Barnes and Cook-McGee win in District 2, but Cottondale sweeps the team titles

Cottondale captured both the boys' and girls' team titles at the FHSAA 1A District 2 Cross Country Meet at Franklin County High near Eastpoint on Wednesday, 21 October 2015. Cottondale junior Garry Barnes ran 18:45 to take the individual title in the boys' 5K, while Blountstown junior Chelsee Cook-McGee won the girls' 5K race in 22:32.


It was Barnes' second year as the district 2 champion; the Cottondale junior had also won in 2014. Blountstown sophomore Jesse Boyd was close behind Barnes in second at 18:52; Boyd had placed fifth in the District Meet as a frosh. Wewahitchka junior Elijah Sarmiento finished third for the second year in a row, this time with an 18:57.


The whole point of the District Meet, though, is to qualify for the Regional Championship where teams compete for a spot in the State Final. Four boys' teams qualified in 1A District 2, and the first was Cottondale. Barnes combined with junior Quamaine Bailey (5th, 19:48), junior Michael Black (10th, 20:34), frosh Blayton See (17th, 21:02), and frosh Mason Jones (20th, 21:22) to total a winning 53 points for Cottondale, unseating the defending District champs from Blountstown. Blountstown was second with 62 points. Led by sophomore Kanon Martin (7th, 19:50), Port St Joe was third with 89 points, just ahead of the 90 scored by fourth-place Wewahitchka.


Although only those four teams made the cut, four additional athletes qualified for Region as individuals--Franklin County sophomore Simon Hodgson (4th, 19:30), Franklin County senior Quinnaland Rhodes (8th, 19:58), Altha sophomore Christian Williford (9th, 20:02), and Malone senior Stevie Russ (13th, 20:49)


2015 FHSAA 1A District 2 Team Standings, Boys

1. Cottondale, 53
2. Blountstown, 62
3. Port St. Joe, 89
4. Wewahitchka, 90
5. Franklin County, 109
6. Malone, 121
7. Sneads, 209
8. Altha, 216
9. Graceville, 256

The top four teams qualified for the 1A Region 1 Meet in Lake City on 31 October 2015.


2015 FHSAA 1A District 2 Top 15 Boys

1. 18:44.77 ~ Garry Barnes (Cottondale) 11
2. 18:51.42 ~ Jesse Boyd (Blountstown) 10
3. 18:56.78 ~ Elijah Sarmiento (Wewahitchka) 11
4. 19:29.14 ~ Simon Hodgson (Franklin County) 10
5. 19:47.40 ~ Quamaine Bailey (Cottondale) 11
6. 19:48.59 ~ Tyreek Sumner (Blountstown) 11
7. 19:49.01 ~ Kanon Martin (Port St. Joe) 10
8. 19:57.58 ~ Quinnaland Rhodes (Franklin County) 12
9. 20:01.58 ~ Christian Williford (Altha) 10
10. 20:33.14 ~ Michael Black (Cottondale) 11
11. 20:34.47 ~ Devin Crews (Port St. Joe) 9
12. 20:38.09 ~ Weston Schrock (Blountstown) 10
13. 20:48.38 ~ Stevie Russ (Malone) 12
14. 20:53.25 ~ Jonah Bidwell (Wewahitchka) 10
15. 20:56.47 ~ Enrique Nandho (Blountstown) 9

The boys' race had been decided by just 30 meters, but in the girls' 5K Blountstown's Chelsee Cook-McGee finished nearly 300 meters ahead of the next runner. That runner-up spot went to Wewahitchka sophomore Sha Mario Cole in 23:51, the 2014 1A District 2 girls' champion. Cottondale seventh-grader Diana Compean was third in 24:48.


Compean was joined by Cottondale Hornet eighth-grader Kelsie Barnes (7th, 25:59), eighth-grader Valerie Sampson (13th, 27:32), sixth-grader Jersie McGinty (16th, 28:17), and senior Zoee Warren (24th, 29:46) to give the team 57 points and the District title. The defending champions from Wewahitchka were a close second with 62 points, and Blountstown was third with 79. Led by the 27:16 eleventh place showing of eighth-grader Bobbi Finuff, Altha was fourth with 27:16. Those four teams advanced to the Region, the other three teams didn't qualify.


The individuals who qualified independent of their teams were Sneads frosh Marissa Baxter (4th, 25:12), Graceville seventh-grader Dayonna Smith (5th, 25:39), Port St. Joe seventh-grader Savannah Burkett (9th, 26:49), Port St Joe frosh Quinci Elphinstone (10th, 27:05), Sneads frosh Amber Clark (14th, 27:51), and Graceville sophomore Nekayla Gillette (15th, 28:07).


2015 FHSAA 1A District 2 Team Standings, Girls

1. Cottondale, 57
2. Wewahitchka, 62
3. Blountstown, 79
4. Altha, 89
5. Franklin County, 120
6. Graceville, 131
7. Sneads, 138

The top four teams qualified for the 1A Region 1 Meet in Lake City on 31 October 2015.


2015 FHSAA 1A District 2 Top 15 Girls

1. 22:31.34 ~ Chelsee Cook-McGee (Blountstown) 11
2. 23:50.78 ~ Sha Mario Cole (Wewahitchka) 10
3. 24:47.70 ~ Diana Compean (Cottondale) 7
4. 25:11.63 ~ Marissa Baxter (Sneads) 9
5. 25:38.79 ~ Dayonna Smith (Graceville) 7
6. 25:40.86 ~ Rylee Waters (Wewahitchka) 10
7. 25:58.45 ~ Kelsie Barnes (Cottondale) 8
8. 26:29.05 ~ Summer Hill (Blountstown) 11
9. 26:48.30 ~ Savannah Burkett (Port St. Joe) 7
10. 27:04.23 ~ Quinci Elphinstone (Port St. Joe) 9
11. 27:15.70 ~ Bobbi Finuff (Altha) 8
12. 27:22.11 ~ Rayanna Penix (Wewahitchka) 9
13. 27:31.47 ~ Valerie Sampson (Cottondale) 8
14. 27:50.89 ~ Amber Clark (Sneads) 9
15. 28:06.77 ~ Nekayla Gillette (Graceville) 10

Links

• Complete results of the 2015 FHSAA 1A District 2 Cross Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16OfhU8dSsl7_dtIZPko4OcWzBKEE63rOMt8SxCsdxFs/pubhtml
  
  
• 2014 story, “Blountstown boys and Wewahitchka girls repeat as District 2-1A cross country champs”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/fhsaa-district-2-1a-2014.html
  
  
• Want to run cross country? Find a race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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