Jackson Yarbrough and Alyson Churchill were the winning duo at Dueling Summits

Tallahassee, Florida's 2019 high school cross-country season opened in Phipps Park on Saturday morning, 24 August 2019, with the Dueling Summits Cross-country Meet. And in the first race of that first meet, the Chiles High girls put up a winning 39 points behind the first-place, 18:52 performance of Chiles senior Alyson Churchill. In the boys' 5K Leon sophomore Jackson Yarbrough took first with a 17:11, leading his team to a score of 28 points and victory.

Alyson Churchill

Dueling Summits was an old meet with a new name. From 2006 to 2018, the event had been known as the Cougar Cross-Country Challenge after the host school, the Godby Cougars. Maclay School was the new host, but not much else had changed. The courses, for instance, were still the same tough tours of Phipps Park. The high school 5K route still featured two precipitous climbs, the "Dueling Summits" that the meet was named for. And when the first race of the morning, the high school girls' 5K, started at 8:00 AM, the Chiles Timberwolves were still the team to beat. The meet champs in 2016, 2017, and 2018, this would be their first race as a class 4A school.


Up front, it looked a lot like the 2016 race, with Alyson Churchill setting a punishing early pace and leaving the rest of the field far behind. In 2016, though, Churchill had been a Lincoln High frosh. In 2019 she was senior wearing Chiles colors. She also put the race away earlier than she had three years before. Churchill finished the first two kilometers more than a minute before any other runner in the race. Maclay frosh Ella Porcher was leading the pursuit at that point, but Porcher herself was being stalked by Leon junior Avery Calabro and Tift County senior Emily Golden. Calabro and Golden caught Porcher early in the fourth kilometer, but no one was making any ground on Churchill, home first in 18:52. Calabro grabbed second in 20:47 and Golden third in 20:39. Porcher, Florida's 2018 middle school cross-country state champion, took fourth in 20:52.

Avery Calabro

Chiles, Leon, and Maclay each put three runners in the top ten. For Chiles, Alyson Churchill was joined by seniors Megan Churchill (5th, 21:14) and Emily Molen (6th, 21:38). Maclay's Porcher had eighth-grader Gracie Koeppel (7th, 21:14) and senior Rachael Stockel (8th, 21:48) for company in the top ten. In addition to Calabro, Leon had frosh Lily Moore (9th, 22:03) and junior Lily Unger (10th 22:11).

Emily Golden

But Chiles put sophomore Kendall Meyer (13th, 22:40) and senior Ashley Murphy (14th, 22:48) across the finish line before Maclay's fifth runner and Leon's fourth runner. With that, Chiles had 39 points and first in a field of nineteen teams. While the Maclay girls waited for their fifth runner, the Leon girls complete their scoring with 73 points, earning second. Maclay was third with 81.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Chiles, 39
2. Leon, 73
3. Maclay, 81
4. Wakulla, 109
5. Community Christian, 216
6. Lowndes, 221
7. Lincoln, 223
8. Tift County, 225
9. Jefferson County, 262
10. Brookwood, 301
11. Florida State University, 336
12. Suwannee, 360
13. Thomas County Central,
14. Valdosta, 360
15. Mosley, 370
16. Aucilla Christian, 402
17. Franklin County, 472
18. Bainbridge, 501
19. Blountstown, 506

Top Ten High School Girls, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 18:51.19, Alyson Churchill (Chiles) 12
2. 20:26.48, Avery Calabro (Leon) 11
3. 20:38.22, Emily Golden (Tift County) 12
4. 20:51.58, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 9
5. 21:13.51, Megan Churchill (Chiles) 12
6. 21:37.84, Emily Molen (Chiles) 12
7. 21:38.95, Gracie Koeppel (Maclay) 8
8. 21:47.34, Rachael Stockel (Maclay) 12
9. 22:02.75, Lily Moore (Leon) 9
10. 22:10.74, Lillian Unger (Leon) 11

The Chiles girls had extended their streak at Dueling Summits (nee Cougar Challenge) to four years of wins. The Chiles boys had their own streak going, having won both team and individual honors each year since 2016. When the boys' 5K started at 8:40 AM, the Timberwolves had ambitions of adding the 2019 titles to their history.

Nathan Reffitt and Jackson Yarbrough

Chiles junior Nathan Reffitt set the early pace, leading the field through the first two kilometers. There were more than a few athletes right with him, though, including Leon's Jackson Yarbrough. If anyone in the race knew Dueling Summits, it was Yarbrough, who had been racing on the course at Phipps Park since 2015, when he was a sixth-grader competing for Holy Comforter Episcopal School. Yarbrough knew the hills, and he knew about the fist-sized gravel on the course.


"That's why I decided to wear flats instead of spikes," said Yarbrough.

Nathan Reffitt and Jackson Yarbrough

Over the next kilometer, Reffitt dropped the rest of the field, but not Yarbrough. And then Yarbrough dropped Reffitt.


"I was just feeling really good, so I decided to push it around the two-mile mark," said Yarbrough. "I was feeling especially good on the hills."


By the top of the last hill, Yarbrough had 50 meters on Reffitt. That lead held to the finish line, where Yarbrough crossed first in 17:11. Reffitt held off his sophmore teammate, Ben Kirbo, to hang on to second, both runners clocked in 17:21.

Jack Rogers chases Ben Kirbo

Leon runners took the next two places, with Lion frosh Jake Rogers fourth in 17:26 and senior Jackson Roberts fifth in 17:35. The Timberwolves answered with senior Spencer Amsellem taking sixth in 17:47 and frosh Wyatt Townsend seventh in 17:47. But the Lions had a rejoinder when sophomore Leo Kelly finished eighth in 17:57. And the last word came when Leon senior Joseph Ashebo took tenth in 18:06. That gave the Lions five scorers in the top ten, 28 points, and the 2019 Dueling Summits team title--their school's first since the 2015 meet.


Chiles placed second among the 22 boys' teams with 31 points. Led by senior Joey Jung (12th, 18:13), Lincoln was third with 106 points.


Chiles and Leon, along with Yarbrough and Reffitt, are slated to meet again seven days after the Dueling Summits in the Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational, held on the state championship course at Apalachee Regional Park--a break from the rigors of Dueling Summits.


"I'm really excited for that, to see what I can do on a normal course," said Yarbrough.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Leon, 28
2. Chiles, 31
3. Lincoln, 106
4. Lowndes, 142
5. Wakulla, 181
6. Maclay, 190
7. Bainbridge, 274
8. Mosley, 299
9. Community Christian, 302
10. Thomasville, 341
11. Aucilla Christian, 358
12. Valdosta, 360
13. Tift County, 371
14. Thomas County Central, 374
15. Blountstown, 395
16. Suwannee, 409
17. Florida State University, 430
18. Jefferson County, 481
19. Cairo, 490
20. Grace Christian, 498
21. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 557
22. Franklin County, 593

Top Ten High School Boys, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 17:10.23, Jackson Yarbrough (Leon) 10
2. 17:20.26, Nathan Reffitt (Chiles) 11
3. 17:20.61, Ben Kirbo (Chiles) 10
4. 17:25.97, Jake Rogers (Leon) 9
5. 17:34.26, Jackson Roberts (Leon) 12
6. 17:38.70, Spencer Amsellem (Chiles) 12
7. 17:46.06, Wyatt Townsend (Chiles) 9
8. 17:56.14, Leo Kelly (Leon) 10
9. 17:58.04, Alec Munger (Lowndes) 11
10. 18:05.93, Joseph Ashebo (Leon) 12

Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet High School Winners 2006 - 2019
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2006	Maclay, 23	20:44, Laura Hempel (Rickards)
10 September 2007	Maclay, 18	20:36, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
15 September 2008	Maclay, 39	20:18, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
14 September 2009	Maclay, 43	21:05, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
2 October 2010	West Florida Tech, 27	19:23, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
8 October 2011	Lincoln, 49	21:16, Savana Osterbye (FSUS)
2012	No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013	Leon, 27	20:35, Madison Harris (Wakulla)
6 September 2014	Leon, 44	21:09, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla)
29 August 2015	Fort Walton Beach, 24	21:16, Caroline Willis (Maclay)
27 August 2016	Chiles, 40	18:47, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln)
26 August 2017	Chiles, 80	18:29, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
25 August 2018	Chiles, 27	19:42, Abigail Schrobilgen (Chiles) 12
24 August 2019	Chiles, 39	18:52, Alyson Churchill (Chiles) 12
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2006	Lincoln, 42	16:56, Joseph Franklin (Godby)
10 September 2007	Maclay, 23	17:18, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
15 September 2008	Niceville, 36	17:02, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
14 September 2009	Maclay, 47	17:27, Patrick Swain (Maclay)
2 October 2010	Lincoln, 52	16:10, Jacob Slupecki (Lincoln)
8 October 2011	Lincoln, 63	16:55, Stanley Linton (Wakulla)
2012	No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013	Leon, 34	16:47, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
6 September 2014	Leon, 15	16:42, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
29 August 2015	Leon, 52	16:38, Adam Wallenfelsz (Leon)
27 August 2016	Chiles, 32	16:44, Michael Phillips (Chiles)
26 August 2017	Chiles, 23	16:42, Michael Phillips (Chiles)
25 August 2018	Chiles, 32	17:01, Connor Phillips (Chiles) 12
24 August 2019	Leon, 28	17:11, Jackson Yarbrough (Leon) 10

The middle school girls ran a 3K course that included only one of the "dueling summits." Lillian Koeppel, a Maclay sixth-grader, had the fastest performance of the girls on that route, closing fast late in the race to post a winning 13:32. Cadence Curnalia, a Thomas County seventh-grader, took second in 10:37. Wakulla High eight-grader Liliana Lewis, the defending champion in the race, placed third in 13:39.

Cadence Curnalia

Seventh-grader Lauren Guyer also finished in the top ten for Maclay, running 14:11 for eighth. Seventh-graders Kassidy Moninger (12th, 14:22) and Payton Thumm (13th, 14:26) also scored for Maclay, as did eighth-grader Haley Weil (17th, 14:35). Their performances gave Maclay 45 points and first place among twelve middle school girls' teams.


Holy Comforter eighth-grader Maddie Manausa placed fifth in 13:41, leading her team, the defending champions, to a second-place score of 86 points. Curnalia's Thomas County Yellow Jackets scored 109 points, placing third.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Maclay, 45
2. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 86
3. Thomas County, 109
4. Valwood, 130
5. Raa, 138
6. Tift, 162
7. Trinity Catholic, 163
8. Wakulla, 184
9. Bainbridge, 233
10. Whigham, 237
11. Community Leadership, 257
12. Valdosta, 260

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 13:31.83, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 6
2. 13:36.60, Cadence Curnalia (Thomas County) 7
3. 13:38.67, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 8
4. 13:39.41, Emma Burnett (Valwood) 8
5. 13:40.65, Maddie Manausa (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
6. 14:04.86, Kennedy Bell (Raa)
7. 14:10.52, Ava Griffiths (Trinity Catholic) 7
8. 14:10.94, Lauren Guyer (Maclay) 7
9. 14:16.40, Madi Sims (Unattached) 7
10. 14:16.89, Kate Reichelderfer (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 7

Middle school is three years, grades six, seven, and eight. So the greatest number of middle school wins anyone can collect at an annual meet, like Dueling Summits, is three. And three wins is Patrick Koon's legacy in the Dueling Summits middle school boys' 3K, where he took first in 2017, 2018, and finally in 2019. In the latter race, the Fairview eighth-grader ran a winning 10:35, his first sub-11:00 performance at Dueling Summits. Nicolas Waddell, an eighth-grader at Mowat in Lynn Haven, Florida, took second in 10:49. Montford eighth-grader Jackson Rowe also cracked 11:00, coming in third in 10:55.

Patrick Koon

The Holy Comforter boys were defending champs in the middle school boys' 3K, but Fairview came out on top in 2019. Led by Koon, the Falcons scored 51 points to take the team title. Holy Comforter was a close second with 60 points, led by eighth-grader Will Springer (5th, 11:22). Maclay and Trinity Catholic each tallied 133 points, but Macaly took third on the tie-breaker.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Fairview, 51
2. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 60
3. Maclay, 133
4. Trinity Catholic, 133
5. Thomas County, 169
6. Tift, 181
7. Community Leadership, 227
8. Montford, 233
9. Valdosta, 278
10. Christ Classical, 279
11. Whigham, 312
12. Grace Christian, 315
13. Marianna, 318
14. Bainbridge, 330
15. MacIntyre Park, 347
16. Valwood, 371

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 10:34.83, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
2. 10:48.39, Nicolas Waddell (Unattached) 8
3. 10:54.34, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 8
4. 11:20.41, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 7
5. 11:21.04, Will Springer (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
6. 11:29.59, Matthew Wilbourn (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8
7. 11:32.23, Enijah Thomas (Fairview) 8
8. 11:33.67, Drayden Reams (Raa) 8
9. 11:35.66, Blair Golden (Tift) 8
10. 11:39.73, Will Winsor (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 8

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR2APmlmD_5R4sJLjxHtSfdSs068OT-CxqIN0Ajsk-W_fvb_yx2KGNUShtZbFWIj6KYxYMdpn7wZFFq/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2019 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet
  
  • HS Girls:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10114149656362073
    
  • HS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10114148825482163
    
  • MS Girls:https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10114150156265263
    
  • MS Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10114150364208543
    
  
  
• 2017 story, “Chiles sweeps, Phillips repeats, and Funderburk sets a record at the Cougar Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/08/cougar-xc-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Alyson Churchill meets the Challenge, runs 18:47”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/08/cougar-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Leon and Khosla repeat at Cougar Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/cougar-xc-2014.html
  
  
• 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
  
  

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