Emily Knopfle and Rheinhardt Harrison rule 4A Region 1

For Florida's class 4A cross-country teams in Region 1, the road to the State Championship doesn't always go through Sante Fe College. But more years than not, it does. Eleven times during the 21st Century, the 4A Region 1 Championship, the last qualifying race before the State Meet, has been contested on the grounds of Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Florida. The most recent instance was on Saturday morning, 6 November 2021, when the Buchholz girls won the 4A Region 1 title with 57 points, while Olympia frosh Emily Knopfle took home top individual honors with a winning 19:08. Nease senior Rheinhardt Harrison won the boys' 5K for the third year in a row, and Creekside took first in the boys' team standings with 67 points.


The field of the 4A Region 1 girls' 5K was made up of the qualifiers from the District 1 and District 2 championships. Buchholz junior Kate Drummond, the 4A District 1 champions, was on the starting line for the Region 1 5K. So was Olympia frosh Emily Knopfle, the winner of the 4A District 2 girls' race. The times had been faster in District 1, but who cares about times in cross-country? Apparently, Knopfle didn't put much stock in times, because the Olympia frosh piled up a 50-meter lead on the competition on the Sante Fe course, winning the race in 19:08. Drummond, racing in her hometown, took the runner-up spot in 19:19. Jada Williams, a Flagler Palm Coast senior, was third in 19:29.


In addition to Drummond, Buchholz put two more runners in the top ten--Bobcat sophomore Lucy Voss was fifth in 19:42 and frosh Eleanor Whisler was seventh in 19:48. Sophomore Emma White was the fourth runner for Buchholz, placing eighteenth in 20:22. Frosh Ashley Hamilton completed the Bobcat scoring, coming in 29th in 20:40. The Buchholz girls had 57 points and a 4A Region 1 win, their first since 2005.


The Niceville girls were Region 1 runners-up with 88 points, led by frosh Kaylin Olivarez (4th, 19:33). Knople and the Olympia girls placed third with 135 points.


Also among the eight teams qualifying for the State Final were Creekside (4th, 161 points), Mandarin (5th, 185 points), Bartram Trail (6th, 196 points), Chiles (7th, 215 points), and Nease (8th, 227 points).


Team Standings, 2021 FHSAA 4A Region 1 Girls' Cross-Country Championships

1. Buchholz, 57 *
2. Niceville, 88 *
3. Olympia, 135 *
4. Creekside, 161 *
5. Mandarin, 185 *
6. Bartram Trail, 196 *
7. Chiles, 215 *
8. Nease, 227 *
9. West Orange, 227
10. Spruce Creek, 233
11. Flagler Palm Coast, 251
12. Dr. Phillips, 260
13. Windermere, 285
14. Oviedo, 317
15. Lake Mary, 355
16. Evans, 362

Top 15 Girls, 2021 FHSAA 4A Region 1 Cross-Country Championships

1. 19:07.7, Emily Knopfle (Olympia) 9
2. 19:18.5, Kate Drummond (Buchholz) 11
3. 19:28.4, Jada Williams (Flagler Palm Coast) 12
4. 19:32.3, Kaylin Olivarez (Niceville) 9
5. 19:41.9, Lucy Voss (Buchholz) 10
6. 19:42.1, Kelly Davis (Chiles) 12
7. 19:47.2, Eleanor Whisler (Buchholz) 9
8. 19:50.3, Ella Hodges (Chiles) 12
9. 19:56.7, Delaney Stephens (Spruce Creek) 11
10. 19:57.2, Ava Lack (Windermere) 9
11. 19:57.4, Abby Misch (Olympia) 12
12. 20:01.2, Hannah Claytor (Dr. Phillips) 11
13. 20:02.3, Annie Loehle (Mandarin) 12
14. 20:05.5, Audrey Singletary (Nease) 12
15. 20:15.8, Jaiden Griffth (Lake Brantley) 9

Even before his senior year, Rheinhardt Harrison already had two state cross-country titles, winning Florida's 4A boys' championship race in 2019 and 2020. You don't often see other runners close to Harrison at the finish line, but you would have at the 2021 4A Region 1 boys' 5K. Harrison flashed across the finish line first in 16:00, but runner-up Brayden Seymore, a Hagerty junior, was right behind in 16:02. Buchholz junior Emerson Miller followed in 16:05.


Creekside's first runner, Mac Williams, wasn't in that photo finish, but the Knight junior did crack the top ten, placing eighth in 16:36. Another Creekside junior, Jack Dravo, was fourteenth in 16:44, just ahead of Knight sophomore Jack Zurn, fifteenth in 16:44. Creekside's remaining scorers were seniors Luke Kaelin (17th, 16:47) and Jesse Benavides (23rd, 17:04). Those five scorers gave the Knights 67 points and their first Region 1 title in class 4A (Creekside had won 3A Region 1 in 2015).


Immediately behind Creekside in the team standings, Bartram Trail and Buchholz each had 85 points. Bartram Trail's first runner was Buchholz first finisher had been Miller in third place, which Bartram Trail's top gun was senior Branden McDonald (7th, 16:34). But with identical team scores, it was the sixth runner on each squad that determined place. Thus, Bartram Trail grabbed second in the team standings when their number six, junior Peter Hudson, finished 40th in 17:32, fifteen places ahead of the Buchholz sixth runner.


The top eight teams advanced to the State Final. Rounding out that roster of qualifiers were Nease (4th, 102), Chiles (5th, 121), Niceville (6th, 128), Hagerty (7th, 187), and Oviedo (8th, 253).


The FHSAA Cross-Country State Championship Meet is scheduled for Friday morning, 12 November 2021, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.


Team Standings, 2021 FHSAA 4A Region 1 Boys' Cross-Country Championships

1. Creekside, 67 *
2. Bartram Trail, 85 *
3. Buchholz, 85 *
4. Nease, 102 *
5. Chiles, 121 *
6. Niceville, 128 *
7. Hagerty, 187 *
8. Oviedo, 253 *
9. Flagler Palm Coast, 276
10. Olympia, 292
11. Mandarin, 306
12. Orange City University, 315
13. East Ridge, 320
14. West Orange, 380
15. DeLand, 385
16. Doctor Phillips, 462

Top 15 Boys, 2021 FHSAA 4A Region 1 Cross-Country Championships

1. 15:59.2, Rheinhardt Harrison (Nease) 12
2. 16:01.9, Brayden Seymour (Hagerty) 11
3. 16:04.1, Emerson Miller (Buchholz) 11
4. 16:16.3, Jonathan Leon (Hagerty) 10
5. 16:25.5, Eduardo Diaz (West Port) 12
6. 16:29.5, Ben Kirbo (Chiles) 12
7. 16:33.7, Branden McDonald (Bartram Trail) 12
8. 16:35.4, Mac Williams (Creekside) 11
9. 16:36.2, Wyatt Townsend (Chiles) 11
10. 16:37.4, Anton Matchev (Buchholz) 12
11. 16:38.3, Nolan Hemmen (Bartram Trail) 12
12. 16:40.2, Caleb Melendez (East Ridge) 12
13. 16:42.0, Noah Musselwhite (Apopka) 11
14. 16:43.3, Jack Dravo (Creekside) 11
15. 16:43.8, Jack Zurn (Creekside) 10

FHSAA 4A Region 1 Cross-Country Champions, 2000 - 2021
Boys
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
11 November 2000	Lyman, 65	15:23, Samuel Ishee (Fort Walton Beach) 12
10 November 2001	Winter Park, 30	15:57, Anthony Esoff (Pine Ridge) 11
16 November 2002	Winter Park, 22	16:32, Coleman Hoover (Winter Park) 10
1 November 2003	Winter Park, 42	16:03, Coleman Hoover (Winter Park) 11
30 October 2004	Colonial, 51	15:58, Drew Horner (Edgewater) 12
5 November 2005	Flagler Palm Coast, 78	16:00, Justin Harbor (Flagler Palm Coast) 12
4 November 2006	Boone, 79	15:43, Anthony Morales (Flagler Palm Coast) 12
10 November 2007	Winter Park, 94	16:15, Cameron Dickerson (Mandarin) 12
15 November 2008	Doctor Phillips, 69	15:56, Chris Dendor (Bartram Trail) 12
14 November 2009	Melbourne, 78	15:16, Brian Atkinson (Melbourne) 12
13 November 2010	Hagerty, 86	15:39, Eduardo Garcia (Mandarin) 12
12 November 2011	Colonial, 51	15:21, Andres Arroyo (Colonial) 11
9 November 2012	Colonial, 60	15:13, Andres Arroyo (Colonial) 12
2 November 2013	Winter Park, 39	18:55, Kayley Delay (Fletcher) 9
8 November 2014	Lyman, 72	15:26, Joshua Jacques (Lyman) 11
31 October 2015	Mandarin, 90	15:28, Joshua Jacques (Lyman) 12
29 October 2016	Timber Creek, 125	15:50, Timothy Doyle (Freedom) 11
4 November 2017	Oviedo, 65	15:53, Kayama Galloway (Oviedo) 10
2 November 2018	Oviedo, 75	15:56, Kayama Galloway (Oviedo) 11
2 November 2019	Bartram Trail, 66	15:30, Rheinhardt Harrison (Nease) 10
7 November 2020	Chiles, 47	15:46, Rheinhardt Harrison (Nease) 11
6 November 2021	Creekside, 67	16:00, Rheinhardt Harrison (Nease) 12
Girls
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
11 November 2000	Lake Mary, 61	17:58, Jessica Zabel (Lake Mary) 10
10 November 2001	Lake Mary, 59	18:22, Jessica Zabel (Lake Mary) 11
16 November 2002	Buchholz, 79	18:47, Jennifer Barringer (Oviedo) 10
1 November 2003	Buchholz, 54	17:39, Jennifer Barringer (Oviedo) 11
30 October 2004	Buchholz, 77	17:52, Jennifer Barringer (Oviedo) 12
5 November 2005	Buchholz, 27	19:24, Natalie Doss (Buchholz) 12
4 November 2006	Bartram Trail, 90	18:38, Chanelle Cox (Niceville) 10
10 November 2007	Bartram Trail, 36	17:38, Brittany Koziara (Boone) 10
15 November 2008	Bartram Trail, 61	18:52, Mandy Perkins (Spruce Creek) 12
14 November 2009	Melbourne, 49	18:38, Mary Ann Brown (Orange Park) 9
13 November 2010	Spruce Creek, 71	18:17, Vanessa Valentine (Melbourne) 11
12 November 2011	Olympia, 70	18:21, Bridget Blake (Doctor Phillips) 11
9 November 2012	Olympia, 60	17:57, Bridget Blake (Doctor Phillips) 12
2 November 2013	Timber Creek, 68	15:40, Brandon Marquez (Timber Creek) 10
8 November 2014	Wnter Park, 37	18:02, Rafaella Gibbons (Winter Park) 9
31 October 2015	Wnter Park, 34	17:28, Rafaella Gibbons (Winter Park) 10
29 October 2016	Winter Park, 59	17:38, Kayley Delay (Fletcher) 12
3 November 2017	Winter Park, 65	18:11, Mackenzie Czurak (Winter Springs) 10
2 November 2018	Lake Brantley, 101	18:21, Amber Schulz (Timber Creek) 9
2 November 2019	Chiles, 73	18:20, Ashley Klingenberg (Lake Brantley) 12
7 November 2020	Fleming Island, 81	19:12, Lillian Holtery (Niceville) 12
6 November 2021	Buchholz, 57	19:08, Emily Knopfle (Olympia) 9
The 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2010 4A Region 1 Meet was at Sperling Sports Complex in Deland. The 2006 and 2008 meets were at Bartram Trail High in Jacksonville. The 2002, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2021 meets were at Sante Fe College in Gainesville. The 2014 and 2017 meets were at the Flagler County Fairgrounds in Bunnell. The 2015 meet was at Lake Nona High in Orlando. The 2020 meet was at Alligator Lake Park in Lake City.

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 FHSAA 4A Region 1 Cross-Country Championship Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQ5hQNPiPX2DYEsACogSKg7utK1U_2sn8I3o90NYvbuowU3mTr3sUiV4UKJQ4SQbtO61molaax6KqtK/pubhtml
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of 2021 FHSAA Region 1 cross-country
  
  • 1A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/11/fhsaa-1a-region-1-2021.html
    
  • 2A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/11/fhsaa-2a-region-1-2021.html
    
  • 3A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/11/fhsaa-4a-region-1-2021.html
    
  • 4A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/11/fhsaa-4a-region-1-2021.html
    
  
  
• 2020 story, “Chiles boys and Fleming Island girls triumph in 4A Region 1”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/11/fhsaa-4a-region-1-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “The Chiles girls and Bartram Trail boys score narrow wins at 4A Region 1”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/11/fhsaa-4a-region-1-2019.html
  
  
• Find a cross-country, road, or track race for your schedule on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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