In recent years, it has been the Lafayette football team that has been making headlines as a top tier athletic program on the Peninsula. The 2023 Lafayette Boys Cross Country team sought to flip the script on that narrative.

Saturday November 11th, Lafayette finished 3rd at the Class 3 meet, a vast improvement on their 10th place finishes in 2021 and 2022. Led by a herd of seniors, the Rams dominated in the Bay Rivers District all season en route to the state meet. One of those seniors, Henry Gemerek, has battled injuries seemingly his entire high school career. Gemerek finished 12th at the Bay Rivers District Championship in October in personal record time of 16:49. Up until this year, Gemerek’s PR was 18:02. In an email, Head Coach Cher Lobash said this of Gemerek: “he set his sights high and broke into the 16s–he plays club soccer and did a great job of balancing both sports.  He is truly an amazing athlete and leader.” You can read more about Henry here: https://www.wtkr.com/sports/lafayettes-gemerek-keeping-busy-during-senior-year?fbclid=IwAR3KWhhf4HwxAf7d3YylkgzsPCbcVGySX8SNWHlpMhLkApGTh9yDo5BFixo

Gemerek was a part of the six Lafayette boys who broke 17 minutes on Saturday, as the Rams averaged 16:37 on the fast Green Hill Park course in Salem, Virginia. A.J. Koval and Captain Braden Lee led the way for the Rams, finishing in 15th and 16th in times of 16:11 and 16:12. Lee ended his high school cross country career in a big way with a 19 second PR.

However, this year was not just a flash in the pan for the Rams. Lafayette returns 5 of their top 7 in 2024, and will look to unseat Maggie Walker, the top Class 3 program in the State. Head Coach Cher Lobash had these thoughts on the Rams’ performance: “Our boys ran their hearts out…5 PR’d, 6 out of 7 ran in the 16s.  Our team average time was 16:37–they ran 1:11 faster than last year’s average team time & it was their fastest average time this season!  The coaches are extremely proud of the team’s accomplishments, especially their improvement coming from 10th the last 2 years to earn 3rd this year.”

It should shape up to be a very competitive season in the Bay Rivers District next season, and the Rams will look to defend their title in 2024. However, Jamestown and Grafton will return strong squads and will look to regain their spots atop the district.