Battlefield takes Cedar Run District as Driscoll wins individual first place

Only one more opportunity awaited Darren Driscoll in his quest to win a district championship.

The closest he had come was third a year ago.

His older brother, Jason, now a senior at Mary Washington, was unsuccessful in each attempt.

On Tuesday, with Jason's advice etched in his mind, Darren Driscoll claimed a Cedar Run District title he had waited four years to win.

Driscoll won the boys' varsity race in 17:21, the first cross country individual title by a Battlefield runner in school history.

"It's a good race," Driscoll said. "It was a tough course. The rain didn't help. I took the lead about 1200 meters in and decided to push the pace until the end."

Jason's cross country and track and field background got Darren interested in running. Darren compares his times to his brother's and Jason always lends his advice to help his brother along.

So what did Jason tell Darren prior to this race?

"You've got to trust yourself," Darren said. "You've got to know you're making the right decisions and make sure they work.

"You've got to go for it. Don't make excuses. Just go for it. Just run your race."

Driscoll's day set the standard for Battlefield's third straight district title. James Chrisman followed Driscoll by finishing second (17:38). Kyle Moller (fourth, 17:48), Connor Lee (sixth, 17:54), Na-than Moyer (eighth, 18:00) and Garrick Clemente (ninth, 18:02) all contributed to the Bobcats' 21-point total.

A district win may be nice to have, but Battlefield wants something more satisfying: a solid showing at next week's Northwest Region meet.

"We're looking to regionals," Driscoll said. "We feel this is a warmup for a tough regional meet."

The meet will also include Battlefield's cross country team, led by Nicole Carter's second place finish in (21:07). Megan Pyles (fifth), Hannah Schwennesen (eighth, 21:43) and Kirsten Fling (15th) also achieved all-district honors.

"We did very well," Carter said. "Everyone really gave it their all."

The opportunity came for Carter to become a district champion in her first high school postseason race.

Carter and Loudoun Valley's Audrey Houghton raced close to each other for the majority of the 5K race.

But Houghton seized control in the final mile and distanced herself from Carter.

Osbourn sends Brian Horlick (11th, boys' race), and Emma Nowak (seventh, girls' race) to the regional race.

Nowak, who finished in 21:33, earned the all-district honor despite missing most of her freshman season with a strained muscle in her right leg.

Pedaling the stationary bicycle and swimming were keys to her rehabilitation in physical therapy.

And she has an all-district finish to show for her commitment.

"Hopefully I'll get better with age," Nowak said. "Every year I'll stay stronger."

Staff writer Robert Daski can be reached at 703-878-8049.