Thursday, September 5, 2013

Swift Creek girls and Montford boys win season opener at Fort Braden

2013 Fort Braden RunWednesday, 4 September 2013 marked the fourth annual Fort Braden Run, but it was the first time that the meet was the season opener  for Leon County Schools' middle-school cross-country teams. For a while it looked like the meet might not happen at all. At 6:00 PM, the scheduled starting time of the first race, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the skies over Fort Braden Park. The meet went into weather delay.


Saige KemenyEventually, though, conditions cleared up enough for the delay to be lifted, and the girls' two mile race was allowed to start at 6:40. Neither Chase Merrick of Swift Creek, Saige Kemeny of Montford, nor Ana Wallace of Deer Lake were setting the early pace when the runners left the park to circle the grounds of Fort Braden School. They were nevertheless the leaders when they returned to the park for the last 600 meters of the race. Merrick was first back into the park. She had won the Miller Landing Madness 3K eleven days earlier, but as a sixth grader this was her first time racing at Fort Braden. Saige Kemeny had run the race in 2012 and Ana Wallace in both 2011 and 2012. Perhaps it was that extra bit of experience that allowed them to overtake Merrick in the last 200 meter. Kemeny went on to win in 13:51, with Wallace second in 13:56 and Merrick third in 14:01. But Merrick was joined in the top 14 by Swift Creek runners Emma Romuald (5th, 14:32), Asta Hemenway (9th, 15:17), Arianna Neely (13th, 15:34), and Katherine Witchel (14th, 16:10) giving Swift Creek 44 points and the team title. Deer Lake was second with 54 points and the defending champs from Montford were third with 60.


Team Standings, GirlsSwift Creek Middle School cross country girls
  1. Sw​ift Creek M​iddle​ School, 44
  2. Deer Lake M​iddle​ School, 54
  3. Mo​ntfo​rd M​iddle​ School, 60
  4. Raa M​iddle​ School, 80
  5. Fairview M​iddle​ School, 124
  6. Elizab​eth Cobb Middle​ School, 157

Top Ten Girls
  1. 13:50.99 ~ Saige Kemeny (Mo​ntfo​rd) 7Chase Merrick
  2. 13:55.20 ~ Ana Wallace​ (Deer Lake) 8
  3. 14:00.29 ~ Ch​ase Merrick (Sw​ift Creek) 6​
  4. 14:30.86 ~ Grace Jac​kson (Deer Lake) 7
  5. 14:31.05 ~ Emma Romua​ld (Sw​ift Creek) 6
  6. 14:45.61 ~ Emily Molen (Deer Lake) 6
  7. 15:03.39 ~ Emily Culley (Mo​ntfo​rd) 7
  8. 15:15.59 ~ Ca​itlyn Wilkey (Mo​ntfo​rd) 6
  9. 15:16.84 ~ ​Asta Hemenway (Sw​ift Creek) 8
  10. 15:21.53 ~ Par​is King (Fairview) 7​

Jacob DodsonThe inclement weather was only a memory when the boys started racing. Griffin's Derenzo Williams led the field out of the park and onto the ground of Fort Braden School, but his fast early pace had been too optimistic. By the time the athletes returned to the park for the final 600 meters, Williams had been overtaken and Raa's Jacob Dodson was out front. Eighth in the 2012 Fort Braden Run, Dodson continued to lengthen his lead all the way to finish line, which he crossed in a winning 12:15. Seth Kemeny was runner-up in 12:44 and Daniel Sweeney third in 12:50, both runners representing Montford. Kemeny and Sweeney were joined in the top ten by their teammates Tate Wallenfelsz (5th, 13:11) and Matthew Newland (7th, 13:13). Once Montford's Jozsef Rohrbacher (21st, 13:58) was across the finish line, the Mustangs had 38 points and the team title. Led by Dodson, Raa was second with 68 points. There was a logjam around third place with defending champs Swift Creek scoring 84 to prevail narrowly over Deer Lake (85) and Fairview (87).


The Leon County Schools' 2013 middle school cross-country season continues with the Montford Middle School Run on September 11, the Everhart Invitational at Gretchen Everhart School on September 19, and concludes with the LCS Middle School XC Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on September 25.


Team Standings, BoysMontford Middle School cross country boys
  1. Mo​ntfo​rd M​iddle​ School, 38
  2. Raa M​iddle​ School, 68
  3. Sw​ift Creek M​iddle​ School, 84
  4. Deer Lake M​iddle​ School, 85
  5. Fairview M​iddle​ School, 87
  6. Gr​iffin M​iddle​ School, 152
  7. Elizab​eth Cobb M​iddle School, 179
  8. Fo​rt Br​aden M​iddle​ School, 246

Top Ten Boys
  1. 12:15.00 ~ Jacob​ Do​dson (Raa) 8Seth Kemeny
  2. 12:43.47 ~ Seth Kemeny (Mo​ntfo​rd) 8
  3. 12:49.43 ~ Daniel​ Sweeney (Mo​ntfo​rd) 8
  4. 12:49.61 ~ Robe​rt Frank Nowak​ (Deer Lake) 8
  5. 13:10.42 ~ Tate Walle​nfe​lsz (Mo​ntfo​rd) 7
  6. 13:11.36 ~ Derenzo Willia​ms (Gr​iffin) 8
  7. 13:12.95 ~ M​atthew Newla​nd (Mo​ntfo​rd) 8
  8. 13:15.14 ~ Gavin M​ott​-Sm​ith (Sw​ift Creek) 8
  9. 13:24.07 ~ J​oseph Jon​es​ (Fairview) 8
  10. 13:30.08 ~ Payne Benjamin​ (Sw​ift Creek) 6

Fort Braden Cross-Country Meet Champions, 2010-2013
DateBoysGirls
22 SEP 201012:26, Sukhi Khosla (Raa)15:01, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa)
14 SEP 201112:16, Evan Francis (Raa)14:45, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek)
12 SEP 201212:40, Matthew Cashin (Raa)13:58, Audrey Dogan (Raa)
4 SEP 201312:15, Jacob Dodson (Raa)13:51, Saige Kemeny (Montford)


Fort Braden Cross-Country Meet Team Titles, 2010-2013
DateBoysGirls
22 SEP 2010Raa (15 points)Raa (33 points)
14 SEP 2011Montford (55 points)Swift Creek (47 points)
12 SEP 2012Swift Creek (54 points)Montford (48 points)
4 SEP 2013Montford (38 points)Swift Creek (44 points)


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Posted by Herb Wills at 7:00 PM
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