Anna James and Briley Reyes swat the competition at the Yellow Jacket Invitational

High School cross-country gets started early in Georgia, and in Thomasville it got started on Saturday morning, 29 August 2020, with Thomas County Central's 27th annual Yellow Jacket Invitational. The meet opened with Thomas County senior Anna James winning the girls' 5K in 20:06, while visiting Colquitt County took the team title with 41 points. Briley Reyes, a Davis High junior, put up a winning 18:16 in the boys' 5K, leading his team to first in the team standings with 36 points.


It was Anna James' second straight year of winning at the Yellow Jacket Invite. As a frosh, James had placed twelfth in the 2017 meet, running 22:57. The 2018 Invitational was canceled, but the meet returned in 2019 as did James. A junior, she ran 21:28, becoming Yellow Jacket champion for the first time. James' final appearance in the Yellow Jacket Invitational was her fastest yet. Her 20:06 put her more than 900 meters ahead of the next runner. James was also a three-time champion in the middle school girls' competition at the Yellow Jacket Invitational, winning in 2014, 2015, and 2016.


Clarissa Mallory, a Highland Christian sophomore, was runner-up in 24:33. Thomas County frosh Gracie Adams placed third in 24:54.


Adams made three finishers in the top ten for Thomas County Central, but Colquitt County put three athletes in the top ten--sophomore Mattie Rigsby (6th, 26:54), junior Evelin Vasquez (8th, 27:06), and junior Brooke Wright (9th, 27:17). Central's girls were still waiting for their third runner when Colquitt County put junior Ryley McCoy (11th, 27:59) and frosh Ansley Jackson (12th, 28:01) across the finish line, giving the Packers 41 points and first place. Central was second with 49 points. Brookwood placed third with points, led by the seventh place showing of sophomore Katie Knifer (27:05).


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls

1. Colquitt County, 41
2. Thomas County Central, 49
3. Brookwood, 69
4. Bainbridge, 77
5. Cook, 106

Top Ten High School Girls, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 20:05.26, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
2. 24:32.39, Clarissa Mallory (Highland Christian) 10
3. 24:53.44, Gracie Adams (Thomas County Central) 9
4. 25:34.82, Rylan Bland (Bainbridge) 10
5. 26:26.70, Haydyn Klock (Bainbridge) 9
6. 26:53.56, Mattie Rigsby (Colquitt County) 10
7. 27:04.31, Katie Knifer (Brookwood) 10
8. 27:05.67, Evelin Vasquez (Colquitt County) 11
9. 27:16.46, Brooke Wright (Colquitt County) 11
10. 27:44.08, Emma Swarc (Brookwood)

The harriers of Davis High had never ventured from Hazlehurst, Georgia to the Yellow Jacket Invitational, even though the Davis mascot is also a Yellow Jacket. The Yellow Jackets from Hazlehurst made the most of their Thomasville debut. Davis junior Briley Reyes won the boys' 5K in 18:16, and Davis frosh took third 18:34, a few steps behind the 18:30 turned in by Cairo senior Elias Lopez-Gomez.


The Davis Yellow Jackets finished up their scoring with performances by juniors Levi Manning (11th, 19:36), Skyler Cravey (13th, 19:56), and Logan Carelock (20th, 20:58). That sufficed to give the Davis boys 36 points and a team title.


Colquitt County was second in the eight-team field, scoring 60 points behind the sixth place, 19:14 showing of Packer junior Hayes Lightsey. Led by junior Jared Davis (12th, 19:44), Bainbridge was third with 96 points.


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys

1. Davis, 36
2. Colquitt County, 60
3. Bainbridge, 96
4. Cook, 118
5. Cairo, 119
6. Thomasville, 157
7. Thomas County Central, 163
8. Grace Christian, 165

Top Ten High School Boys, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 18:15.40, Briley Reyes (Davis) 11
2. 18:29.58, Elias Lopez-Gomez (Cairo) 12
3. 18:33.02, Pierce Parlor (Davis) 9
4. 18:46.82, Alex Buena (GCU Elite) 9
5. 18:47.35, Eliceo Lopez-Gomez (Cairo) 12
6. 19:13.05, Hayes Lightsey (Colquitt County) 11
7. 19:16.68, Jonah Berry (GCU Elite) 9
8. 19:29.17, Daniel Jones (Grace Christian) 12
9. 19:32.97, Kent Grayson (Brookwood) 7
10. 19:33.28, Aiden Keen (Highland Christian) 9

The middle school race was run immediately following the two high school races. Thomas County eighth-grader Cadence Curnalia won for the second year in a row, running 14:45--over half a minute faster than the 15:20 she ran in the 2019 race. Abby Stalvey of Brookwood, another eighth-grader, was runner-up in 15:56. Sixth-grader Savannah Dodd of Thomas County took third in 16:52.


Thomas County Middle's other scoring performances came from sixth-grader Josie Smith (19th, 21:41), eighth-grader Gabby Lindquist (21st, 22:30), and sixth-grader Julie Vonier (23rd, 23:50). That gave Thomas County 26 points and their third straight Yellow Jacket Invitational team title. MacIntyre Park was a close second with 29 points, led by the seventh-grader Kylie Alexander (10th, 19:27).


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls

1. Thomas County, 26
2. MacIntyre Park, 29

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 14:44.78, Cadence Curnalia (Thomas County) 8
2. 15:55.36, Abby Stalvey (Brookwood) 8
3. 16:51.75, Savannah Dodd (Thomas County) 6
4. 16:59.65, Kate Poitevint (Grace Christian) 8
5. 17:36.64, Addie Gregory (Cook) 8
6. 18:00.64, Sybil Lee (Grace Christian) 8
7. 18:15.60, Ava Lorette (Cook) 8
8. 18:28.93, Addison Gamble (Brookwood) 7
9. 19:10.70, Kara Overman (Grace Christian) 6
10. 19:26.94, Kylie Alexander (MacIntyre Park) 7

Caden McDaniel was first across the finish line in the Yellow Jacket Invitational's middle school boys' race; the Cook eighth-grader covered the course in 13:54. Walker Elrod, a Grace Christian seventh-grader, took second in 14:20. Bainbridge eighth-grader Aidan Angle was third in 14:41.


Cook sixth-grader Harris Holley joined McDaniel in the top ten, placing fourth in 14:46. Grayson Kennedy, a Cook seventh-grader, also had a top-ten showing, sixth in 15:34. Cook's remaining two scorers were seventh-grader Cooper Exum (13th, 16:29) and eighth-grader Landon Ray (19th, 17:11), giving their team 41 points and first place in a field of six teams. Led by sixth-grader Mason Tillman (9th, 15:55), Thomas County took second with 68 points. Grace Christian was third with 82 points.


2020 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys

1. Cook, 41
2. Thomas County, 68
3. Grace Christian, 82
4. Bainbridge, 85
5. Brookwood, 88
6. Community Christian, 139

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 27th annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational

1. 13:53.56, Caden McDaniel (Cook) 8
2. 14:19.65, Walker Elrod (Grace Christian) 7
3. 14:40.97, Aidan Angle (Bainbridge) 8
4. 14:45.51, Harris Holley (Cook) 6
5. 15:05.53, Owen Earnest (Grace Christian) 8
6. 15:33.35, Grayson Kennedy (Cook) 7
7. 15:35.40, Corbin Thompson (Bainbridge) 7
8. 15:49.02, Tim Watson (Thomas County) 8
9. 15:54.07, Mason Tillman (Thomas County) 6
10. 16:10.37, James Mizell (Brookwood) 7

Yellow Jacket Cross Country Invitational winners, 2008 - 2017
High School Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
18 October 2008	Tift County, 32 points	16:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013	Maclay, 41	16:13, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 11
25 October 2014	Thomas County Central, 74	16:25, Wil Luca (Leon) 12
17 October 2015	Leon, 36	15:47, Poncherella Leonard (Bainbridge) 11
15 October 2016	Veterans, 54	17:13, Colby Jones (Lee County) 11
14 October 2017	Veterans, 32	17:04, Brishen House (Lowndes) 12
12 October 2019	Colquitt County, 68	17:21, Stokes Moore (Bainbridge) 12
29 August 2020	Davis, 36	18:16, Briley Reyes (Davis) 11
High School Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
18 October 2008	Valdosta, 30 points	21:12, JaCourtney Alexander (Cairo)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013	Maclay, 30	19:44, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
25 October 2014	Berrien County, 47	20:58, Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11
17 October 2015	Leon, 44	20:07, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 10
15 October 2016	Lee County, 83	17:50, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 11
14 October 2017	Valwood, 80	17:45, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County) 12
12 October 2019	Aucilla Christian, 32	21:28, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 11
29 August 2020	Colquitt County, 41	20:06, Anna James (Thomas County Central) 12
Do you have results from the missing years? Please let me know!

Links

• Complete results of Thomas County Central's 2020 Yellow Jacket Cross-Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRGzVf9Jdc4yKdqpr_tmm4QWXEyZ-2ZM2ii40dEl3YdoFpu-7FwBt-KavFOQKHI6J7StxAOXoLpjW5U/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Funderburk blazes a valedictory 17:44.50 at the Yellow Jacket Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/10/yellowjacket-xc-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Elizabeth Funderburk goes 17:50 in Thomasville at the Yellow Jacket Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/10/yellowjacket-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Poncherella Leonard and Elizabeth Funderburk have wings at Yellow Jacket Invite”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/yellowjacket-xc-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Wil Luca, Rebekah Smith finish the season right at Yellow Jacket Cross Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/yellowjacket-xc-2014.html
  
  
• Can't get an invitation? Find an open race on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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