Choctaw sweeps the team titles while Arnold's Ashley and Turner take individual honors at the Buccaneer Bash

In Florida's Bay County, the cross-country season got started on Saturday morning, 26 August 2017, with a new meet, North Bay Haven High's Buccaneer Bash. And how better to inaugurate a new meet than with a new course? The races started in Panama City, Florida cross-country standby, Harder Park, but from there they ventured onto the grounds of the closed Bay Dunes Golf Course, itself built atop the old Majette Landfill.


The history of the area wasn't on the minds of the leaders of the first race, Arnold High frosh Marisa Ashley and Mosley senior Ella Swigler. They were entirely consumed with competition as they battled for the win, far ahead of the rest of the field. At the finish line Ashley held the edge over Swigler, 19:53 to 19:57. Port Saint Joe senior Shamaria Cole took third in 22:32.


Fourth went to Choctawhatchee senior Alexa Gutierrez in 22:50. Gutierrez was joined in the top ten by Choctaw frosh runners Allison Boyle (7th, 23:47) and Amanda George (8th, 24:02). Once frosh Michaela Waddy (13th, 25:03) and sophomore Erin DeCocker (16th, 25:44) had finished, Choctawhatchee had 46 points, just enough to edge Port Saint Joe for the team title. Port Saint Joe was a close second with 47, while Arnold was third in the six-team field with 74.


Team Standings, 2017 Buccaneer Bash High School Girls' 5K

1. Choctawhatchee, 46
2. Port Saint Joe,47
3. Arnold, 74
4. North Bay Haven, 105
5. Mosley, 110
6. Rutherford, 121

Top Ten, 2017 Buccaneer Bash High School Girls' 5K

1. 19:52.29, Marisa Ashley (Arnold) 9
2. 19:56.66, Ella Swigler (Mosley) 12
3. 22:31.60, Shamario Cole (Port Saint Joe) 12
4. 22:49.24, Alexa Gutierrez (Choctawhatchee) 12
5. 23:12.69, Kiai Stevenson (Arnold) 9
6. 23:23.61, Emma Wilson (North Bay Haven) 10
7. 23:46.57, Allison Boyle (Choctawhatchee) 9
8. 24:01.28, Amanda George (Choctawhatchee) 9
9. 24:05.16, Lexis Fountain (Port Saint Joe) 7
10. 24:09.24, Autumn Kotelman (Port Saint Joe) 9

The high school girls' race started at 8:00 AM, and the high school boys' 5K followed at 8:45 AM. There was no tense battle for first in the second race of the morning; Arnold senior Blake Turner won by more than 150 meters, covering the five-kilometer course in 18:04. Rutherford junior Delrico Pearson was runner-up in 18:39, and Choctawhatchee junior Pablo Duque took third in 18:46.


Duque was only the first Choctaw runner in the top ten. He was joined by three more runners wearing Choctawhatchee green--sophomore Jacob Knox (5th, 18:57), frosh Christian Sterman (6th, 19:04), and junior David Santarosa (9th, 19:27). Junior Brian Cordier (15th, 20:17) finished the scoring for Choctawhatchee, giving the runners in green 33 points and first place out of five teams. Led by senior Kanon Martan (4th, 18:52), Port Saint Joe was second with 59 points. Mosley took third with 77 points behind the tenth place, 19:46 performance of sophomore Ivan De La Cruz.


Next on the slate for the Bay County schools is the seventeenth annual Bay Invitational, scheduled for Saturday morning, 9 September 2017, in Harders Park. Bleckley County was the top team in the boys' race last year, with Maclay School taking the girls' title.


Team Standings, 2017 Buccaneer Bash High School Boys' 5K

1. Choctawhatchee, 33
2. Port Saint Joe, 59
3. Mosley, 77
4. Rutherford, 102
5. North Bay Haven, 103

Top Ten, 2017 Buccaneer Bash High School Boys' 5K

1. 18:03.43, Blake Turner (Arnold) 12
2. 18:38.43, Delrico Pearson (Rutherford) 11
3. 18:45.25, Pablo Duque (Choctawhatchee) 10
4. 18:51.23, Kanon Martan (Port Saint Joe) 12
5. 18:56.63, Jacob Knox (Choctawhatchee) 10
6. 19:03.50, Christian Sterman (Choctawhatchee) 9
7. 18:46.42, Zack McFarland (Port Saint Joe) 10
8. 19:08.06, Bryce Johnston (North Bay Haven) 12
9. 19:26.75, David Santarosa (Choctawhatchee) 11
10. 19:45.88, Ivan De La Cruz (Mosley) 10

Links

• Complete results, 2017 Buccaneer Bash
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSgbPnHGZWYloEuVEj9tgZuRrv0hWERcUYg01dqWzEjCQ-KSqbugVRQAiYpubjS7KaC4LoKNIr0X_Js/pubhtml
  
  
• Find an upcoming Bash in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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