The Mathews High School boys and girls cross country teams had a strong opening to the 2010 season, with the boys sweeping the first seven places and the MHS girls taking the top five over district rivals King William and West Point on Sept. 8 at Beaverdam Park.

Despite facing much improved squads from both challengers, the experience and top-end depth of the Blue Devils was able to deliver a convincing victory. For the boys, Russell Reed earned the individual victory, placing first in 18:18. Chris Barnhardt (18:50), Jamie van Emmerik (19:17), Kyle Slaughter (19:31) and John Miles (19:44) completed the sweep. Paul Crook (20:11) and Eric Johnson (20:15) rounded out the top seven and each took over 30 seconds off their best practice times.

The Blue Devil boys also got solid performances from Elisha Kane (22:01) and rookies Ian Smith (22:52), Sam Spadaccini (22:58) and Caleb Miller (25:05).

The Lady Devils also put together an impressive performance, sweeping West Point and perenn...