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Alyssa Torres and Chelsea Hollingsworth are competitors: With opponents and with each other. But they’re also Northwest Guilford cross country teammates, and they’ve figured out how to make each other and their team faster.

“In practice, they really challenge each other,” says Paul Egleston, their coach, who will lead both Vikings teams into the Class 4-A state meet Saturday at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. “At the beginning of the year, basically they were watching each other and not really taking a very kind approach to each other. Then after talking to them, it changed everything, and they changed. They really work with each other and they push each other. I don’t believe Alyssa would be as fast without Chelsea, and Chelsea without Alyssa.

“Chelsea is probably one of the hardest-working girls I’ve ever had at Northwest. Alyssa is right there with her. Anything Chelsea does, Alyssa does. They’re really good for each other.”

Torres (19:09.9) and Hollingsworth (19:14.2) pushed each other to a 1-2 finish at the Midwest Regional on Saturday at Hagan Stone Park, and the Vikings took second place, only eight points behind Mount Tabor. While the Vikings lost senior Heidi Anderson to a hip injury about a month ago, strong runs from Kelly Snyder (20:40.2) and Taylor Rhodes (20:48.9) helped Saturday.

And Tori Tamborino (20:57.8), who finished 21st, rounded out the Vikings' first five in Anderson's absence.

"Kids like that are helping us, definitely," Egleston says.

Egleston is hoping for a top-seven finish from his girls. And possibly a top-seven from his boys team, as well. The Vikings' silent senior, Andrew Shields (fourth in the regional, 16:28), will lead the way.

"He doesn’t say a whole bunch," Egleston says. "Probably in the years I’ve known him, he's said maybe a couple of sentences. He listens to me when I talk; he doesn’t say much back. Andrew has done a very good job leading the way, very consistent."

The Northwest boys will race at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, and the girls will start at 3:30 p.m.

Five runners from the area qualified for the boys race as individuals: Patrick Crawford, East Forsyth; Brandon Cain, Southern Alamance; Jason Midkiff, East Forsyth; Naethan Burch, Grimsley; and Kevin Depopas, Grimsley.

Among the girls qualifiers are Grimsley's Tess Wynn and Southwest Guilford's Tori Shelton.