Blue Devil Sweep! Dreher boys cross country wins Class 3A individual, team titles

It was a day of firsts for the Dreher boys cross country team.

The Blue Devils won the Class 3A team and individual state championships on Saturday at Sandhills Research Center. The meet was pushed back to Saturday because of Tropical Storm Nicole.

Dreher finished with 67 points, 10 more than second-place Powdersville.

It is Dreher’s first team championship in any sport since winning the 2019 Class 4A boys soccer championship. The Blue Devils moved to Class 3A this year because of realignment.

“It’s unbelievable. It’s awesome,” Dreher coach Timmy Supplee told reporters after the race. “The guys have been putting in all the work for the last five, six years. This is the overall goal. We have come close. but have just had some bad luck at the state championships. Today, it all came together.”

Dreher senior Sam Kolowith (15:52) won the individual championship, becoming the first Blue Devil runner to accomplish that feat.

It was a big week for Dreher athletics program as Mary Kat Stricklin won the Class A/2A/3A girls tennis championship on Tuesday by defeating Oceanside Collegiate’s Ella DeFord in the title match,

It also was a big one for Kolowith, who signed to run at Tennessee on Wednesday. He was all-state the past two years, finishing third each time.

Kolowith finished second in his heat during last week’s state qualifying race.

“At the qualifier, I kind of jogged it in and didn’t want to show all my cards,” Kolowith said. “Today, I went all out and was able to hold off my really, good competitor Elijah Poore (of Walhalla) and ultimately get the win.

“It has been my goal since the seventh grade to win a state title and to do it as a senior is really cool.”

Seniors Liam Jones (16:58) and Ivan Diaz (17:13) earned all-state honors for Dreher. Jones was fourth and Diaz 13th. The top-15 runners earn all-state.

Dreher is the second Midlands team to win a cross country championship this week. Lexington girls won the Class 5A championship on Thursday. It is the first boys cross country championship for a Richland One school since Keenan won the 1985 Class 3A championship.

Philip Simmons won the Class 3A girls title and Daniel’s Ashby Williams (19:15) was the individual champion.

Greenville won the Class 4A boys and girls championships The Red Raiders’ also won individual championships with Knox Young (15:58) and Caroline Lyerly (18:31) finishing first.

Westwood’s Emma Ashley (19:26) finished fifth and earned all-state honors.

Ridge View’s Macaire N’twa (16:56) finished eighth in 4A boys race. AC Flora boys finished seventh in 4A.