The East Ridge High School girls cross country team capped another impressive season with a runner-up finish at the Class 4A Region 2 Championships on Saturday morning at South County Regional Park in Boca Raton.

Coming off their fourth straight district championship, the Knights entered the regional meet with hopes of repeating last year’s title win. Against one of the toughest fields in Florida, East Ridge’s consistent depth and determination earned them a second-place team finish, just eight points behind Spanish River, and a fifth overall trip to the state meet.

Jessie Volz and Rhyen Foley show off their regional medals at Boca

Senior Rhyen Foley led the Knights’ effort, finishing 13th overall in 19 minutes, 13.94 seconds, securing a regional medal for the third time in her career. Rhyen’s performance now ranks among the top six regional finishes in the program’s 24-year history.

Junior Jessie Volz sets a new career personal best time at the regional championships in Boca; photo by John Watson.

Junior Jessie Volz was close behind in 14th place with a personal-best 19:14.65, a two-minute improvement over her time at the same course last year. Jessie’s effort earned her a regional medal and marked the eighth-fastest regional performance in school history.

Junior Taylor Walker sets a new career personal best time at the regional championships in Boca; photo by John Watson.

Senior Veronica Peterson (19th, 19:26) turned in a season-best time and became the only runner in program history with all four of her regional races ranked in East Ridge’s all-time top 10. Freshman Hortance Sallault continued her breakout season with a 21st-place finish in 19:37, while junior Taylor Walker set a new personal record at 19:48 to round out the team’s scoring.

Senior Rhyen Foley leads the Knights’ charge at the regional meet in Boca; photo by John Watson.

For the first time in program history, all five of East Ridge’s scoring runners broke the 20-minute barrier — a milestone Head Coach Grant Mollett called “a testament to their work ethic, unity, and belief in each other.”

Senior Veronica Peterson charges the finish line at the regional championships in Boca; photo by John Watson.

Sophomore Helen Robertson (35th, 20:26) and junior Lexi Whitehead (55th, 21:31) rounded out the varsity lineup with strong performances.

Varsity Girls with Team Runner Up Trophy at the regional championships in Boca; photo by Quiana Peterson.

The runner-up finish solidifies East Ridge as one of Florida’s top Class 4A programs. The team has now qualified for the FHSAA State Championships for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time overall.

The Knights will race again at the state meet on Nov. 22 at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, where they’ll look to close out their season with another historic performance.