Tuesday, October 29, 2024

The Chiles Timberwolves swept cross-country team honors in 3A District 1

FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-CountryIf an odd-shaped state like Florida could be said to have a northwest corner, FHSAA District 1 for high school cross-country is that corner. The high school cross-country teams of District 1 started the post-season championship series on Monday, 29 October 2024 at Niceville's Twin Oaks Park with the District Championship Meet. The Chiles Timberwolves of Tallahassee had the top team in both the girls' 5K and the boys' 5K. In individual competition, Choctawhatchee junior Isabel Harter won the girls' 5K with an 18:28, while Gulf Breeze sophomore Andrew Beroset took the boys' 5K race in 15:33.


The girls were on the course first; their race starting at 9:30 AM. It was the second year in a row that the 3A District 1 Meet had been at Twin Oaks Park. In 2023 two juniors had dueled for the individual title, with Leon's Madi Sims edging Elyse Carmichael of Washington 19:01 to 19:05. Both athletes were back in 2024, but anyone expecting a rematch had not reckoned on Isabel Harter. Choctawhatchee's Harter had finished back in the field in 2023, coming in fifth in 20:11, but a year had made a great deal of difference. This time out, Harter tore around the course in 18:28, finishing the race with a 70-meter lead. Carmichael was runner-up in 18:43. Savi Stanley, a Chiles sophomore, was third in 19:02.


Stanley was only the first Timberwolf in the top ten. She was joined by junior London Mellen (8th, 19:52), sophomore Kaia Ables (9th, 19:53), and junior Maddy Morris (10th 19:57). Frosh Chloe Molen completed the scoring for Chiles, coming in sixteenth in 20:31. That gave the Timberwolf girls 46 points and the District 1 title.


Host Niceville was a close second with 51 points, led by a pair of frosh athletes--Delaney Diehl (4th, 19:43) and Riley Marise (5th, 19:47). Third in the team standings, Fort Walton Beach scored 72 points behind Viking senior Belicia O'Grady. O'Grady was sixth in 19:48.


Eighth teams qualified for next meet in the State Championship series, the 3A Region 1 Championship in in Panama City on Thursday morning, 7 November 2024. In addition to the top three squads the teams from Gulf Breeze (4th, 110), Leon (5th, 174), Mosley (6th, 201), Choctawhatchee (7th, 212), and Rickards (8th, 212) advanced to Region.


Girls' Team Standings, 2024 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet
  1. Chiles, 46 *
  2. Niceville, 51 *
  3. Fort Walton Beach, 72 *
  4. Gulf Breeze, 110 *
  5. Leon, 174 *
  6. Mosley, 201 *
  7. Choctawhatchee, 212 *
  8. Rickards, 240 *
  9. Lincoln, 248
  10. Washington, 254
  11. Escambia, 263
  12. Milton, 294
  13. Pine Forest, NTS
* Team advances to the 3A Region 1 Championship


Top Ten Girls, 2024 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet
  1. 18:27.6, Isabel Harter (Choctawhatchee) JR
  2. 18:42.8, Elyse Carmichael (Washington) SR
  3. 19:01.1, Savannah Stanley (Chiles) SO
  4. 19:42.6, Delaney Diehl (Niceville) FR
  5. 19:46.7, Riley Marise (Niceville) FR
  6. 19:47.8, Belicia O'Grady (Fort Walton Beach) SR
  7. 19:49.9, Ashton Dahlem (Gulf Breeze) SO
  8. 19:51.8, London Mellen (Chiles) JR
  9. 19:52.5, Kaia Ables (Chiles) SO
  10. 19:56.4, Maddy Morris (Chiles) JR

At the 2023 3A District 1 meet, only two athletes had broken 16:00 on the Twin Oaks Park course--Leon's Patrick Koon and Andrew Beroset of Gulf Breeze. Of those two only Beroset was still running high school cross-country. That might have prompted you to pick the Gulf Breeze sophomore as the favorite going into the 2024 District Meet.


It would have been a smart choice. Beroset left the field over a hundred meters behind on his way to a 15:33 win. The runner-up also cracked 16:00, with Chiles sophomore Jonathan Kiros turning a 15:54 for second place. Lincoln junior Matthew Hauser took third with a 16:04, just ahead of the 16:08 posted by fourth-place Joshua Hicks, a Chiles junior.


Chiles senior Gabriel Edwards also cracked the top ten, coming in fifth in 16:23. Chiles also got scoring performances from senior Jack Fuller (19th, 17:02) and junior Jackson Beener (20th, 17:03), giving the Timberwolf boys 50 points--good for first place in 3A District 1.


Gulf Breeze and Beroset were second with 65 points. Lincoln and Hauser were third with 89.


The other teams making the top eight and advancing to the 3A Region 1 meet were Niceville (4th, 94 points), Fort Walton Beach (5th, 119), Leon (6th, 120), Arnold (7th, 185), and Mosley (8th, 256).


The 3A Region 1 meet, though, is only another step on the way to the top of the staircase--the FHSAA Cross-Country State Chamionship in Tallahassee, Florida at Apalachee Regional Park on Saturday morning, 16 November 2024. The top eight teams in the Region will advance to State.


Boys' Team Standings, 2024 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet
  1. Chiles, 50 *
  2. Gulf Breeze, 65 *
  3. Lincoln, 89 *
  4. Niceville, 94 *
  5. Fort Walton Beach, 119 *
  6. Leon, 120 *
  7. Arnold, 185 *
  8. Mosley, 256 *
  9. Rickards, 263
  10. Milton, 306
  11. Choctawhatchee, 332
  12. Washington, 337
* Team advances to the 3A Region 1 Championship


Top Ten Boys, 2024 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet
  1. 15:32.9, Andrew Beroset (Gulf Breeze) SO
  2. 15:53.4, Jonathan Kiros (Chiles) SO
  3. 16:03.1, Matthew Hauser (Lincoln) JR
  4. 16:07.2, Joshua Hicks (Chiles) JR
  5. 16:22.2, Gabriel Edwards (Chiles) SR
  6. 16:37.6, Sebastian Riemer (Niceville) FR
  7. 16:43.1, Ryan McCreary (Lincoln) JR
  8. 16:44.3, Trent Parsons (Lincoln) SO
  9. 16:44.6, Heath Maguire (Gulf Breeze) SO
  10. 16:45.3, Cadden Maxwell (Leon) SR

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