Seniors Garry Barnes and Chelsee Cook grab valedictory wins in 1A District 2

For all the seniors running at the Cottondale, Florida Recreational Park on Wednesday morning, 19 October 2016, it was going to be their last high school District Cross-Country Championship. If you're taking your final bow, though, you might as well do it with style. That's just what Cottondale High senior Garry Barnes did. Barnes ran 17:27 to win the boys' 5K race for a third straight year, leading Cottondale to their second 1A District 2 title in a row. With similar panache, Blountstown senior Chelsee Cook-McGee successfully defended her 2015 title in the girls' 5K race, running a winning 20:57. Port Saint Joe took the girls' team title.


The boys raced first, with a scheduled 9:30 AM start. Garry Barnes took first for Cottondale in 17:27, finishing 60 meters ahead of the runner-up. Port Saint Joe junior Kanon Martin was second in 17:40, and Blountstown junior Jesse Boyd placed third in 17:53.


After Barnes, Cottondale also had scoring performances from Michael Black (7th, 19:06), Quamaine Bailey (10th, 19:22), Blayton See (12th, 19:23), and Mason Jones (19:36). Once Jones crossed the finish line, the Cottondale boys had a winning score of 43 points. Port Saint Joe was second with 54 points, and Blountstown third with 64. Led by senior Elijah Sarmiento (5th, 18:30), Wewahitchka placed fourth with 81 points. Those four teams qualified for the 1A Region 1 meet, scheduled for Friday, 28 October 2016, at the Escambia County Equestrian Center near Pensacola. Altha's Christian Williford (8th, 19:08), Altha's Xander Peacock (9th, 19:14), and Franklin County's Simon Hodgson (13th, 19:27) qualified as individual for the Region 1 meet. For everyone else in 1A District 2, the 2016 cross-country season had ended.


2016 FHSAA 1A District 2 Team Standings, Boys

1. Cottondale, 43 *
2. Port Saint Joe, 54 *
3. Blountstown, 64 *
4. Wewahitchka, 81 *
5. Altha, 103
6. Graceville, 191
7. Malone, 201
8. Sneads, 211

* The top four teams advance to the Region 1 championship.


2016 FHSAA 1A District 2 Top 15 Boys

1. 17:26.20 ~ Garry Barnes (Cottondale) 12
2. 17:39.19 ~ Kanon Martin (Port Saint Joe) 11
3. 17:52.23 ~ Jesse Boyd (Blountstown) 11
4. 18:08.56 ~ Weston Schrock (Blountstown) 11
5. 18:29.53 ~ Elijah Andrew Sarmiento (Wewahitchka) 12
6. 18:56.19 ~ Zachary McFarland (Port Saint Joe) 9
7. 19:05.84 ~ Michael Black (Cottondale) 12
8. 19:07.36 ~ Christian Williford (Altha) 11
9. 19:13.97 ~ Xander Peacock (Altha) 9
10. 19:21.49 ~ Quamaine Bailey (Cottondale) 12
11. 19:22.03 ~ Devin Crews (Port Saint Joe) 10
12. 19:22.20 ~ Blayton See (Cottondale) 10
13. 19:26.15 ~ Simon Hodgson (Franklin County) 11
14. 19:35.22 ~ Mason Jones (Cottondale) 10
15. 19:47.81 ~ Mario Cole (Wewahitchka) 8

The girls' race was a lonely one for Blountstown's Chelsee Cook-McGee; her 20:57 winning time put her a long way ahead of the other runners--more than 300 meters ahead. Franklin County junior Genevieve Printiss was second in 22:19, and Port Saint Joe seventh-grader Emily Lacour took third in 23:06.


Lacour was joined by two more Port Saint Joe seventh-graders--Autumn Kotelman (6th, 23:40) and Zoe Gerlach (7th, 24:10). Completing the scoring for Port Saint Joe, eighth-grader Savannah Burkett was ninth in 24:43 and sophomore Quinci Elphinstone was fourteenth in 26:00. That gave the Port Saint Joe girls a mathematically unbeatable score of 26 points and the District title. Blountstown was second with 76 points. Led by junior Rylee Waters (13th, 25:37), Wewahitchka was a close third with 80 points. Sneads was close as well, fourth with 84 points. Those four teams earned a trip to the Region 1 meet, as did Franklin County's Genevieve Printiss, Cottondale runners Diana Compean (4th, 23:28) and Leigh-Ann Springer (5th, 23:37), and Graceville athletes Daytona Smith (11th, 25:23) and Nekayla Gillette (12th, 25:33).


2016 FHSAA 1A District 2 Team Standings, Girls

1. Port Saint Joe, 26 *
2. Blountstown, 76 *
3. Wewahitchka, 80 *
4. Sneads, 84 *
5. Altha, 130
6. Graceville, 137
7. Malone, 196

* The top four teams advance to the Region 1 championship.


2016 FHSAA 1A District 2 Top 15 Girls

1. 20:56.09 ~ Chelsee Cook-McGee (Blountstown) 12
2. 22:18.10 ~ Genevieve Printiss (Franklin County) 11
3. 23:05.56 ~ Emily Lacour (Port Saint Joe) 7
4. 23:27.99 ~ Diana Compean (Cottondale) 8
5. 23:36.69 ~ Leigh-Ann Springer (Cottondale) 11
6. 23:39.18 ~ Autumn Kotelman (Port Saint Joe) 7
7. 24:09.80 ~ Zoe Gerlach (Port Saint Joe) 7
8. 24:22.26 ~ Summer Hill (Blountstown) 12
9. 24:42.98 ~ Savannah Burkett (Port Saint Joe) 8
10. 24:46.62 ~ Marissa Baxter (Sneads) 10
11. 25:22.72 ~ Dayonna Smith (Graceville) 8
12. 25:32.09 ~ Nekayla Gillette (Graceville) 11
13. 25:36.51 ~ Rylee Waters (Wewahitchka) 11
14. 25:59.60 ~ Quinci Elphinstone (Port Saint Joe) 10
15. 26:02.07 ~ Genavieve Rocha (Port Saint Joe) 7

FHSAA 1A District 2 Cross-Country Champions, 2011 - 2016
Boys
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
2 November 2011	Wewahitchka, 24	17:45, Hunter Potts (Graceville)
29 October 2012	Blountstown, 40	15:30, Hunter Potts (Graceville)
23 October 2013	Blountstown, 45	18:28, Thomas Howell (Blountstown) 11
29 October 2014	Blountstown, 42	17:37, Garry Barnes (Cottondale) 10
21 October 2015	Cottondale, 53	18:45, Garry Barnes (Cottondale) 11
19 October 2016	Cottondale, 43	17:27, Garry Barnes (Cottondale) 12
Girls
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
2 November 2011	Wewahitchka, 36	21:51, Hannah Plazarin (Blountstown)
29 October 2012	Wewahitchka, 28	20:13, Sha Mario Cole (Wewahitchka)
23 October 2013	Wewahitchka, 44	23:41, Valerie Sampson (Cottondale) 6
29 October 2014	Wewahitchka, 48	22:17, Sha Mario Cole (Wewahitchka) 9
21 October 2015	Cottondale, 57	22:32, Chelsee Cook-McGee (Blountstown) 11
19 October 2016	Port Saint Joe, 26	20:57, Chelsee Cook-McGee (Blountstown) 12
The 2011 meet was run at Wewahitchka High. The 2012 meet was run at Port Saint Joe High. The 2013 meet was run at Altha Public School. The 2014 meet was run at Blountstown's Sam Atkins Park. The 2015 meet was run at Franklin County High. The 2016 meet was held in Cottondale Recreation Park.

Links

• Complete results of the 2016 FHSAA 1A District 2 Cross Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1eb0sVRW8_8M_kK1BFh5KABzZaT3674aIXx9trbdzuNU/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Barnes and Cook-McGee win in District 2, but Cottondale sweeps the team titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/fhsaa-1a-district-2-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Blountstown boys and Wewahitchka girls repeat as District 2-1A cross country champs”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/fhsaa-district-2-1a-2014.html
  
  
• Want to run cross country? Find a race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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