Jackson Welch and Leyah O'Kelley were hitting on all cylinders at the Pre-District Tune Up

Jackson Welch is making a habit of winning.


The Malone High eighth-grader started with a first-place finish on the streets of Marianna, Florida at the ninth annual Run Baby Run 5K. Four days later, on 21 October 2020, Welch scored another victory, this time in boys' 5K at the Port Saint Joe Pre-District Tune Up Cross-Country Meet.


It was the Blountstown High boys that got the team win, though, taking first with 33 points. The Port Saint Joe girls were first in their race with 36 points, while top individual honors went to Blountstown frosh Leyah O'Kelley, first in 25:08.


Blountstown sophomore Austin Pennington was a close second to Welch in the boys' race, running 19:59. Port Saint Joe junior Ricky Forbes edged sophomore teammate Walker Chumney for third, 20:10 to 20:12.


Blountstown ended up with four runners in the top ten, with runner-up Pennington joined by frosh Alex Nandho (5th, 21:06), sophomore Brett Woodard (6th, 21:07), and frosh Cristian Gonzalez (9th, 21:44). Blountstown's fifth and final scorer was frosh Jayden Peacock, eleventh in 21:56, completing the Tiger's winning total of 33 points. Hosts Port Saint Joe took second with 45 points, and Malone was third with 52.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Port Saint Joe Pre-District Tune Up

1. Blountstown, 33
2. Port Saint Joe, 45
3. Malone, 52
4. Sneads, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2020 Port Saint Joe Pre-District Tune Up

1. 19:54, Jackson Welch (Malone) 8
2. 19:59, Austin Pennington (Blountstown) 10
3. 20:10, Ricky Forbes (Port Saint Joe) 11
4. 20:12, Walker Chumney (Port Saint Joe) 10
5. 21:06, Alex Nandho (Blountstown) 9
6. 21:07, Brett Woodard (Blountstown) 10
7. 21:23, Annario Ware (Malone) 12
8. 21:33, Parker Hicks (Port Saint Joe) 11
9. 21:44, Cristian Gonzalez (Blountstown) 9
10. 21:47, Everett Welch (Malone) 6

The leaders of the boys' 5K may have finished close together, but there was none of that in the girls' 5K. Leyah O'Kelley's winning 25:08 put her almost 300 meters ahead of the next runner. The close race was for second, with Port Saint Joe junior Emily Lacour coming in just ahead of Rutherford seventh-grader Erica Olds, 26:34 to 26:37. Araceli Perez-Gutierrez, a Malone sixth-grader, was fourth in 26:44.


In addition to Lacour, Port Saint Joe put three more girls in the top ten, with seventh-grader Katie Trochessett fifth in 27:10, frosh Hanna DaCosta sixth in 27:32, and frosh Arlena Gleichner tenth in 28:13. Another Shark frosh, Jessica Dunn, was the fifth scorer for Port Saint Joe, 22nd in 31:26, giving the hosts 36 points and the win.


Led by O'Kelley's first place finish, Blountstown was a close second with 40 points. Rutherford took third, scoring 49 points behind the third-place performance of Olds, their top finisher.


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Port Saint Joe Pre-District Tune Up

1. Port Saint Joe, 36
2. Blountstown, 40
3. Rutherford, 49
4. Sneads, 115
5. Malone, NTS
   Altha, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Port Saint Joe Pre-District Tune Up

1. 25:08, Leyah O'Kelley (Blountstown) 9
2. 26:34, Emily Lacour (Port Saint Joe) 11
3. 26:37, Erica Olds (Rutherford) 7
4. 26:44, Araceli Perez-Gutierrez (Malone) 6
5. 27:10, Katie Trochessett (Port Saint Joe) 7
6. 27:32, Hannah DaCosta (Port Saint Joe) 9
7. 27:44, Abby DeVuyst (Blountstown) 10
8. 28:00, Alexis Washington (Rutherford) 11
9. 28:07, Maya Patalinghung (Rutherford) 11
10. 28:13, Arlena Gleichner (Port Saint Joe) 9

Links

• Complete results, 2020 Port Saint Joe Pre-District Tune Up
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSk2SiyhDRWW3DUVcdw__eJ9lG_QmpBYTtCrDaVxCMi4Qvz97W4IzhNjyK19-f9e7UP9C5AqgXfw59l/pubhtml
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2020
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  
• Upcoming races in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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