Buoyed by last week’s Eastern Regional success, the Pinecrest cross country teams take on the best the state has to offer on Saturday at the NCHSAA 4-A championships set for Beeson Park in Kernersville.

Neither the Patriot boys nor girls were favored to win the regional held at South View High School. But led by junior Jennie Cunningham’s second-place performance, and four other runners who finished in the top 20, the girls edged out a West Johnston team that came out ahead of them at three invitational meets by six points.

Jaleigh Jensen, Katie Hayes, Sarah Pressley and Katana Lemelin were the other Patriot runners to figure in the team score.

The Patriot boys won the regional title by 12 points over a South View team that was once ranked No. 1 in the state earlier in the season. They used a similar formula as the girls to get the win. Junior Jacob Troutman led the way, finishing eighth. Will Pearson, Becket Killam, Chris Kelly and Matt Harmody all finished in the top 14.

The 4-A races are not scheduled to begin until about 3 p.m. in Saturday’s 5K extravaganza involving all school classifications. The top-four teams from each regional plus the top five runners from teams that didn’t qualify advanced to states. The Green Hope boys and girls both won state titles last year.

The other three regional winners for the boys competing at Beeson Park are T.C. Roberson, Mount Tabor and Broughton. The other girls’ winners are Green Hope, Audrey Kell and Reagan.

Led by Chase Williams, Jordan Rickard, Tim Jefferson, Sam Franklin and Jonathan Stone, the Patriot boys won the state title in 2004. The best finishes in recent years were a fourth by the boys and a sixth by the girls in 2006. The Patriot girls came in 12th in 2010 and the boys finished 15th.