Kyra Swart, Danny Mauldin, and Deerlake run back the Kick Off

Unlike past years, the season didn't open in August or September. Unlike past years, the season didn't open at Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course. But Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season did open, debuting on Thursday, 1 October 2020, at Tallahassee, Florida's Alford Greenway. That curtain-opener was the Swift Creek Cross-Country Kick Off, and Deerlake Middle School stole the show. Bucks teams won both the girls' 3K and the boys' 3K, with Deerlake seventh-grader Kyra Swart placing first in the girls' race and Deerlake eighth-grader Danny Mauldin taking first in the boys' event.

Alford Greenway

Located on the east side of Tallahassee, the Alford Greenway is a hilly peninsula of Lake Lafayette, nearly 900 acres of woods and old pastures. Even though the Greenway is just a short jog from Swift Creek Middle School--too short to even break a sweat--the school had never hosted a cross-country meet at Alford, going instead to Tom Brown Park or Apalachee Regional Park. The Cross-Country Kick Off was the first, starting with the girls' 3K race.


It was a closely contested race, with the top four runners all finishing within 50 meters of each other. At the finish line, though, it was Kyra Swart edging her Deerlake teammate Abbey Griffin for the win, 12:44 to 12:48. Swart was the 2019 LCS League Champion in girls' cross-country; 2020 is seventh-grader Griffin's first year in Leon County Schools competition. Another LCS rookie, Montford sixth-grader Adriena Vilardo, was a close third in 12:51. Montford eigth-grader Sophia Youngberg placed fourth in 12:56.


After taking the top two spots, Deerlake put two more Bucks in the top ten--seventh-grader London Melle was seventh in 13:35 and sixth grader Myra Holman was ninth in 13:39. The fifth scorer for the Bucks was seventh-grader Madeline Morris, placing eleventh in 13:50 and giving Deerlake a 28-point total--good for first in the five-team field.


Montford and Vilardo were second with 41 points. Host school Swift Creek placed third with 89 points, led by eighth-grader Gianna Guillermo (5th, 13:11).


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off

1. Deerlake, 28
2. Montford, 41
3. Swift Creek, 89
4. Raa, 103
5. Cobb, 123

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off

1. 12:43.79, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
2. 12:47.74, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
3. 12:50.09, Adriena Vilardo (Montford) 6
4. 12:55.60, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
5. 13:10.45, Gianna Guillermo (Swift Creek) 8
6. 13:32.31, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 7
7. 13:34.51, London Mellen (Deerlake) 7
8. 13:36.77, Madison Sims (Fort Braden) 8
9. 13:38.62, Myra Holman (Deerlake) 6
10. 13:46.73, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 6

The boys put on a close race as well, with Danny Mauldin getting across the finish line just ahead of Swift Creek seventh-grader Asa Swope, 11:31 to 11:35. Not far behind, Swift Creek eighth-grader Asher Robertson dueled for third with Deerlake eighth-grader Jonathan Kiros. Robertson got there ahead of Kiros, 11:42 to 11:46.


Eigth-grader Logan Peltier also cracked the top ten for Deerlake, coming in fifth in 11:51. Another eighth-grader, Josh Ryland DeKloet, took eleventh for Deerlake with a 12:28. Evan Mauldin, a sixth-grader, completed the scoring for the Bucks, finishing sixteenth in 12:38. With 37 points, Deerlake was first among eight teams. Swift Creek and runner-up Swope scored 52 points for second place. Montford, led by a seventh-place 12:12 performance by eighth-grader Neal Porter, was third with 89 points.


Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season continues on 5 October 2020 with the Killearn Invitational at Killearn Golf and Country Club, the Mustang Stampede on 14 October 2020 at Montford Middle School, and the Falcon Invitational on 23 October 2020 at Florida State University's Rec SportsPlex. The season concludes on 28 October 2020 with the LCS League Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off

1. Deerlake, 37
2. Swift Creek, 52
3. Montford, 89
4. Fairview, 131
5. Raa, 132
6. Nims, 153
7. Cobb, 166
8. Fort Braden, 217

Top Ten Boys, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off

1. 11:30.33, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
2. 11:34.65, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 7
3. 11:41.92, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 8
4. 11:45.47, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 6
5. 11:50.33, Logan Peltier (Deerlake) 8
6. 11:52.28, Cadden Maxwell (Raa) 8
7. 12:11.44, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
8. 12:15.19, Julian Thompson (Raa) 8
9. 12:19.53, Celestine Rwamptie (Nims) 6
10. 12:25.27, Xalimon Akbar (Fairview) 8

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Swift Creek Cross-Country Kick Off
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRV7QdlzjE5rMDLm14tnJ4ifviwc3Kjp2Pxj2dQ3DaBMIvSoKF_w1sTrEshwjeJktP3Q0Ot9v_clZUS/pubhtml
  
  
• The 2020 LCS middle school cross-country season
  • Swift Creek Kick Off: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/swift-creek-2020.html
  • Killearn Invitational: [ Coming on 5 October 2020 ]
  • Mustang Stampede: [ Coming on 14 October 2020 ]
  • Falcon Invitational: [ Coming on 23 October 2020 ]
  • LCS Championship: [ Coming on 28 October 2020 ]
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/lcs-xc-2020.html
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2020
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  

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