Sunday, October 26, 2014

Wil Luca, Rebekah Smith finish the season right at Yellow Jacket Cross Country Meet

Yellow JacketCross country season was winding down, but the high schools of Southwest Georgia and the neighboring portions of Florida found time for one last competition on Saturday, 25 August 2014--Thomas County Central's 22nd annual Yellow Jacket Invitational. Thomasville High junior Rebekah Smith won the girls' 5K in 20:58, but Berrien County took the team title with 47 points. Likewise, Leon High senior Wil Luca hammered the field in the boys' 5K with a 16:25, but Leon finished second to a Thomas County Central team that scored 74 points.


Since it was established in 1827, Greenwood plantation has had many distinguished visitors, including the Duke of Windsor, President Eisenhower, and Jacqueline Kennedy. In recent years, some regular fall visitors are the area's cross-country runners. The athletes come to the plantation to race in several meets, one of which was the 2014 edition of the Yellow Jacket Invitational. The Invitational opened at 9:00 AM with the high school girls' race. Finishing close to 250 meters ahead of the next runner, Thomasville Bulldog junior Rebekah Smith dominated the field of 71 runners, posting a 20:58. Bainbridge Bearcat frosh Uriyah Davis edged Rickards Raider sophomore Blessing Nkembo for the runner-up spot, 22:04 to 22:09. Rickard freshman Carina Richardson took fourth in 22:33, but the next two places went to Berrien County, with sophomore Janna Jernigan running 22:38 and senior Emily Boyd 22:40. Berrien County's next three scorers were senior Haley Jernigan (13th, 24:06), sophomore Alice Sensenbrenner (16th, 24:24), and frosh Magie Harper (17th, 24:33). That gave the Rebels a 47-point total and the team title. Thomasville was second in seven-team field with 59 points, while host team Thomas County Central was third with 66.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls
  1. Berrien County, 47
  2. Thomasville, 59
  3. Thomas County Central, 66
  4. Bainbridge, 89
  5. Leon, 119
  6. Cairo, 141
  7. Florida State, 179

Top Ten High School Girls, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 20:57.78 ~ Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11
  2. 22:03.07 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 9
  3. 22:08.24 ~ Blessing Nkembo (Rickards) 10
  4. 22:32.22 ~ Carina Richardson (Rickards) 9
  5. 22:37.45 ~ Janna Jernigan (Berrien County) 10
  6. 22:39.57 ~ Emily Boyd (Berrien County) 12
  7. 23:00.36 ~ Jacara Hayes (Thomasville) 11
  8. 23:31.28 ~ Madison Campbell (Cairo) 9
  9. 23:32.33 ~ Anna Gill (Leon) 9
  10. 23:35.71 ~ Angela Cipriani (Thomas County Central) 10
William Luca
The boys' 5K followed the girls' race. Like the first race, it wasn't close. In the last regular-season race of his high school career, Leon Lion senior Wil Luca put up a 16:25 to outrun a field of 86 athletes, crossing the finish line with a 130-meter lead. Thomas County Central junior Sam Gelabert finished second for the Yellow Jackets in 16:51, but the Lions answered with a 17:12 third-place performance by junior Danny Moore. Yellow Jacket junior Conley Wilhelm was seventh in 17:49. Thomas County Central's next three runners were juniors Jerrious Dee (13th, 18:12), Joshua Williams (19th, 18:38), and Johnathan Robinson (36th, 19:41). Each of the three finished ahead of their counterpart on the Leon team, earning the Yellow Jackets the top place in the nine-team field with 74 points. Leon was a close second with 80 points, and Bainbridge not much farther back with 86.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys
  1. Thomas County Central, 74
  2. Leon, 80
  3. Bainbridge, 86
  4. Thomasville, 95
  5. Berrien County, 109
  6. Rickards, 131
  7. Florida State, 171
  8. Worth County, 175
  9. Cairo, 249

Top Ten High School Boys, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 16:24.47 ~ William Luca (Leon) 12
  2. 16:50.88 ~ Sam Gelabert (Thomas County Central) 11
  3. 17:11.63 ~ Danny Moore (Leon) 11
  4. 17:17.19 ~ Solomon Stevens (Rickards) 11
  5. 17:24.31 ~ Abraham Grandison (Rickards) 12
  6. 17:36.26 ~ Travet Witherspoon (Thomasville) 12
  7. 17:48.62 ~ Conley Wilhelm (Thomas County Central) 11
  8. 17:49.99 ~ Hunter Tucker (Berrien County)
  9. 17:51.65 ~ Andrew Jackson (Thomasville) 12
  10. 17:57.32 ~ Bennett Enfinger (Bainbridge) 11

The high school races were followed by a middle school two mile. Anna James of Thomas County Central won the girls' competition, running 13:56, with Summer Williams of Florida State University School finishing runner-up in 14:32. Berrien County runners Devinity Jackson (3rd, 14:54), Maddie Harper (4th, 14:54), and Stephanie Kimbrell (5th, 15:02) took the next three places. The rebels also got top ten finishes from their next two runners--Natalie Nix (8th, 15:38) and Tiffany Boyette (9th, 15:45)--and that was enough to give the team a winning score of 29 points. Thomas County Central nipped Cook for second, 67 to 70.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls
  1. Berrien County, 29
  2. Thomas County Central, 67
  3. Cook, 70
  4. Florida State, 90
  5. Whigham, 104

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 13:55.18 ~ Anna James (Thomas County Central) 6
  2. 14:31.12 ~ Summer Williams (Florida State) 8
  3. 14:53.32 ~ Devinity Jackson (Berrien County) 8
  4. 14:53.63 ~ Maddie Harper (Berrien County) 6
  5. 15:01.51 ~ Stephanie Kimbrel (Berrien County) 6
  6. 15:14.85 ~ Gracie White (Cook) 7
  7. 15:30.48 ~ Caytiana Smith (Cook) 7
  8. 15:37.25 ~ Natalie Nix (Berrien County) 7
  9. 15:44.53 ~ Tiffany Boyette (Berrien County) 8
  10. 15:50.94 ~ Kasey Melton (Thomas County Central) 7

Jahaz Morgan of Florida State University School topped the middle school boys' standings with a 12:18. But Berrien County answered by putting four runners in the top ten--Ladarius Dumas (2nd, 12:43), CJ Guest (6th, 13:02), Ryan Lindsey (8th, 13:04), and Morgan Bolmer (9th, 13:08). Once their fifth scorer, Mason Sikes, had crossed the finish line in 16th with a 13:45, Berrien had 40 points and the middle school boys' team title. Florida State University School squeaked by MacIntyre Park for second in the team standings, 67 to 71.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys
  1. Berrien County, 40
  2. Florida State, 67
  3. MacIntyre Park, 71
  4. Trinity Catholic, 109
  5. Cook, 110
  6. Thomas County Central, 115
  7. Whigham, 198

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 12:17.35 ~ Jahaz Morgan (Florida State) 6
  2. 12:42.39 ~ Ladarius Dumas (Berrien County) 7
  3. 12:52.17 ~ Baylen Young (MacIntyre Park) 6
  4. 12:56.24 ~ Aidan Murtha (Trinity Catholic) 8
  5. 12:56.40 ~ Cody Pezent (Cook) 8
  6. 13:01.53 ~ Cj Guest (Berrien County) 7
  7. 13:02.76 ~ Nathan Smith (MacIntyre Park) 6
  8. 13:03.96 ~ Ryan Lindsey (Berrien County) 8
  9. 13:07.41 ~ Morgan Bolmer (Berrien County) 7
  10. 13:16.69 ~ Brandon Hopper (Thomas County Central) 8

Thomas County Central Yellow Jacket Invitational Cross-Country Meet
Team Champs, 2008 - 2014
DateBoysGirls
18 October 2008Tift County, 32 pointsValdosta, 30 points
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013Maclay, 41Maclay, 30
25 October 2014Thomas County Central, 74Berrien County, 47


Thomas County Central Yellow Jacket Invitational Cross-Country Meet
Individual Winners, 2008 - 2014
DateBoysGirls
18 October 200816:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 21:12, JaCourtney Alexander (Cairo)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 201316:13, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 1119:44, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
25 October 201416:25, Wil Luca (Leon) 1220:58, Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11


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Posted by Herb Wills at 12:22 PM
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