Hayesville Boys Finish Fourth at Western Regional Cross Country Meet

BRYSON CITY, N.C. — The Hayesville High School boys cross country team turned in a strong performance Saturday, finishing fourth overall at the NCHSAA 2A Western Regional Championship meet in Bryson City.

The Yellow Jackets tallied 108 points with a tight 47-second spread between their top five runners, securing a trip to the state meet. Corvian Community School won the regional title with 61 points, followed by Christ the King Catholic School (71) and Community School of Davidson (96).

Senior Noah Carter led Hayesville, finishing 12th overall with a time of 18 minutes, 6.9 seconds on the 5,000-meter course. He was followed closely by Jackson Dye in 20th (18:23.9), Eli Cheeks in 23rd (18:30.2), Parker Hughes in 25th (18:36.7), and Porter Hood in 28th (18:54.3).

Rounding out the Yellow Jackets’ lineup were Micah Moss (38th, 19:36.8) and Evan Burks (41st, 19:47.2), who added valuable depth to Hayesville’s effort.

Corvian’s Charlie Baggett and Brady Travis placed fifth and sixth, respectively, to pace their team to victory. Elkin’s Mason Day won the individual title in 16:40.6, edging out Bryson Calkins of Community School of Davidson.

Hayesville’s fourth-place finish caps an impressive regional showing for the Jackets, who will now prepare to compete in the NCHSAA 2A State Championship.