When the ER girls captured the 4A state title in 2003, it ended a 15-year drought for Prince George’s County schools. But Dunham admits that turning around the fortunes of the Raiders was hardly a Houdini act. The school already had the state’s most successfultrack and field program, producing 40 indoor and outdoor state titles.

“We were building on top of a foundation that was already there,” said Dunham. “It allowed us to do some things on a sophisticated level.”

And the Raider girls expect to accomplish even more this fall as a talented cast returns. Senior Marika Walker is back for another run at the state individual championship. Her toughest competition figures to come from teammates including sophomore Teshika Rivers, who was runner up at the state meet, and junior Dominique Lockhart, who beat out Walker for the Prince George’s County title.

Also on the squad are senior Jennifer Redman, a two-time region runner up, and outdoor state champions Tasha Stanley (800) and Tameka Jameson (400). — Kevin Dunleavy

Tradition buoys Brentsville

Maybe the reason Brentsville’s boys and girls cross country teams are a dynasty is because they don’t necessarily see themselves as one.

A year after capturing both the boys and girls Group AA state championships, the Tigers are ready to again take on Virginia’s best with a large percentage of their roster returning. Brentsville’s girls have won eight state titles since 1995 and the boys have won four, including back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2005.

“We base a lot of what we do off tradition,” said Brentsville senior Henry Melius. “There have been people before us who have set up the work ethic you need to have on this team. But at the same time we all push each other to get better, the boys and girls both. It’s an amazing atmosphere.”

The Tigers have close to 100 runners out and bring back their top six girls and four of their top six boys. Melius and senior Adam Henken finished third and fourth, respectively, at last season’s state meet. For the girls, senior Becky Stewart was second at the state meet and junior Amelia Emerson wasninth. Sophomore Maggie Gentry showed great promise last spring during outdoor track season with a pair of runner-up finishes at the Northwestern District meet at 1,600 and 3,200 meters. She will contribute later this month after returning from a preseason injury. — Brian McNally

Runners to watch

HALSEY SINCLAIR, SR., BLAIR

Spurred on by twin sister Ashlyn, Sinclair will try to win her fourth straight Montgomery County championship and second state title.

CHRIS BOWIE, SR., B-CC

After running 5000 in 15:49 to place second in Junior Olympics this summer, Bowie is man to beat in Maryland 3A, where he finished second last fall.

LOUISE HANNALLAH, JR., CHURCHILL

After third-place finish in state 4A meet, Hannallah looks to break Eleanor Roosevelt’s stranglehold on the top slots.

ERMIN MUJEZINOVIC, SR., HERNDON

A second-place showing at the Northern Region meet marks Mujezinovic as a top title contender. He also took ninth at the Virginia Group AAA state meet.

JOE LARUSSO, JR., OAKTON

One of six runners back for the defending Virginia Group AAA state champs, a team with few stars but great depth. He placed 17th at the Northern Region meet in 2005.

MARIKA WALKER, SR., E.ROOSEVELT

The 4A state champion found her toughest competition came against her ER teammates as she finished second to Dominique Lockhart in Prince George’s County meet.

CHRIS BARNARD, SR., SHERWOOD

In his second year of running, Barnard was second in Montgomery County championships and led Warriors to second place in state meet, just three points behind Broadneck.

SARRAH HADIJI, SR., W.T.WOODSON

The top returning underclassman in the Northern Region, Hadiji placed second at the Virginia Group AAA state meet and third at the region meet.

MICHAEL SPOONER, SR., W. SPRINGFIELD

The defending Patriot District and Northern Region champion is a Virginia Group AAA state title favorite after finishing runner-up at that event in 2005.

MICHELLE BRITTO, SO., WOODBRIDGE

One of the top underclassmen in Virginia, Britto was always at her best in the most important meets last season. She finished 20th at the Group AAA state meet.

Meets to watch

BRENTSVILLE UNDER THE LIGHTS RELAYS, Sept. 16, at Brentsville

Some of the best boys and girls cross country programs in the area get the chance to take part in a unique 4×2,500 evening relay race instead of their usual early-morning routine. Eleanor Roosevelt is the defending girls champion. The event also includes DeMatha, Jefferson and Herndon.

MAYMONT CROSS COUNTRY FESTIVAL, Sept. 30, at Maymont Park, Richmond, Va.

An elite field visits Richmond for the fourth straight year, including Oakton, Jefferson, DeMatha and Roosevelt. Seven of the top 10 boys teams and five of the top 10 girls teams ranked in the Nike Southeastern Region preseason poll will participate. There are 18 teams who last season were either state champions or runners-up.

GLORY DAYS GRILL INVTATIONAL,

Oct. 14, 8 a.m. at Bull Run Regional Park

The 14th annual Glory Days Grill Invitational will bring a cross section of public and private school teams from Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia to Manassas. Jefferson’s boys and Oakton’s girls are the defending champions. The event included St. Albans and Gonzaga, among others.

IAC CHAMPIONSHIPS,

Oct. 28, 9 a.m. at Bullis

After the graduation of Steve Duplinksy and Drew Abernethy, junior Matt Abernethy assumes the leadership role for a Georgetown Prep squad that is shooting for its fourth IAC title in five years. Junior Nick Bax will lead a St. Albans team that finished second in IAC last year.

MARYLAND PUBLIC SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS, Nov. 11 at Hereford

Favorites beware. The brutal hills at Hereford High often produce unpredictable results. In Class 4A, senior defending champions Matt Centrowitz (Broadneck) and Marika Walker (Eleanor Roosevelt) hope to lead their respective teams to their third straight titles. But it’s not safe to assume anything at Hereford, especially if the conditions are slippery.

News and notes

Border War: The first annual “Battle of the Potomac,” featuring runners from Virginia and Maryland in team competition, will debut Nov. 18. The event, sponsored by the American Running Association and Nike, is tailored after the Nike Border Clash, which pits high school runners from Oregon against their counterparts from Washington. The race will be held at Smoky Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, the weekend after both states’ respective public school championships. Runners will have to register with a club affiliation to comply with public school post-season rules.

Chris Crossed: The top three returning runners in Montgomery County have the same first name. Chris Barnard (Sherwood), Chris Moen (Walter Johnson) and Chris Bowie (B-CC) finished 2-3-4 behind graduated Ryan Janes (Gaithersburg) last fall at the Montgomery County championships.

ABE’S OUT: Herndon’s boys team should compete for a Northern Region title. But the Hornets will do so without Abe Dagnachew, who finished fifth at the Virginia Group AAA state meet as a junior. Dagnachew, a native of Ethiopia, passed the age limit for competition set by the Virginia High School League, according to Herndon coach Pete Sherry. Dagnachew will still practice with the team, which returns three of its top four runners.