music on his IPOD, Carter's golfing experience at Mileage Plus, HARDCORE and Tattoos, Cool Warm-up Shirts, sneaking a dip in the TimberLake pool, Finally figuring out the difference between Adam and Karl, the early magical mile, The CedarWood Classic, the Riley's pool parties, Bill Hill Invitational, Cross-Country Message Boards, Warming up in the creek area, and not going up top by the nursery.......

The weather on this day showed us a little bit of everything. In the morning it rained, then was overcast, then the sun came out and it got hot, then it was overcast again. Lucky for Midland, by the time the races started, the weather was done playing around and it stayed overcast throughout both of the races. The girls were the first to step to the line.

Not long after the start, Rachel Williams and DeeDee Winningham were leading Rachel Riley, Brittany Taft, Clara Stephens, Michelle Schussler, and Jessica Beihl. As the race went on, Rachel Williams pulled away and held onto 3rd place with a time of 21:11. DeeDee Winningham placed 5th overall and 2nd on the team with a time of 21:39. Rachel Riley ran a great race to place 6th overall with a time of 21:51. Brittany Taft placed 7th to earn all-regional honors with a time of 22:13. Michelle Schussler finished out the top 5 with a time of 22:13 in 11th place. Clara Stephens and Jessica Beihl had great races and ran 22:33 and 23:31 respectively.

The boys race had a very interesting start. David Bias made sure that we would command the lead from as early as he can all the way through the finish line, He ran a time of 17:14 to be declared the region IV champion. Nolan Queen and Trey Beckett were not far behind to earn 2nd and 3rd place with times of 17:50 and 17:53. Corey Miller continued his great season with a 5th place finish to earn all-regional honors with a time of 18:12. Dustin Stewart, fresh off of his soccer season placed 7th with a time of 18:25. Michael Niemann and Ryan Smith ran 18:43 and 19:50 respectively to finish out the top seven.

Next Saturday, Midland will toe the starting line with the best of the best in the state of West Virginia at Cabell Midland.. Midland will be ready to roll.

After Coach Parsons changed his mind over 34 times, the Midland Last Chance was finally held on October 17th. This year, a rag-tag group of people showed up to the line wearing throw-back uniforms. The uniforms looked like they were from the mid to early 90's and the people wearing them might not have looked much better than the uniforms they were in!!!! The "Great" looking bunch was none another than the ALUMNI!!!!! Coach Parsons and Lucas were overheard discussing ways to ensure that one of their teams took home the trophy.

 The gun (whistle) went off around 5:15 PM and, as always, Andrew Edmunds was off to an early lead. As the pack headed up the hill, Robert Smith and Casey Batey had already made their move and took the lead as Edmunds lead Ryan Lavalley, Coach Riley, Thomas Wright, and Joe Freeman, who were trailing not far behind. As the group traversed the two loops and headed back down the hill, Coach Riley and Lavalley were working to catch Edmunds as Smith and Batey were way out in the lead.

At the bottom of the hill, it was Lavalley, Riley, and Edmunds. Edmunds put in a HUGE surge behind the baseball field and held on as Casey Batey got tired and decided to hop on the back a four-wheeler with Coach Parsons at the wheel and get a little extra help.  Edmunds ran a gutsy finish to place 1st for Team Lucas with Lavalley following in a close 2nd for Team Parsons. Coach Riley finish an AMAZING 3rd (He is so awesome!!!).

On the girls side, young gun Jorden Thornton claimed the girls title and course record followed by Senior Callie Hutchinson, Callie's sister Jessica, Shania Carter, Ashley Johnson, and alumni Sara Hutchinson.

When the scores were added up, the ALUMNI score was thrown out. Turns out Parsons and Lucas DQ'd the ALUMNI for not having matching shorts. With the ALUMNI's score thrown out, it came down to a 1 point match with Team Parsons taking home the trophy.

The entire team will be getting in the bus tomorrow and heading to Hurricane for the Region IV race.

On a beautiful Wednesday evening at Cabell Midland, all of the teams in the Mountain State Athletic Conference came to Midland just 2 and a half weeks before the state meet to decide who would win this years title. To make a long story short, Midland hammered the field and came away with the 1st place plaques in both the boys and girls races.

On the girls side, DeeDee Winningham (20:14) and Rachel Williams (20:21)pushed each other the entire race to lead the Midland squad. They were followed very closely by Rachel Riley (20:30) and Brittany Taft (20:39). Riley made a huge push in the last 200 meters to pass Taft and show everyone that she is over her recent sickness and ready to rock and roll. Rounding out the top 5 for the girls was Jessica Beihl (21:29) Beihl was rumored to have an amazing face as she was finishing the race. Local animals were running away in fear as she showed her complete dedication!!! Clara Stephens (21:47) , who has been fighting off an illness, and Michelle Schussler (21:57) rounded out the girls top 7.

Special notice needs to be taken for a couple of runners on the girls side that really stepped it up on this day. Senior Callie Hutchinson ran 2:18 faster than she did at Geico to earn herself a good time of 22:41. Finally, Hannah Jordan ran a PR of 30:46 which is an amazing 8:33 faster than she ran at Geico!!!!

David Bias (16:30) outran the field from the start to claim another individual title. Trey Beckett (17:04), Nolan Queen (17:18) and Corey Miller ran 3rd, 6th and 7th  respectively to help lead the boys team to be crowned champions. Dustin Stewart (17:25), Michael Niemann (17:44) and Ryan Smith (18:14) finished out the boys top 7.

The rest of the team all ran better times at the MSAC then they did at the Geico. Some runners who deserve mention include; Karl Shaver (21:34), Christian MacCourtney (23:07), and Kramer Kaplan (23:56) who all ran 2 minutes or more faster.

Next meet for the Knights is the State Qualifier which will be held at the Hurricane Wave Pool Park.

Midland took a weekend off from traditional XC races this weekend so everyone could have fresh dancing legs for the Homecoming Dance. The Covenant School 5k run was a good alternative that allowed everyone to make their hair appointments and get ready for the big day.

Midland runners took the top 17 spots followed by Greg Bridgewater (Father of two Midland Alumn). After Bridgewater was another 4 midland runners.

David Bias broke 16 minutes again with a time of 15:59. He improved 17 seconds and broke the course record again!!! Nolan Queen and Trey Beckett both ran great races to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. Corey Miller, Dustin Stewart, Micheal Niemann, and Andrew Edmunds made up the top 7.

On the girls side, 7th grader Jorden Thornton and DeeDee Winningham battled to the end. DeeDee had to reach down and use her sprint speed to beat Thornton and take the women's overall trophy home with a time of 20:27.

Midland's next race is the MSAC conference meet which will be held at Cabell Midland on Wednesday!!

For the first time this season, Midland toes up to the line when the temperature is below 85'. This day provided Midland an excellent opportunity to prove to themselves and everyone else that Midland is ALWAYS a team to reckon with. The Seniors on the team should be thanked for choosing to come to Boyd County. They didn't know it till they arrived but the course only had one hill in it and Ryan Lavalley was all over it cheering on the rest of the team in their attempt to conquer the hill. (The hill was a 5 ft incline to a gravel road) In fact, if you tripped, you would have reached the top of the hill on the course. Everything else was perfectly flat. When the gun was shot by Doc Hale to start the girls race, the fog had burned off and it was a comfortable 72'.

The girls team tried a new strategy today and it worked well for the ladies. A mile into the race DeeDee Winningham and Rachel Williams were leading the pack of girls. Brittay Taft and Clara Stephens were only 8 seconds back with Michelle Schussler only 3 seconds behind them. The rest of the race went on this way. Winningham and Williams made the final turn and began their kick. They enjoyed a 40 meter lead over Taft, Stephens, and Schussler. The next girl was 70 meters behind Schussler. Winningham outkicked Williams and was crowned the girls individual champion followed by Williams, Taft, Stephens, and Schussler to earn a perfect 15 points. Jessica Beihl finished an excellent 7th place. All of the girls recorded HUGE PRs today!!!

The boys team was next to take the course. David Bias took the lead 100 meters into the race after almost going the wrong way on the course. He didn't back down after taking the lead. He put in surges and kept challenging himself to push to his INCREDIBLE time of 15:20.00 to earn him 1st place. Trey Beckett and Nolan Queen were not far behind as they ran a great race to finish 2nd and 3rd. Corey Miller ran tough again and finished in 5th followed by Dustin Stewart and Ryan Smith. The boys overall team score was 17 points. Many of the runners had HUGE PRs today that should be attributed to the excellent weather, flat course, and workouts that they have been rocking out over the past week.

The girls middle school race was next and this had to be the most fun race of the day. Jessica Hutchinson came out of retirement and took the lead very early in the race. However, she had no idea where she was to go and became an excellent leader as the rest of the field followed her where ever she went. She ran her own race today and she did a great job at it. The fans got the field back on track but it was too late as Jessica was heading toward the finish. She was crowned champion in the girls middle school division.

With three races down and a midland athlete winning every race so far, it came down to Steve Egnatoff to help Midland with their clean sweep. The boys middle school race was not as exciting as the girls race as the boys stayed on the designed course but the racing was far more competitive. Steve did not take the lead like his teammates did early in the race. Instead, Steve decided to wait to come and come from behind to take the lead with 400 meters to go to earn his 1st place trophy.

Overall, Midland had a wonderful day. The athletes should understand that their hard work and dedication combined with the break in the weather and the 100% flat course contributed to their successes today. When Coach Parsons asked how many runners had a PR today, almost every single hand on the team went up.

9/22/07 Midland faces the heat again in Lancaster, Ohio

After a tough week of training, Midland packed up the cars for a road trip to Lancaster, OH for the Bob Reall Cross Country Invitational. The Egnatoff family was the first to put up the tents as Steve had an early race. Steve Egnatoff had a big PR as he broke the 12 minute barrier with a time of 11:59 to earn him 2^nd place. 

The girls reserve varsity was the next on the hot and dry course. DeeDee Winnigham made a great 2007 debut with a solid time of 22:00 to earn her a 3^rd place medal. Ashley Nicely crossed the finish line for the first time this season. She managed to cross the creek three times without getting wet. Shaina Carter ran real strong and finished 3^rd on the reserve squad with a time of 26:09. Ashley Johnson, Maddie Perry, and Hannah Jordan, who also ran well, finished out the reserve squad. 

Next race on the course on the hot Saturday afternoon was the boys Div. I varsity race. This race featured some of the best runners and teams from Ohio. Hudson, who is a powerhouse in Ohio, won the race with the Midland boys finishing 3^rd.  David Bias ran an awesome race as he hung with the best to earn 2^nd place with a time of 16:20. Corey Miller ran an amazing race to a new personal best of 17:57 as he finished 20^th place. 

On the girls varsity side, PACK ATTACK is the only words that can describe this race. Brittany Taft, Rachel Riley, Michelle Schussler, and Clara Stephens finished within 34 seconds of each other. Schussler raised some eyebrows today as she ran a season PR of 21:49. Rachel Williams ran a good first half of the race but could not finish as she experienced breathing problems caused by asthma. 

Ryan Smith led the boys reserve varsity. He earned 8^th place as hung with the leaders for the majority of the race. Andrew Edmunds ran a PR with a time of 19:10. Collin Meadows was real close to getting his goal as he ran a PR of 20:07. Finally, Kramer Kaplan has taken more than 5 minutes off of his time for the season as he ran 26:08 today. Next week, Midland is packing up again and hitting the road in search for a fast course to compete.

9/8/07 Midland overcomes the heat to score 2nd at the Geico Classic Inv.

The headline is misleading as not all of the Midland athletes had to endure the heat today. Steve Egnatoff's race started at 9 a.m. and the air was a cool 78' at the time. This allowed him to run a very strong 12:44 which landed him in 6th place.

The girls Varsity race started promptly at 10 a.m. 130 girls took off past the baseball field and at this point it was anyone's race. Once the runners reached the top of the hill, it became a little clearer as to who had control of the race.

Rachel Williams was the 1st Midland runner around 10th place at the top of the hill followed closely by Rachel Riley. Brittany Taft, Clara Stephens, and Michelle Schussler were packing it in together to attack the rest of the field as they were coming up the hill. Schussler was noted as putting in a good race and moving forward after she reached the top of the hill.

In the end, the University girls were too tough and edged out Midland for the Victory.

On the boys side, David Bias was the first up the hill but received a challenge from Corey Hampshire of Jefferson. Bias responded after they came down the hill and Bias was crowned the winner as he set a new course record with a time of 16:23. Nolan Queen ran a tough race to finish 11th and Dustin Stewart finished 21st.

The boys ran very strong but University won the team title for the boys side as well.

Midland's Reserve Varsity made it's season debut today as Michael Niemann led the boys to a hands-down victory. The boy's Reserve Varsity had 6 runners in the top ten.

9/4/07 Midland Dominates the Gallipolis Inv.

Goals were set and Goals were met!!!! That is the only way to describe this meet as the Midland Knights took a bus trip up the Ohio River to Coach Shoemaker's hometown.

Midland unloaded the bus to find that the sun was shining and the weather was hot. The coaches set up the tents and the athletes found shelter as they watched the middle school and Jr. High runners take on the course.

Steve Egnatoff was the first knight to take the gun. He competed all on his own and came away with a 2nd place finish. Hannah Jordan made her XC debut as she met her goals and ran real strong.

The boys varsity didn't take too long to warm up in the heat and soon enough they were one the starting line waiting for the gun to go off. When the gun finally went off, David Bias didn't hesitate to take the lead and had a 20 meter lead coming down the first hill that was 400 meters into the race. He held on to this lead and even though he made a couple of wrong turns, he still won convincingly with a time of 17:00. Dustin Stewart helped Midland's cause when he made his 2007 XC debut and ran 3rd on the team behind David Bias and Trey Beckett. Ryan Smith and Nolan Queen rounded out Midland's top 5 who had a very good split!!! Corey Miller (Scar and all) and Michael Niemann rounded out the top 7. The boys scored a perfect 15 points.

The girls race was a little more exciting. 400 meters into this race saw a very fast girl from Gallipolis in the lead. 1 mile into the race, a girl from Notre Dame and the Gallipolis girl were in the lead with Midland's Rachel Williams and Rachel Riley following close behind. About 1.5 miles into the race, the Gallipolis runner made a bad move on the course and could not finish which gave Williams and Riley a great opportunity to step up and they did. Clara Stephens, Michelle Schussler, and Brittany Taft worked together most of the race to pick off other runners. The three girls were neck and neck coming to the last hill when all of a sudden, a girl from another team cut off Schussler causing her to state, "No Way, that was just MEAN!!!!!" Schussler got upset and charged up the hill behind Stephens and Taft. In the end Rachel Williams finished 2nd with Riley in 4th. Clara Stephens had an awesome race and finished 8th overall with Taft and Schussler finishing 9th and 10th respectively. The girls took home the 1st place trophy with a very low 27 points.

Click HERE to see an article from the Gallipolis Daily Tribune.

Click HERE to see an article from the Herald Distpatch.

8/28/07 Midland Boys and Girls take home the title at Hurricane High Invitational

On a very hot and sunny day, Cabell Midland officially opened the season in Hurricane. Midland quickly got acquainted with the new course during the warm-up and that was all they needed to lace up their shoe laces and show the rest of the state that they are ready to compete.

The first race of the day was the girls middle school 2 mile race. Midland's only competitor was Jess Hutchinson. She ran well for close to half of the race when her nagging groin injury got the best of her on the hills. Stephen Egnatoff was next up for the boys middle school race. Steve got off to a great start and held on to finish a well-deserved 4th place with a time of 14:31.

The girls varsity took off from the starting line around 6:45 and at the half mile marker it was anyone's race. Hurricane, Midland, Parkersburg, and Parkersburg South all had runners in the top ten. When the girls came out of the hills, Midland had the #1, 4, and 5 spots. The girls ended up pretty close to that as Midland's top 5 finished in the top 15.

The boys varsity race was the last of the evening. David Bias took off like a man on a mission from the starting line and never gave up his lead. Trey Beckett bounced around in the 2-5 spots throughout the race while Nolan Queen got off to a slower start and began picking off people as the race went on. In the end, the Midland boys were crowned champions and put the top 5 in the top 18!!!

8/25/07 Bill Hill Invitational

Notes from Coach Parsons:

Hey Gang ... despite the very very very muggy & hot conditions, our runners produced some impressive results.

8/11/07 Midland Competes in Cedar Wood Classic

Midland's Oldest Active Alumni had the entire team over again today for the 5th annual Cedar Wood Classic. As always, Corey Richardson and Dave Owens put together a wonderful course for Midland XC. Midland was lucky as the hot weather that had blistered the tri-state for the entire week broke and when Coach Parsons yelled "Go" from his 4-wheeler, the weather was a nice 82'.

97' Alumni Jake Porter took off for the lead and lead for the first two miles where senior David Bias took the lead and held on to it with a time of 17:14.

On the girls side, Diane Riley took the lead in the first half mile and held on the entire way to earn the victory with a time of 22:35. Followed by her daughter Rachel who ran 22:55.

The competition didn't end after everyone crossed the finish line. The competition just moved over to the badminton courts for some serious shuttle smashing. The tournament was competitive and fast and David Bias and Cass Meadows met Trey Beckett and Ryan Ramsby in the finals. Cass Meadows took over the court and Bias tried his best to help him out as those two left with the golden rackets!!!

7/18/07 Bias wins the Ray McCoy Award

David Bias was selected as this year's recipient of the Ray McCoy Award. This is a very special award that is given to the most outstanding Track and Field athlete in the tri-state area. Bias' performance at the state track and field meet had to put him out in front of the other candidates for the award. Bias was a 2-time state champion in 2007 with a win in the 4x800m Relay and an individual champion in the 800m.

Click here to see the story from the Herald Dispatch

7/17/07 Cass Meadows signs with Richmond College

At the annual Midland Track and Field Awards Ceremony, Cass, in between his parents, signed with Richmond College. He will be a great addition to their team.

Congrats and best of luck to Cass!!!

Click here to see the story from the Herald Dispatch.

7/16/07 Ryan Smith selected to represent WV at a National Meet!!!

Upcoming Midland Freshman, Ryan Smith, has been selected to represent West Virginia at the Hershey National Track & Field Finals in Hershey, PA on August 2-5. There were only 6 athletes selected from the entire stat of West Virginia, so it's quite an honor. Ryan's travel to Hershey, PA will be an all expense paid trip including airfare, lodging, meals, and alot of other goodies.