Lilli Unger and Jake Rogers nab wins as Leon and Chiles split the Trojan Mask Invitational

Construction and the COVID-19 pandemic kept competition off Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course through September 2020, but harriers hit the course on 2-3 October 2020 for the Florida State University Invitational. Tallahassee, Florida's premier cross-country venue saw more action on Thursday afternoon, 15 October 2020, when prep athletes converged on ARPXC for Lincoln High's Trojan Mask Invitational. Leon High crushed the field in the girls' 5K, scoring 19 points behind the 19:31 win of Lilli Unger. Leon sophomore Jake Rogers took first in the boys' 5K with a 16:48, but Chiles grabbed the team title, scoring 32 points to Leon's 40.

Lily Unger

Competition commenced at 4:30 PM on a warm, sunny afternoon with the girls' race. 1500 meters into the 5000-meter event, a group of five athletes were out in front of the rest of the field--Leon sophomore Lillee Tang, Leon senior Lilli Unger, Chiles junior Kelly Davis, Community Christian junior Morgan Wilson, and Leon sophomore Lily Moore.


Then Unger took over.


Unger led for the entire second half of the race, essentially running alone. By the final stretch, she was way over 200 meters ahead of the next runner, rolling home in 20:32. Behind her, Lillee Tang and Lily Moore had staked a firm claim to second and third, finishing in those positions at 20:32 and 20:33. Morgan Wilson placed fourth in 20:54, and Kelly Davis fifth in 21:12.

Lillee Tang

Davis was followed across the finish line by two more Leon girls--Lion sophomores Mallory Robinson (6th, 21:41) and Stella Lewis (7th, 22:01). That gave the girls in red-and-white first in the team standings with a mathematically unbeatable 19 points. Chiles placed second with 57 points. Lincoln, led by senior Lauren Whittier (9th, 22:40), was third with 57. Community Christian scored 72 points for fourth.


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Trojan Mask Invitational

1. Leon, 19
2. Chiles, 57
3. Lincoln, 67
4. Community Christian, 72

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Trojan Mask Invitational

1. 19:30.07, Lillian Unger (Leon) 12
2. 20:31.51, Lillee Tang (Leon) 10
3. 20:32.49, Lily Moore (Leon) 10
4. 20:53.05, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11
5. 21:11.73, Kelly Davis (Chiles) 11
6. 21:40.61, Mallory Robinson (Leon) 10
7. 22:00.82, Stella Lewis (Leon) 10
8. 22:27.12, Ella Hodges (Chiles) 11
9. 22:39.30, Lauren Whittier (Lincoln) 12
10. 23:28.74, Alyssa Cooper (Chiles) 11

Halfway through the race, Leon sophomore Jake Rogers was setting the pace in the boys' 5K, closely followed by Leon frosh Patrick Koon, Lincoln senior Nicholas Samuel, Chiles senior Nathan Reffitt, and Chiles junior Filippo Reina. The two Leon runners left the others behind during the second half, going on to take the first two places in 16:48 and 16:51. Samuel took third in 17:01. Chiles' Reffit and Reina were fourth in 17:19 and fifth in 17:53.

Jake Rogers

The Lions may have been hoping for another win like the one they enjoyed in the girls' race, but the Chiles boys had other ideas. Chiles frosh Jackson Rowe and Chiles sophomore Wyatt Townsend joined Timberwolves Reffitt and Reina in the top ten, placing sixth in 18:05 and seventh in 18:06. Frosh Jonah Blay finished the scoring for Chiles, just missing the top ten and placing eleventh in 18:48. The Timberwolves further increased their lead by putting their sixth and seventh runners--juniors Ben Kirbo (12th, 18:49) and Daniel Neustadter (13th, 18:53)--across the finish line before Leon's final scorer. In the end, Chiles had a winning 32 points and Leon 40. Lincoln was third in the six-team field with 60 points.

Patrick Koon

The pandemic continues as does construction at ARPXC, but the cross-country season goes on nevertheless. Apalachee Regional Park will host Tallahassee Community College's Eagle Invitational on 17 October 2020, Leon County Schools' Middle School Championship on 28 October 2020, the NJCAA Region 8 Championship on 30 October 2020, the FHSAA 3A District 2 Championship on 31 October 2020, and the FHSAA's Florida High School Cross-Country State Championship on 13-14 November 2020. It's a busy schedule, especially for a season that almost didn't happen.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Trojan Mask Invitational

1. Chiles, 32
2. Leon, 40
3. Lincoln, 60
4. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 136
5. Maclay, 144
6. Community Christian, 156

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Trojan Mask Invitational

1. 16:47.84, Jake Rogers (Leon) 10
2. 16:50.10, Patrick Koon (Leon) 9
3. 17:00.26, Nicholas Samuel (Lincoln) 12
4. 17:18.53, Nathan Reffitt (Chiles) 12
5. 17:42.41, Filippo Reina (Chiles) 11
6. 18:04.72, Jackson Rowe (Chiles) 9
7. 18:05.73, Wyatt Townsend (Chiles) 10
8. 18:44.49, Leo Kelly (Leon) 11
9. 18:45.76, Khary Wright (Lincoln) 12
10. 18:46.45, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 8

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Trojan Mask Invitational Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRU4g7YR9518ua0GRBMyObgwson6DPfr8aSg155arQlXB9p_AcGALqBWw0rLIWVicuV0gDfkLoFMHMV/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2020 Trojan Mask Invitational Cross-Country Meet
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116806653513483
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10116806682181033
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross-country meets in 2020
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  

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