In 2019, Arnold High School hosted the Panhandle Cross-Country Challenge at Bay Dunes Golf Course in Panama City, Florida. The meet returned for another edition on Saturday, 17 October 2020, but with its name upgraded to the Panhandle Cross-Country Championship. What's in name? By any other name, the fact would remain that South Walton won the girls' 5K with 44 points, a race where Choctawhatchee junior Chloe Fernander took individual honors in 18:58. Without that title, Niceville would have still scored 41 points to win the boys' 5K for the second year in a row, and Fort Walton Beach senior Ryan Sloan would even so have been first across the finish line in 16:09.Chloe Fernander had to hold off a challenge from a teammate to win the girls' race. Another junior from Choctawhatchee, Deanna Bottino, was just a few steps back at the finish line. But Fernander got the win by running 18:58 to Bottino's 19:02. South Walton sophomore Ava Flaherty placed third in 19:48, and South Walton senior Patasha Bryan edged Brylie Kilgore, a Choctawhatchee sophomore, for fourth, 20:12 to 20:13.
Kilgore gave Choctawhatchee three runners in the top ten. South Walton matched that when Seahawk frosh Reece Knowlton finished ninth in 20:44. But before any team could bring home even their fourth runner, South Walton's final two scorers crossed the finish line--junior Heidi Scali (13th, 20:47) and senior Aris Short (15th, 21:04). The Seahawks had their winning 41 points.
The Niceville girls, the meet champions in 2019, placed second to South Walton with 70 points. Niceville's top finisher was frosh Lauren Cooper, sixth in 20:29. The Wakulla girls squeaked by Fernander's Choctawhatchee squad to take third, 76 to 77. Wakulla was led by frosh Liliana Lewis, who ran 20:36 for seventh.
Fifteen teams competed in the girls race.
Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
- South Walton, 44
- Niceville, 70
- Wakulla, 76
- Choctawhatchee, 77
- Fort Walton Beach, 152
- North Bay Haven, 173
- Community Christian, 191
- Crestview, 207
- Florida State University, 221
- Bay, 292
- Paxton, 350
- Rutherford, 361
- Chipley, 362
- Marianna, 400
- Wewahitchka, 411
Top Ten Girls, 2020 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
- 18:57.6, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 11
- 19:01.2, Deanna Bottino (Choctawhatchee) 11
- 19:47.8, Ava Flaherty (South Walton) 10
- 20:11.6, Patasha Bryan (South Walton) 12
- 20:13.0, Brylie Kilgore (Choctawhatchee) 10
- 20:28.6, Lauren Cooper (Niceville) 9
- 20:35.2, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 9
- 20:39.8, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 11
- 20:43.2, Reece Knowlton (South Walton) 9
- 20:43.3, Lexi Roberts (Niceville) 9
Ryan Sloan had raced in the Panhandle meet in 2019, finishing a respectable ninth in 17:51. Sloan was through with respectabllity in 2020. Running almost two minutes better than the previous year, Sloan won the boys' 5K by close to 150 meters, running 16:09. Another senior, Choctawhatchee's Darius Johnson, was runner-up to Sloan in 16:37. Wakulla senior Simon Cole took third in 16:51.
Choctawhatchee took the next two places, with sophomore Kaleb Hollins fourth in 16:59 and junior William Armbruster fifth in 17:00. But the Niceville boys, the 2019 winners, also had three scorers in the top ten--juniors Parker Nunley (6th, 17:08) and Ian Masterson (8th, 17:29), and frosh Seamus Hodge (9th, 17:31). Before another Choctawhatchee runner finished, Niceville brought four more athletes home--sophomore William Jetton (11th, 17:36), senior Todd Wendel (12th, 17:37), sophomore Cooper Breeze (13th, 17:38), and frosh Dawson Isbell (14th, 17:39). It took all seven of Niceville's varsity to do it, but the Eagles took first in the fifteen-team field, scoring a narrow 71 to 72 victory over the runners-up from Choctawhatchee.
South Walton was third with 87 points. Their top runner was sneior Cooper Blazer, tenth in 17:35.
Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
- Niceville, 41
- Choctawhatchee, 42
- South Walton, 87
- Crestview, 142
- Arnold, 152
- Wakulla, 160
- North Bay Haven, 236
- Community Christian, 248
- Mosley, 257
- Florida State University, 259
- Marianna, 319
- Paxton, 349
- Wewahitchka, 354
- Bay, 379
- Rutherford, 427
Top Ten Boys, 2020 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
- 16:08.2, Ryan Sloan (Fort Walton Beach) 12
- 16:36.9, Darius Johnson (Choctawhatchee) 12
- 16:50.2, Simon Cole (Wakulla) 12
- 16:58.9, Kaleb Hollins (Choctawhatchee) 10
- 16:59.2, William Armbruster (Choctawhatchee) 11
- 17:07.3, Parker Nunley (Niceville) 11
- 17:18.7, Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 10
- 17:28.5, Ian Masterson (Niceville) 11
- 17:30.7, Seamus Hodge (Niceville) 9
- 17:34.5, Cooper Blazer (South Walton) 12
| Panhandle Cross-Country Championship Winners, 2019 - 2020 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Boys | ||
| Date | Team | Athlete |
| 31 August 2019 | Niceville, 26 | 16:52, Ethan Rowe (Daphne) 12 |
| 17 October 2020 | Niceville, 41 | 16:09, Ryan Sloan (Fort Walton Beach) 12 |
| Girls | ||
| Date | Team | Athlete |
| 31 August 2019 | Niceville, 29 | 18:51, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11 |
| 17 October 2020 | South Walton, 44 | 18:58, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 11 |
Links
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Complete results of the 2020 Panhandle Cross-Country Championships
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQyj-YswF_TqXrqskhglk7Dti8C7wFET1c7klfempZ2z-5o8r9_OpVF3Pe9_f7w7CHFumUYkRzn27OW/pubhtml
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