Saturday, September 4, 2021

London Mellen and Deerlake, Asa Swope and Swift Creek lead the fray at Fort Braden

Outrunning a pair of charging Montford harriers, Deerlake eighth-grader London Mellen won the girls' 3K at the Fort Braden Run Middle School Cross-Country Meet on Thursday evening, 2 September 2021. Mellen's 12:54 led the Bucks to a 25-point score and the team title. Asa Swope, a Swift Creek eighth-grader, won the boys' 3K in 11:29, where the Swift Creek boys took first with 25 points.

London Mellen
Annabelle Wiktorski and Andi Vilardo chase London Mellen

Hosted by Fort Braden School at Fort Braden Park in Fort Braden, Florida, the Fort Braden Run had been an annual fixture on Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country schedule since 2010. In 2020, the meet was canceled due to COVID-19. Because of the cancellation, only a few eighth-graders at the 2021 meet had ever raced on the course before. In fact, of the first ten finishers in the girls' 3K, only one had experience racing at Fort Braden. That one was London Mellen.


The girls' 3K started just before 6:00 PM. After a few hundred meters in Fort Braden Park, the course took the athletes across a narrow footbridge to Fort Braden School for a circuit of the schoolyard. London Mellon and fellow Deerlake athlete Chloe Molen, a sixth-grader, led the field across the bridge. Another Deerlake sixth-grader, Honesty Daniel, was a few steps behind, followed by two Montford seventh-graders--Annabelle Wiktorski and Andi Vilardo. Druing the lap around the school, Mellen broke away from everyone except for Wiktorski and Vilardo. The two Montford Mustangs clung to Mellen around the school, back across the bridge to the park, and onto the homestretch. But Mellen beat them both to the finish line, running 12:54. Wiktorski was secon in 12:55 and Vilardo third in 12:56.

Kaia Ables
Kaia Ables and Chloe Molen

The next three spots belonged to Deerlake, with Buck seventh-grader Kaia Ables fourth in 13:28, sixth-grader Chloe Molen fifth in 13:34, and sixth-grader Honesty Daniel sixth in 13:40. When Deerlake eighth-grader Madeline Morris crossed the finish line ninth in 14:30, the Bucks had 25 points and first place. For the Deerlake girls, it was the third team win in the history of the Fort Braden Run.


Wiktorski and the Montford Mustangs were second with 37 points. Swift Creek was third in the eight-team field with 105 points. Swift Creek's Eighth-grader Emily Bullough was the first runner home for Swift Creek, placing twelfth in 15:07.


2021 Fort Braden Run Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 25
  2. Montford, 37
  3. Swift Creek, 105
  4. Raa, 113
  5. Cobb, 131
  6. Fairview, 149
  7. Nims, 192
  8. Griffin, 243
  9. Fort Braden, NTS
    Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2021 Fort Braden Run
  1. 12:53.61, London Mellen (Deerlake) 8
  2. 12:54.64, Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford) 7
  3. 12:55.84, Andi Vilardo (Montford) 7
  4. 13:27.76, Kaia Ables (Deerlake) 7
  5. 13:33.52, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 6
  6. 13:39.34, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 6
  7. 13:53.46, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 7
  8. 14:04.06, Savannah Stanley (Montford) 7
  9. 14:29.87, Madeline Morris (Deerlake) 8
  10. 14:50.33, Chloe Houge (Deerlake) 7

Out fast early on his home course, Fort Braden eighth-grader Hunter Lovett led the boys' 3K across the bridge from the park to the school. Right behind him, though, were eighth-grader Asa Swope of Swift Creek and Deerlake seventh-grader Jonathan Kiros. Racing around the school, Swope and Kiros overtook the fading Lovett. Kiros led. Then Swope. Then Kiros again. Kiros had beaten Swope a week earlier, winning the boys' 3K at the ARPXC Invitational, but this time the Deerlake Buck couldn't shake Swope. Swope took over after crossing the bridge back into the park, and ran away from Kiros to take first in 11:29--his first LCS cross-country win. Kiros was second in 11:35. Jack Koon, a Fairview seventh-grader, placed third in 12:24.

Asa Swope
Jonathan Kiros and Asa Swope

Swift Creek's Thoren Knispel, an eighth-grader, was fourth in 12:28. The Wolves had one more top-ten finisher--Swift Creek eighth-grader was seventh in 12:37. The two remaining scorers for the Wolves seventh-graders Cooper Rideout (23rd, 13:35) and Zakaria Hemenway (26th, 13:40). That gave Swift Creek a narrow 60 to 62 victory over runner-up Deerlake. Montford placed third with 65 points, led by seventh-grader Gavin Poucher (9th, 12:41). Fairview was also in the hunt, fourth with 70 points.


The Fort Braden Run was the second meet on Leon County Schools' 2021 middle school cross-country schedule. The season continues on 7 September 2021 with the Mustang Stampede at Montford Middle School, the Everhart Invitational at Gretchen Everhart School on 15 September 2021, the Falcon Invitational at the North Florida Fairgrounds on 23 September 2021, the Mabry Invitational at the FSU Rec Sportsplex on 1 October 2021, and the LCS League Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park on 7 October 2021.


2021 Fort Braden Run Team Standings, Boys
  1. Swift Creek, 60
  2. Deerlake, 62
  3. Montford, 65
  4. Fairview, 70
  5. Cobb, 158
  6. Raa, 175
  7. Fort Braden, 193
  8. Nims, 216
  9. Griffin, 255
  10. Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Boys, 2021 Fort Braden Run
  1. 11:28.20, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 8
  2. 11:34.21, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 7
  3. 12:23.12, Jack Koon (Fairview) 7
  4. 12:27.77, Thoren Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
  5. 12:29.01, Antonio Clements (Cobb) 6
  6. 12:34.82, Celestine Rwamptie (Nims) 7
  7. 12:36.78, Kingsley Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
  8. 12:38.63, Thomas Emari (Fairview) 8
  9. 12:40.71, Gavin Poucher (Montford) 7
  10. 12:46.88, Trent Parsons (Montford) 7

Fort Braden Cross-Country Meet Champions, 2010 - 2021
DateBoysGirls
22 September 201012:26, Sukhi Khosla (Raa) 815:01, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 8
14 September 201112:16, Evan Francis (Raa) 814:45, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 7
12 September 201212:40, Matthew Cashin (Raa) 813:58, Audrey Dogan (Raa) 8
4 September 201312:15, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 813:51, Saige Kemeny (Montford) 7
3 September 201413:00, Bryant McKnight (Montford) 813:13, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
9 September 201513:08, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 713:26, Alyson Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
14 September 201611:50, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 814:05, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
14 September 201711:51, Filippo Reina (Deerlake) 813:48, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
6 September 201811:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake ) 812:51, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
5 September 201910:27, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 812:58, Skye Williams (Montford) 8
2 September 202111:29, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 812:54, London Mellen (Deerlake) 8


Fort Braden Cross-Country Meet Team Titles, 2010 - 2021
DateBoysGirls
22 September 2010Raa (15 points)Raa (33 points)
14 September 2011Montford (55 points)Swift Creek (47 points)
12 September 2012Swift Creek (54 points)Montford (48 points)
4 September 2013Montford (38 points)Swift Creek (44 points)
3 September 2014Swift Creek (60 points)Swift Creek (36 points)
9 September 2015Deerlake (44 points)Swift Creek (38 points)
14 September 2016Swift Creek (23 points)Deerlake (42 points)
14 September 2017Deerlake (41 points)Swift Creek (22 points)
6 September 2018Deerlake (39 points)Swift Creek (35 points)
5 September 2019Deerlake (32 points)Montford (46 points)
2 September 2021Swift Creek (60 points)Deerlake (25 points)


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Posted by Herb Wills at 9:35 PM
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