Lowndes harriers Rogers and Morse get wins at Quail Trail Invite

Call it the Thomasville High Invitational, or call it the Quail Trail Invitational, or cover all bases and call it the Thomasville High Quail Trail Invitational. The name keeps changing, but since 2009 it has been consistent that on the final Saturday of September, Thomasville High hosts a large cross-country meet at Pebble Hill Plantation, just south of Thomasville, Georgia. The course is also consistent, a mix of meadow and forest and magnolia-lined avenues and red clay hills. But isn't that a recipe for cross country?


After a community race, the sixth annual Invitational got started at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning, 27 September 2014, with the high school girls 5K. Lowndes High sophmore Mackenzie Morse won that race, running 20:39 to pick up her fourth win of the season. Lowndes also picked up second place, with frosh Makenzee Page running 21:27. Rebekah Smith, a junior from host school Thomasville, placed third in 21:56.


Having the first two runners wasn't enough to get Lowndes to the top of the team standings, though. Tift County answered with three runners in the top ten--sophomore Sloan Fletcher (4th, 22:48), junior Madison Honeycutt (8th, 23:12), and frosh Ashlee Golden (9th, 23:12). The next two Tift girls, seniors Blakeley Bergeron (11th, 23:37) and Sarah Willis (16th, 23:50), finished before Lowndes' fourth scorer, giving Tift 47 points and the team title. Lowndes was second with 69 points and Valdosta edged Thomasville for third in the 14-team field, 104 to 106.


Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Tift County, 47
2. Lowndes, 69
3. Valdosta, 104
4. Thomasville, 106
5. Lee County, 129
6. Berrien County, 144
7. Thomas County Central, 180
8. Bainbridge, 200
9. Pelham, 270
10. Worth County, 294
11. Early County, 311
12. Seminole County, 325
13. Cairo, 332
14. Baconton Charter, 348

Top Ten High School Girls, Quail Trail 5K

1. 20:38.72 ~ MacKenzie Morse (Lowndes) 10
2. 21:26.82 ~ Makenzee Page (Lowndes) 9
3. 21:55.34 ~ Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11
4. 22:47.80 ~ Sloan Fletcher (Tift County) 10
5. 22:51.49 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 10
6. 23:08.24 ~ Ansley Cain (Lee County) 10
7. 23:09.11 ~ Ramsay Miller (Lee County) 9
8. 23:11.05 ~ Madison Honeycutt (Tift County) 11
9. 23:11.32 ~ Ashlee Golden (Tift County) 9
10. 23:24.88 ~ Leah Michael (Valdosta) 12

In the next race, the Lowndes boys did the Lowndes girls one better by taking the first three places. Dylan Rogers won the race in 17:22, followed by runner-up Chance Roe in 17:30, with third-place occupied by Andrew Elam in 17:38. All three runners were Lowndes juniors. The first non-Lowndes runner in the race was Rickards junior Solomon Stevens. Up from Tallahassee, Florida, Stevens was fourth in 17:48. Rickards had three runners in the top ten, but once freshman Elijah Boyd (12th, 18:26) and junior Will Smith (13th, 18:27) came home for Lowndes, the team competition was over. Lowndes had 31 points, winning their first boys' team title ever at Quail Trail. Rickards went home to Tallahassee with second place, and Thomas County Central was third with 129.


A few of these teams will be back at Pebble Hill Plantation on Wednesday morning, 29 October 2014, when Thomasville High hosts the GHSA Region 1-2A championship meet.


Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Lowndes, 31
2. Rickards, 118
3. Thomas County Central, 129
4. Bainbridge, 138
5. Lee County, 143
6. Chiles, 163
7. Thomasville, 184
8. Valdosta, 200
9. Berrien County, 232
10. Tift County, 246
11. Cook, 352
12. Seminole County, 354
13. Cairo, 358
14. Pelham, 383
15. Baconton Charter, 393
16. Fitzgerald, 429
17. Albany, 478
18. Early County, 512
19. Worth County, 572

Top Ten High School Boys, Quail Trail 5K

1. 17:21.14 ~ Dylan Rogers (Lowndes) 11
2. 17:29.36 ~ Chance Roe (Lowndes) 11
3. 17:37.83 ~ Andrew Elam (Lowndes) 11
4. 17:47.57 ~ Solomon Stevens (Rickards) 11
5. 17:52.82 ~ Sam Gelabert (Thomas County Central) 11
6. 18:03.48 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 10
7. 18:12.57 ~ Abraham Grandison (Rickards) 12
8. 18:14.15 ~ Robert Grooms (Lee County) 11
9. 18:16.23 ~ Travet Witherspoon (Thomasville) 12
10. 18:21.48 ~ Evan Garrison (Rickards) 11

Katherine Resavage, an eighth-grader at Tallahassee private school powerhouse Holy Comforter, outran Tift County's Emily Golden 11:40 to 11:46 to win the middle school girls' 3K. Holy Comforter also put scorers Hannah Hosay (5th, 12:40), Elizabeth Calabro (7th, 12:45), and Ella Thames (8th, 12:50) in the top ten. When Holy Comforter's fifth runner, Emma McGibany, finished 12th in 13:06, the Crusaders had a winning score of 33 points. Tift was second with 86 points. Led by Kelsey Morse's ninth place 12:53, Valdosta's Viking Runners Club took third with 133 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Holy Comforter, 33
2. Tift, 86
3. Viking Runners Club, 133
4. Berrien County, 151
5. Lee County, 162
6. Bainbridge, 230
7. Cornerstone Learning, 236
8. Valdosta, 259
9. Cook, 261
10. Worth County, 261
11. MacIntyre Park, 267
12. Thomas County Central, 303
13. Christ Classical, 317
14. Seminole County, 318
15. Ben Hill, 344
16. Early County, 360
17. Whigham, 446

Top Ten Middle School Girls, Quail Trail 3K

1. 11:39.30 ~ Katherine Resavage (Holy Comforter) 8
2. 11:45.14 ~ Emily Golden (Tift) 7
3. 12:27.98 ~ Karen Garcia (Ben Hill) 8
4. 12:35.37 ~ Brianna Zupko (Worth County) 4
5. 12:39.92 ~ Hannah Hosay (Holy Comforter) 7
6. 12:41.95 ~ Caroline Vickers (Tift) 7
7. 12:44.82 ~ Elizabeth Calabro (Holy Comforter) 7
8. 12:49.37 ~ Ella Thames (Holy Comforter) 8
9. 12:52.96 ~ Kelsey Morse (Viking Runners Club) 6
10. 12:53.92 ~ Macy Williams (Seminole County) 7

2014 was the third year in the Quail Trail middle school boys' race for Bainbridge's Caleb Harris, It was the eighth-graders first Quail Trail win, though, as Harris blew away the field with a 10:35. It was his fifth win in five races this season, with earlier wins coming at the Pelham Hornet Invitational, the Cougar Challenge, the Lee County Invitational, and the Bearcat Invitational.


Behind Harris, Carson Locke of the Viking Runners Club was runner-up at 11:22, and Holy Comforter's Bryce Valveri edged Bryce Stephens of Tift for third, 11:29 to 11:30.


Seminole County's Aubry Johnson was the only runner on his team to break into the top ten, placing tenth in 11:49. But Seminole County also had Taylor Garrett (13th, 11:59), Logan Jones (21st, 12:20), Zane Widner (23rd, 12:21), and Payton Price (25th, 12:27). The five together gave Seminole County 92 points and the middle school boys' team title. Bainbridge was second in the 18-team field with 109 points, and Berrien County placed third with 116.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Seminole County, 92
2. Bainbridge, 109
3. Berrien County, 116
4. Holy Comforter, 130
5. Valdosta, 147
6. MacIntyre Park, 154
7. Lee County, 165
8. Viking Runners Club, 182
9. Tift, 242
10. Thomas County Central, 304
11. Worth County, 311
12. Cook, 317
13. Baconton Charter, 326
14. Ben Hill, 351
15. Early County, 359
16. Christ Classical, 410
17. St. John Catholic, 438
18. Whigham, 511

Top Ten Middle School Boys, Quail Trail 3K

1. 10:34.50 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 8
2. 11:21.76 ~ Carson Locke (Viking Runners Club) 7
3. 11:28.87 ~ Bryce Valveri (Holy Comforter) 8
4. 11:29.17 ~ Bryce Stephens (Tift) 6
5. 11:34.39 ~ Joseph Ashebo (Holy Comforter) 7
6. 11:36.89 ~ Caleb Smith (Christ Classical) 8
7. 11:39.98 ~ Reese Fye (Lee County) 7
8. 11:42.08 ~ Nathan Smith (MacIntyre Park) 6
9. 11:45.86 ~ Ladarius Dumas (Berrien County) 7
10. 11:48.25 ~ Aubry Johnson (Seminole County) 8

Quail Trail Invitational team champions, 2009 - 2014
Date	Men	Women
26 September 2009	Maclay, 40 points	Maclay, 34 points
25 September 2010	Maclay, 40	Lowndes, 56
24 September 2011	Tift County, 66	Tift County, 29
29 September 2012	Maclay, 35	Lowndes, 36
28 September 2013	Bainbridge, 71	Thomas Country Central, 43
27 September 2014	Lowndes, 31	Tift County, 47

Quail Trail Invitational individual champions, 2009 - 2014
Date	Men	Women
26 September 2009	17:39, David Daniel (Thomasville) 12	18:43, Jana Stolting (Maclay) 12
25 September 2010	17:28, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift) 11	20:20, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay) 10
24 September 2011	16:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift) 12	22:35, Anna Lee Atwater (Tift) 10
29 September 2012	17:10, Travis Covert (Maclay) 12	20:26, Alison Peters (Lowndes) 11
28 September 2013	16:29, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11	20:33, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
27 September 2014	17:22, Dylan Rogers (Lowndes) 11	20:39, MacKenzie Morse (Lowndes) 10

Links

• Complete results of the 2014 Quail Trail Invitational Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YsrhBwr0oK4oUZ5uwsHZr06NA0R3ihob4_0WbVKLmWo/pub
  
  
• 2014 Quail Trail open 5K story, "Kelly and Elam tops on the trail at Quail Trail"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/quail-trail-open-2014.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "Tales from the Trail, the second annual Quail Trail"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/09/quail-trail-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "Lost on the Quail Trail"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/09/lost-on-quail-trail.html
  
  
• Other upcoming races for Eagles, Quail, and other birds on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1224

Leon and Khosla repeat at Cougar Challenge

In George R. R. Martin's novel A Game of Thrones and its sequels, the sigil of House Lannister is a lion, and the family motto is "Hear Me Roar!" That could very well have been the motto of the Lions of Leon High at the Cougar Cross-Country Challenge on Saturday morning, 6 September 2014. Those distance-running Lions successfully defended their team titles in the high school girls' 5K and the high school boys' 5K, while Leon's ace, senior Sukhi Khosla, won the individual championship in the boys' race for a second year in a row.


Rawr!


As in years before, Tallahassee's 2014 high school cross-country season opened at Phipps Park with the Cougar Challenge. Competition started at 8:00 AM with the high school girls' race. Sophomores Haleigh Martin of Wakulla and Caroline Willis of Maclay battled shoulder to shoulder for the lead for more than four kilometers, then Martin pulled away on the final major uphill of the race, securing a 21:09 to 21:24 win. The next four runners after Willis, though, all wore Leon red and white. Gray Kinch (3rd, 23:00), Audrey Dogan (4th, 23:07), Grace Lockhart (4th, 23:10), and Zoe Sheldon (5th, 23:16) set up a Leon score of 44 points, good for the win. Only just good enough, though, because the Maclay Marauders were just a breath behind in second with 46 points. Wakulla was third in the twelve-team field with 93 points.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Leon, 44
2. Maclay, 46
3. Wakulla, 93
4. Lincoln, 119
5. Thomas County Central, 162
6. Aucilla Christian, 172
7. John Paul II, 172
8. Bainbridge, 216
9. Pelham, 236
10. North Florida Christian, 249
11. Grace Christian, 273
12. Baconton Charter, 307

Top Ten High School Girls, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 21:08.67 ~ Haleigh Martin (Wakulla) 10
2. 21:23.99 ~ Caroline Willis (Maclay) 10
3. 22:59.09 ~ Gray Kinch (Leon) 10
4. 23:06.14 ~ Adrianna Dogan (Leon) 10
5. 23:09.31 ~ Grace Lockhart (Leon) 11
6. 23:15.81 ~ Zoe Sheldon (Leon) 10
7. 23:22.67 ~ Kenzie Mazziotta (Maclay) 8
8. 23:24.75 ~ Molly McCann (Maclay) 10
9. 23:54.95 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 10
10. 23:56.00 ~ Constance Lewis (Wakulla) 11

Part of the "Challenge" in the Cougar Challenge comes from two major uphill climbs on the course, one starting near the two kilometer mark and the other just after the four kilometer mark. The second kilometer of the race, though, is a level stretch along the shore of Lake Jackson. By the time the runners in the boys 5K reached this point on the course, six Leon runners were out ahead of the field--Sukhi Khosla, Hunter Scott, Kyle Buchholz, Adam Wallenfelsz, Matthew Cashin, and Maxx Marshall--with Wakulla sophomore Bryce Cole following in their wake. The six Lions remained up front, Khosla winning in 16:42 while his team racked up a perfect score of 15 points. Maclay sophomore Jake Mazziotta overtook Wakulla's Cole to take seventh in 17:58, but Wakulla's team beat out the Maclay squad for the runner-up trophy, 90 points to 93.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Leon, 15
2. Wakulla, 90
3. Maclay, 93
4. Chiles, 117
5. Bainbridge, 164
6. Lincoln, 168
7. Rickards, 194
8. Thomas County Central, 201
9. Aucilla Christian, 290
10. North Florida Christian, 316
11. Florida State, 336
12. Baconton Charter, 349
13. Pelham, 361
14. Grace Christian, 375
15. Franklin County, 440

Top Ten High School Boys, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 16:41.80 ~ Sukhi Khosla (Leon) 12
2. 17:09.12 ~ Hunter Scott (Leon) 12
3. 17:16.37 ~ Kyle Buchholz (Leon) 12
4. 17:27.35 ~ Adam Wallenfelsz (Leon) 11
5. 17:43.37 ~ Matthew Cashin (Leon) 10
6. 17:51.58 ~ Maxx Marshall (Leon) 12
7. 17:57.04 ~ Jake Mazziotta (Maclay) 10
8. 18:04.03 ~ Bryce Cole (Wakulla) 10
9. 18:10.49 ~ William Luca (Leon) 12
10. 18:32.28 ~ James Dodson (Leon) 11

After the two high school 5K races, it was the middle school girls' turn to test themselves on the slopes of Phipps Park. Katherine Resavage of Holy Comforter Episcopal School won that race, turning 13:11 for three kilometers. In addition to Resavage, the Crusaders had four other runners in the top nine--Emma McGibany (4th, 14:07), Avery Smith (5th, 14:08), Elizabeth Calabro (7th, 14:11), and Hailey Hobbs (9th, 14:26). It was enough to give Holy Comforter an impressive team win with 26 points. Led by Lindsay James (2nd, 13:38) and Regan Hermeling (3rd, 13:54), Maclay took second with 97 points. Totaling 117 point, the Bainbridge team was third among the nine middle school girls squads.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Holy Comforter, 26
2. Maclay, 97
3. Bainbridge 117
4. Thomas County Central, 125
5. Pelham, 138
6. Grace Christian, 146
7. Florida State, 154
8. Cornerstone, 155
9. Baconton Charter, 189

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 13:10.75 ~ Katherine Resavage (Holy Comforter) 8
2. 13:37.94 ~ Lindsay James (Maclay) 6
3. 13:53.06 ~ Regan Hermeling (Maclay) 7
4. 14:06.93 ~ Emma McGibany (Holy Comforter) 8
5. 14:07.72 ~ Avery Smith (Holy Comforter) 7
6. 14:09.02 ~ Summer Williams (Florida State) 8
7. 14:10.05 ~ Elizabeth Calabro (Holy Comforter) 7
8. 14:20.72 ~ Anna James (Thomas County Central) 6
9. 14:25.04 ~ Hailey Hobbs (Holy Comforter) 8
10. 14:35.32 ~ Molly Dixon (Holy Comforter) 7

In the final race of the morning, the middle school boys also ran three kilometers. Bainbridge Middle eighth-grader Caleb Harris got out front and stayed there, winning the race in 11:08. Maclay School answered with second- and third-place performances by sixth-graders Johnny McClure (11:19) and Kennan Milford (11:25). McClure and Milford were joined by Marauders Max Eastman (5th, 11:28), Alfredo Peres (9th, 12:21), and Hunt Deison (11th, 12:32), giving Maclay 30 points and the team title. Led by top ten finishes by Joseph Ashebo (6th, 11:52) and Bryce Valveri (7th 12:00), Holy Comforter's team took second with 64 points. Bainbridge was third with 84.


449 runners each finished one of four races at the 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge. Those runners represented 54 teams from 24 different schools.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. Maclay, 30
2. Holy Comforter, 64
3. Bainbridge, 84
4. Florida State, 95
5. Taylor County, 121
6. Baconton Charter, 174
7. Grace Christian, 176
8. Thomas County Central, 186
9. Pelham, 254

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2014 Cougar Cross-Country Challenge

1. 11:07.45 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 8
2. 11:18.21 ~ Johnny McClure (Maclay) 6
3. 11:24.28 ~ Kennan Milford (Maclay) 6
4. 11:27.01 ~ Jahaz Morgan (Florida State) 5
5. 11:27.87 ~ Max Eastman (Maclay) 8
6. 11:51.75 ~ Joseph Ashebo (Holy Comforter) 7
7. 11:59.09 ~ Bryce Valveri (Holy Comforter) 8
8. 11:59.35 ~ Ashton Smith (Florida State) 8
9. 12:20.21 ~ Alfredo Paredes (Maclay) 8
10. 12:28.71 ~ Max Kallschmidt (Taylor County) 8

Links

• DistancePreps.com report, "Cougar Challenge no challenge for Khosla"
  http://www.distancepreps.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=news&news_id=279517
  
  
• Complete results of the 2014 Godby Cougar Cross-Country Challenge at DistancePreps.com
  http://www.distancepreps.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=news&news_id=279516
  
  
• More photos of the 2014 Cougar Challenge
  
  • HS Girls:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10105020484081503.1073742009.5215641&l=c67237d5d3
    
  • HS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10105024548910553.1073742010.5215641&l=46113c8e05
    
  • MS Girls:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10105029606090923.1073742011.5215641&l=5682150ff4
    
  • MS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10105030071483273.1073742012.5215641&l=6df40fadf9
    
  
  
• DistancePreps.com interviews with the 2014 Cougar XC Challenge high school champs
  
  • Sukhi Khosla: http://www.distancepreps.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=videos&video_id=124257
    
  • Haleigh Martin: http://www.distancepreps.com/gprofile.php?mgroup_id=31488&do=videos&video_id=124264
    
  
  
• 2013 story, "Harris and Khosla take on all challengers at the Challenge"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/cougar-xc-2013.html
  
  
• 2010 story, "The 2010 Cougar Challenge belongs to Kurgatt and Slupecki"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/cougar-xc-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, "Cougar Challenge opens cross-country season in Tallahassee"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/09/cougar-challenge-opens-cross-country.html
  
  
• Choose an upcoming race in the region from the selection on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1204

Valdosta girls and Bainbridge boys repeat in the heat at Hornet Invitational

The Pelham High Hornets cross country team was back in 2014, and so was the Pelham Hornet Cross Country Invitational on Saturday morning, 23 August 2014. Also returning were the Valdosta High girls, who repeated as Hornet Invitational champs. Likewise, the Bainbridge High boys were repeat winners in their race, led by the successful title defense of BHS senior Chase Harris.


It may not have been the hottest day of the year in Pelham, Georgia, but if there were a warmer morning no one wanted to remember it. Temperatures were already approaching 90 °F at 9:30 AM when the girls were scheduled to start their 5K race, and the heat index was a number guaranteed to inspire depression. Albany Westover sophomore Janie Plowden shrugged off the torrid conditions, though, and won the 3.1-mile run in 22:39. Valdosta senior Leah Michael was runner-up in 23:36, but Bainbridge High answered with a third-place 24:19 finish by frosh Uriyah Davis. Thomas County Central had its own retort--sophomore Angela Cipriani fifth in 24:40. That set the tone for what would become one of those races where cross country coaches study the results for days, adding up the scores again and again. The Valdosta Wildcats did successfully defend their 2013 team title, but their total of 64 points was just one tick better than the Bainbridge Bearcats' sum of 65, and only two better than Thomas County Central's 66. Valdosta had also won the team title by a single point in 2013, though, and even coaches know that a one-point win...is a win.


Team Standings, High School Girls 5K

1. Valdosta High School, 64
2. Bainbridge High School, 65
3. Thomas County Central High School, 66
4. Lee County High School, 86
5. Pelham High School, 97
6. Americus-Sumter High School, 135
7. Baconton Charter School, 165

Top Ten, High School Girls 5K

1. 22:38.61 ~ Janie Plowden (Westover) 10
2. 23:35.07 ~ Leah Michael (Valdosta) 12
3. 24:18.88 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 9
4. 24:21.97 ~ Alli Hay (Pataula) 10
5. 24:39.67 ~ Angela Cipriani (Thomas County Central) 10
6. 25:07.39 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 10
7. 25:09.80 ~ Ansley Cain (Lee County) 10
8. 25:21.48 ~ Alden Walker (Valdosta) 12
9. 25:27.74 ~ Jinglei Horchler (Thomas County Central) 9
10. 25:38.95 ~ Ramsay Miller (Lee County) 9

The weather was even warmer by the time the high school boys ran. In spite of the heat, Valdosta sophomore Matthew Baun ran 17:33, 15 seconds faster than the 17:48 that Bainbridge's Chase Harris had run at the 2013 Hornet Invitational. Unfortunately for Baun, Harris was also at the 2014 race and he was nearly a minute faster than the previous year, winning the race in 16:51. Baun's time was good enough for second place, though, while third went to Bainbridge senior Brad Cox in 18:07. Bainbridge put two more runners in the top ten--junior Perry Waddell (5th, 18:58) and junior Brenden Greene (10th, 19:24)--giving the Bearcats 30 points and the team title. Led by junior Jerrious Dee (6th, 19:05), Thomas County Central put up 47 points to place second in the team standings. The Valdosta Wildcats were third with 85 points.


Team Standings, High School Boys 5K

1. Bainbridge High School, 30
2. Thomas County Central, 47
3. Valdosta High School, 85
4. Lee County High School, 98
5. Americus-Sumter High School, 137
6. Pelham High School, 163
7. Early County High School, 196
8. Baconton Charter School, 199

Top Ten, High School Boys 5K

1. 16:50.11 ~ Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 12
2. 17:32.45 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 10
3. 18:06.96 ~ Brad Cox (Bainbridge) 12
4. 18:43.21 ~ Robert Grooms (Lee County) 11
5. 18:57.27 ~ Perry Waddell (Bainbridge) 11
6. 19:04.04 ~ Jerrious Dee (Thomas County Central) 11
7. 19:07.46 ~ Conley Wilhelm (Thomas County Central) 11
8. 19:11.76 ~ Deshon Taylor (Valdosta) 9
9. 19:18.13 ~ Sam Gelabert (Thomas County Central) 11
10. 19:23.10 ~ Brenden Greene (Bainbridge) 11

Madeline Posse of Valdosta Middle School won the middle school girls' two-mile event in 14:35. Lee County's Caroline Taylor was runner-up in 14:45, though, and Taylor's finish was the first two points in Lee County's winning total of 63. It was Lee County's second win in two Saturdays; they had also taken the team trophy home from the Valdosta Wildcat Invitational on 16 August 2014. Valdosta was second in the team standings with 67 points. Led by seventh-grader Sandy Baker (5th, 15:20), Bainbridge Middle School took third with 87 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls Two Mile

1. Lee County, 63
2. Valdosta Middle School, 67
3. Bainbridge Middle School, 87
4. Thomas County Central, 109
5. Pataula Charter Academy, 11
6. Early County Middle School, 113
7. Pelham Middle School, 134
8. Baconton Charter School, 229

Top Ten, Middle School Girls Two Mile

1. 14:34.61 ~ Madeline Posse (Valdosta) 8
2. 14:44.24 ~ Caroline Taylor (Lee County) 8
3. 14:57.64 ~ Sophia Noll (Valdosta) 7
4. 15:10.98 ~ Anna James (Thomas County Central) 6
5. 15:19.28 ~ Sandy Baker (Bainbridge) 7
6. 15:39.59 ~ Kayla Earley (Lee County) 7
7. 15:55.77 ~ Kasey Melton (Thomas County Central) 7
8. 16:19.07 ~ Haley Kintzinger (Pataula) 8
9. 16:34.55 ~ Davia Allen (Early County) 7
10. 16:34.84 ~ Mary Alyssa Willis (Thomas County Central) 7

Bainbridge Middle School's Caleb Harris won the middle school boys' two mile by almost a quarter of a mile, running 11:01. I haven't done the math yet, but when your fifth runner finishes while every other team still has their number three runner still on the course, I'd have to say that your team has a good chance of winning. That is exactly what Bainbridge Middle did, and they won the boys' title for the second year straight, scoring 41 points. Led by Reese Fye's third-place finish in 13:42, Lee County took second with 54 points.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys Two Mile

1. Bainbridge Middle School, 41
2. Lee County, 54
3. Valdosta Middle School, 70
4. Baconton Charter School, 118
5. Early County Middle School, 135
6. Thomas County Central, 156
7. Pataula Charter Academy, 178
8. Pelham Middle School, 188

Top Ten, Middle School Boys Two Mile

1. 11:00.45 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 8
2. 12:26.07 ~ Henry Plowden (Westover) 10
3. 12:41.84 ~ Reese Fye (Lee County) 7
4. 13:27.26 ~ Brandon Hopper (Thomas County Central) 8
5. 13:41.21 ~ Ben Phillips (Lee County) 7
6. 13:44.86 ~ Crane McAllister (Valdosta) 8
7. 13:45.83 ~ Ayden Knight (Early County) 8
8. 13:48.73 ~ Gage Kempton (Bainbridge) 8
9. 13:54.16 ~ Jaquez Cowart (Valdosta) 8
10. 13:56.49 ~ Smith Pinson (Baconton) 6

Links

• Complete results of the 2014 Pelham Hornet Cross-Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11mpqL0SVkADseQa_0y6l6bmLgetONCsAArOzx3OymRo/pubhtml
  
  
• 2013 story, "Valdosta girls, Bainbridge boys take season opener in Pelham"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/08/hornet-invite-2013.html
  
  
• The previous week in S. Georgia, "South Georgia preps start cross country season in Freedom Park"
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/08/wildcat-xc-2014.html
  
  
• Get out there and run one of the races on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#1197

Valdosta girls, Bainbridge boys take season opener in Pelham

High school cross-country season is starting about a week earlier than usual in Florida in 2013, with opening day scheduled for August 31. But even that head start puts Florida a week behind Georgia, where the season is already under way. While the high school runners of Florida's Big Bend were looking forward to one last week of summer training, just over the state line the harriers of southwest Georgia were opening their fall campaign at the Pelham Hornet Invitational on Saturday morning, 24 August 2013.


The morning of competition at the Pelham High School Sports Complex opened with the high school girls' 5K. The Valdosta Wildcats eked out a 40 to 41 victory over the host Pelham Hornets. The margin was so close that if Valdosta's non-scoring sixth and seventh runners, Liz Kelly (14th, 29:16) and Demeonna McDuffie (16th, 31:03), hadn't finished ahead of Pelham's fifth runner, the race would have gone the other way. Top individual honors went to Paige Braswell of Bainbridge High. Braswell ran 21:51 for the 3.1 mile course, finishing nearly 800 meters ahead of runner-up Zakirra McKinnon (2nd, 25:37) of Valdosta.


Team Standings, High School Girls 5K

1. Valdosta High School, 40
2. Pelham High School, 41
3. Bainbridge High School, 75
4. Early County High School, 83
5. Americus-Sumter High School, 116

Top Ten, High School Girls 5K

1. 21:50.77 ~ Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
2. 25:36.95 ~ Zakirra Mckinnon (Valdosta) 11
3. 25:53.80 ~ Leah Michael (Valdosta) 11
4. 26:11.38 ~ McKenzie Smith (Pelham) 10
5. 26:38.69 ~ Rebekah Smith (Pelham) 12
6. 27:04.19 ~ Cheyenne Brooks (Pelham) 11
7. 27:05.75 ~ Monica Webb (Pelham) 9
8. 28:02.06 ~ Jasmine Brown (Early County) 10
9. 28:08.00 ~ Jamia Powell (Bainbridge) 10
10. 28:11.30 ~ Maya Lee (Valdosta) 10

The high school boys took the stage next in this cross-country debut. It's a mathematical impossibility for a team to lose a cross-country meet with a score of 27 points, and 27 points was what Bainbridge High's Bearcats tallied in the boys' 5K, led by the one-two finish of junior Chase Harris (17:48) and senior Dre Banks (18:57). Pelham's Guthrie Edwards finished third, running 19:08 for the home team. Led by the fourth-place 19:36 of frosh runner Matthew Baun, Valdosta took second in the team standings with 68 points.


Team Standings, High School Boys 5K

1. Bainbridge High School, 27
2. Valdosta High School, 68
3. Americus-Sumter High School, 78
4. Pelham High School, 78
5. Early County High School, 102

Top Ten, High School Boys 5K

1. 17:47.24 ~ Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
2. 18:56.32 ~ Drevyon Banks (Bainbridge) 12
3. 19:07.53 ~ Guthrie Edwards (Pelham) 12
4. 19:35.85 ~ Matthew Baun (Valdosta) 9
5. 19:57.62 ~ Brett Bailey (Pelham) 11
6. 20:07.45 ~ Bennett Enfinger (Bainbridge) 10
7. 20:23.35 ~ Brendan Green (Bainbridge) 10
8. 20:42.08 ~ Carl Johnson (Americus-Sumter) 12
9. 21:07.22 ~ Eric Fletcher (Americus-Sumter) 12
10. 21:20.60 ~ La'quavious Williams (Early County) 12

The middle school race followed the high school races. The team competition for middle school girls mirrored that for high school girls in that Valdosta Middle School prevailed by a single point. This time it was Valdosta MS over Bainbridge MS, 32 to 33. Valdosta put a winning total together by putting three runners in the top four--Madeline Posse (1st, 13:50), Rachel Massingill (2nd, 15:16), and Sophia Noll (4th, 16:05)-- with Bainbridge's Uriyah Davis (3rd, 15:18) keeping the little Wildcats from sweeping the first three spots.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls Two-Mile

1. Valdosta Middle School, 32
2. Bainbridge Middle School, 33
3. Early County Middle School, 84
4. Pelham Middle School, 86

Top Ten, Middle School Girls Two-Mile

1. 13:49.33 ~ Madeline Posse (Valdosta) 7
2. 15:15.88 ~ Rachel Massingill (Valdosta) 7
3. 15:17.91 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 8
4. 16:04.83 ~ Sophia Noll (Valdosta) 6
5. 16:08.94 ~ Madison Wiggins (Bainbridge) 8
6. 16:17.86 ~ Chloe Enfinger (Bainbridge) 7
7. 16:51.48 ~ Brianna Cox (Pelham) 8
8. 17:03.73 ~ Camry Fillingame (Bainbridge) 8
9. 17:05.78 ~ Davia Allen (Early County) 6
10. 17:24.55 ~ Kiera Williams (Valdosta) 7

Led by the 11:40 first-place showing of seventh-grader Caleb Harris, Bainbridge Middle School edged out Valdosta Middle School by a single point, 35 to 36, for the title in the boys' two-mile race. It was extremely close, and the Early County Middle School runners actually tipped the balance--in a duel meet, with Early County missing, Valdosta would have beaten Bainbridge, 27 to 28. Such are the fortunes of cross-country. Noah Richards of Valdosta placed second in the individual standings with a 12:29, and Brandon Wombley of Early County was third in 12:58.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys Two-Mile

1. Bainbridge Middle School, 35
2. Valdosta Middle School, 36
3. Early County Middle School, 53

Top Ten, Middle School Boys Two-Mile

1. 11:39.17 ~ Caleb Harris (Bainbridge) 7
2. 12:28.35 ~ Noah Richards (Valdosta) 8
3. 12:57.52 ~ Brandon Womble (Early County) 8
4. 13:20.53 ~ Davis Baldwin (Valdosta) 8
5. 13:25.07 ~ Gavyn Albritton (Bainbridge) 8
6. 13:30.47 ~ Darien Rowe (Valdosta) 7
7. 13:32.98 ~ Caleb Swain (Bainbridge) 8
8. 13:48.38 ~ Preston Coolahan (Early County) 8
9. 14:10.70 ~ Will Krispen (Valdosta) 8
10. 14:54.77 ~ Kajuan Newton (Bainbridge) 7

Links

• Complete results of the 2013 Pelham Hornets Invitational Cross-Country Meet at milesplit.com
  http://ga.milesplit.com/meets/149663-pelham-hornet-invitational
  
  
• Timing and finish line services were provided by Miles and Minutes, LLC
  http://www.milesandminutes.net
  
  
• Scott Phillips, "Americus-Sumter cross country takes third at Pelham Hornet Invitational"
  http://americustimesrecorder.com/sports/x250201283/Americus-Sumter-cross-country-takes-third-at-Pelham-Hornet-Invitational
  
  
• Find a race to run--road, track, or cross-country--on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

Harris and Harris victorious at first Purple Heart 5K

On Saturday morning, 26 January 2013, race director Eric Dueno was delivering some final instructions to the field before the start of the inaugual Purple Heart 5K. "And now, Dr. Gomez will describe the course."


"The course is marked," said Juan Gomez. "I'm not sure how much good that will do, though."


It wasn't a statement that inspired confidence!


But once the runners were led to the starting line, there was little problem in following the Purple Heart 5K course. The route on grass and trails around the perimeter of the Bainbridge College campus was well marked. Wrong turns were blocked off with ribbon or traffic cones. And if all else failed, you could just follow Caleb Harris. The Hutto Middle School sixth-grader spent nearly the entire race out front, winning the first-year event in 19:15.


The race started on the grass strip along College Road, from which the athletes headed north, starting a clockwise circuit of the campus. A group of three runners moved into the lead, with Caleb Harris setting the pace for Perry Waddell and Chip Nix. Back on the trails, though, Harris opened a gap, breaking contact by the end of the third kilometer. Over the final kilometer on the college's perimeter road, Harris only widened the margin, going on to win by over 200 meters. Behind Harris' 19:15, Perry Waddell was second in 20:09. John Bickley moved up to finish third in 21:06, and Joel Bass passed Chip Nix in the closing stages of the race to take fourth, 21:54 to 22:08.


Like her son Caleb in the overall race, Bainbridge master runner Julie Harris led the women's field from the outset. Never challenged, Harris was the first female finisher, running 14th overall in 25:13. At 26:42, Melanie Knight was the women's runner-up, placing 16th overall in 26:42.


The inaugural Purple Heart 5K was sponsored by the Bainbridge College chapter of the Student Veterans of America as a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project.


Top Ten Males

1. 19:15 ~ Caleb Harris (M, 12) Bainbridge, GA
2. 20:09 ~ Perry Waddell (M, 15) Bainbridge, GA
3. 21:06 ~ John Bickley (M, 36) Tallahassee, FL
4. 21:54 ~ Joel Bass (M, 19) Cairo, GA
5. 22:08 ~ Chip Nix (M, 36) Bainbridge, GA
6. 22:51 ~ Robert Meredith (M, 37) Bainbridge, GA
7. 23:04 ~ Stephen Rehberg (M, 23) Cairo, GA
8. 23:39 ~ Mark Tombrink (M, 25) Tallahassee, FL
9. 23:50 ~ Gary Cato (M, 56) Bainbridge, GA
10. 24:23 ~ Blake Brown (M, )

Top Ten Females

1. 25:13 ~ Julie Harris (F, 47) Bainbridge, GA
2. 26:42 ~ Melanie Knight (F, 31) Whigham, GA
3. 27:11 ~ Rachel McCullough (F, 24) Tallahassee, FL
4. 27:51 ~ Emily Webster (F, 32) Tallahassee, FL
5. 28:08 ~ Joy Knop (F, 40) Thomasville, GA
6. 28:10 ~ Nathalie Smith (F, 29) Tallahassee, FL
7. ??:?? ~ Sandra Heard (F, 29) Bainbridge, GA
8. ??:?? ~ Suzanne Angell (F, 47) Bainbridge, GA
9. ??:?? ~ Ivey Manwaring (F, 30) Thomasville, GA
10. ??:?? ~ Lisa Giencke (F, 30) Tallahassee, FL

Links

• More photos of the 2013 Purple Heart 5K
  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10102657568158953.3445751.5215641&l=d41fb776d8
  
  
• Upcoming races in Bainbridge and other cities within 100 miles of Tallahassee
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1