PARKERSBURG — Mid-Ohio Valley big school programs should factor in quite nicely during the two-day state track meet, which gets underway Friday at the University of Charleston’s Laidley Field. The girls from Ripley High School will be out to avenge last year’s narrow miss on bringing back a state title to Jackson County as the Vikings came up just short to Morgantown, 82-80. “We’re just trying to stay healthy,” admitted Parkersburg head girls coach Lia Fleek, who added that Ripley “looks pretty solid, but Morgantown you can never count them out. Ripley has a nice team and a lot of nice athletes.” Of course, leading the charge for the Ripley girls is All-American Tori Starcher, who was runner-up for high-point at last year’s meet, as well as the speedy Allison Fields. The then freshman Fields tallied 25 points last year and produced the third most at the state meet. Fields topped the triple-A field in the 100 and 200 while Starcher swept the 800, 1600 and 3200. “We’ve got some people who have good chances like (Madison) Trippett,” Fleek added of the Big Red, who is expected to be Starcher’s top challenger in the 800 and 1600. Trippett was runner-up in the 800 last spring. Fleek also noted junior pole vaulter Sophie Thompson “is ready to go over 9-6” while senior Big Red Abby Tanner should be one of the top challengers to Fields in the 100. PHS could get points in the hurdles events from Emily Kupfner while the Vikings will look for points from Cassidy Miller in the 300 hurdles as well as from Olivia Miller in the high jump and pole vault. Parkersburg South’s Erin Williams and PHS’ Lexi Dugan also will be out to grab a top-six podium finish in the high jump. South first-year girls head coach Tara Swiger also has a trio of hurdlers who advanced from the regional in Emily Yanok, Sierra Hayes and Allie Perkins. First-year Parkersburg South head boys coach Erwin DeGraef is excited about the final weekend of the season and admitted, “they are going to the meet with high expectations. At the beginning when we were building the team, we were looking for top 15 (in the state), but right now where we are standing with a little luck we can be a top-five team. “For this group, it’s been a major accomplishment, thinking it was going to be a rebuilding year. They’ve stuck through it. They never really slacked. It was always all-out. Hopefully, we can place as many kids as we can.” At the regional, the Patriots’ shuttles foursome of Corey Beverage, Dominic Collins, Chris Elschlager and Haden McConnell edged Huntington, which along with Hedgesville should be the top competition for PSHS. “Chris Elschlager and Dominic Collins, those two senior leaders are going to help us,” added DeGraef, who knows it will be tough, but would love to see Elschlager, McConnell and Beverage place in the 110 hurdles. PHS freshman Aaron Kupfner is eyeing a podium finish in the 110 hurdles as are Patriot Cameron Gill and Viking Samuel Pierson in the 300 hurdles. In the 4×800, the competition is just as stiff as PHS (8:25.25) and Hurricane (8:28.83) are the likely favorites to win. The Big Reds used Anthony Bradford, Will LeMaster, Devin Ours and Ian Domenick, who is expected to contend for the 1600 title with Big Red teammate Benjamin Lake doing the same in the 2-mile, at the regional. PHS boys head coach Rod O’Donnell also will be counting on the likes of Tyler Moler (100/200), LeMaster (3200), Buddy Roberts (pole vault) and Shane Miller (shot/discus) to help score points individually for the red and white. Collins, who has cleared 6 feet, 6 inches in the high jump, is looking to factor in that event as well as the open 200, which also could see Viking Steven Carte make some noise. Aside from Roberts in the pole vault, who went 11 feet in the regional, Patriot Nate Santiago (13-0) along with Ripley teammates Evan King (12-6) and Drew Swisher (11-0) will look to make their mark as well. In Class AA, Roane County senior Haden Coon returns as the defending state pole-vault champ. He also had the best efforts during regionals in the 110 and 300 hurdles. Austin McGinnis, another Raider 12th-grader, was runner-up last spring in the high jump and cleared 6-2 at the regional. Jordan Coon, a junior for the Spencer-based program, is likely to factor in the 100, 200 and the long jump along with McGinnis. Although Bridgeport isn’t far behind, the Roane County girls turned in the top regional effort in the shuttles thanks to a trio of seniors in Danielle Godbey, Hannah McKown, Kayla Strickland and freshman Savannah Unger, who is looking to place in the high jump. Godbey also will have the chance to end her Raider career with a win in the 300 hurdles. Another senior Raider, Carli Berkhouse, is coming off a seventh-place effort in the pole vault last year and has one more chance to place in that event. Also, 11th-grade Raider Kim Waggoner qualified in the shot put.