The first five years of the Journal Review County Chase have been dominated by North Montgomery and Southmont. The first three contests by the Chargers, and the last two by the Mounties.
After the completion of fall sports, the Athenians are proving it’s their time to shine.
Crawfordsville won four of the eight fall sports county titles, and leads the pack with 20 points heading into the winter. Southmont is second with a pair of county titles at 20, while North Montgomery claimed points in just a pair of fall sports, winning championships in football and girls’ soccer. The Athenians continued their domination in cross country, winning their fifth straght girls title and fourth straight on the boys side. Crawfordsville also returned to its winning ways in boys soccer, dominating their county opponents just one year after dropping matches to both the Chargers and the Mounties.
Girls golf might have been the lone surprise win for the Athenians, with Bailey Mittal leading the way in a 2-point win at the county meet to give Crawfordsville its first county title since 2009.
The biggest surprise came in volleyball when Southmont handed Crawfordsville its first loss of the season to clinch the county championship. The Mounties also won a second straight county title in boys’ tennis.
Looking ahead to the winter, there is little doubt the Athenians dominance will continue. They return nearly every member of their boys’ basketball, boys’ swimming, and gymnastics teams that all won county titles last season. Crawfordsville also finished as the county runner-up in girls’ swimming and wrestling last season.
The race to catch the Athenians is officially on for the Chargers and Mounties.
