Thursday, October 3, 2024

Charlotte Sikes and Jack Nottingham stay perfect at the LCS League Championship

No one wants baseball season to end, but it must for there to be a World Series. And no one wants cross-country season to end, but it must for there to be a Championship Meet. Thus, Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season came to a conclusion on Wednesday evening, 2 October 2024, with the League Championship Meet at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park. The Swift Creek girls scored 40 points to win the team title in their 3K race, led by a first place performance by eighth-grader Charlotte Sikes. Sikes covered the course in 11:06. In the boys' 3K, Montford took the team title with 37 points, with Montford eighth-grader Jack Nottingham taking first in 10:17.

Charlotte Sikes
Charlotte Sikes

The girls' three-kilometer race started at 6:00 PM. Almost from the start, two-time League champion Charlotte Sikes was setting the pace for the field. At the first turn, 700 meters from the start, was twenty meters ahead and continuing to pull away. Behind her, Montford sixth-grader Acadia Hassell and Deerlake eighth-grader Emma-Claire Tanenbaum fought for the second spot.


They weren't going to catch Sikes, though. Through the Piney Woods, across the Shell Bridge, and up the Wall, Sikes continued to widen the gap. At the crest of the Wall, half a kilometer from the finish line, she had a lead of 70 meters and was still going away. Sike was 100 meters ahead when she finished first in 11:06.

Acadia Hassell, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum
Acadia Hassell and Emma-Claire Tanenbaum

Behind Sikes, Hassel broke away from Tanenbaum then went to finish runner-up in 11:29. Tanenbaum took third in 11:35, and Swift Creek seventh-grader Lyla Koerner was fourth in 11:41.


Eighth-grader Sadie Blake placed tenth in 12:53, giving the Swift Creek Wolves three scorers in the top ten. The remaining scorers for the Wolves were seventh-grader Calyce Guillermo (11th, 13:03) and Addison Evans (14th, 13:25), giving the Swift Creek girls 40 points and the League championship--the schools' first since 2018 and ending Deerlake's streak of girls' League titles at five.


The Deerlake girls, the defending champions, were runners-up with 49 points. Montford placed third with 55 points.

2024 Swift Creek Girls' Cross-Country
Swift Creek Girls

For Sikes and the other eighth-graders, it was their final middle school cross-country League race. During Sikes' three years of running cross-country in a Swift Creek uniform, she had competed in sixteen League races and won all sixteen, including three League Championships.


Girls' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. Swift Creek, 40
  2. Deerlake, 49
  3. Montford, 55
  4. Raa, 70
  5. Cobb, 151
  6. Fairview, 175
  7. Fort Braden, NTS
    Woodville, NTS
    Nims, NTS
    Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Girls, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. 11:05.87, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
  2. 11:28.54, Acadia Hassell (Montford) 6
  3. 11:34.21, Emma-Claire Tanenbaum (Deerlake) 8
  4. 11:40.68, Lyla Koerner (Swift Creek) 7
  5. 12:17.45, Reagan Kingsley (Raa) 8
  6. 12:34.36, Brixton Menendez (Raa) 8
  7. 12:35.58, Yujeong Lee (Deerlake) 8
  8. 12:37.56, Morgan Lord (Deerlake) 8
  9. 12:52.36, Andrea Jimenez (Montford) 8
  10. 12:52.58, Sadie Blake (Swift Creek) 8

Like Charlotte Sikes, Jack Nottingham had a winning streak going into the League Championship meet. Nottingham had won the boys' race in each of the first four meets of the season. Nottingham could go undefeated in 2024--all he had to do was win the League Championship race.

Jack Nottingham, Emerson Gandy
Emerson Gandy and Jack Nottingham

With 500 meters to go in the boys' 3000, Nottingham crested the final hill on the course--the Wall. He wasn't alone, though. Raa eighth-grader Emerson Gandy was right there. With 400 meters to go Nottingham had gained a few steps on Gandy. Nottingham couldn't break Gandy, but pulled steadily away, preserving his perfect season with a winning 10:17. Gandy was runner-up in 10:21.


100 meters behind the Nottingham and Gandy battle, there was a battle for third between Deerlake eighth-grader Jacob Hassell and Isiah Renn, a Montford seventh-grader. It was close all the way to the finish line, with Hassel prevailing over Renn 10:43 to 10:45. Another Montford seventh-grader, Chase Sims, edged Raa seventh-grader Fife Duncan for fifth, 10:51 to 10:52, giving Montford three Mustangs in the top ten.

Isiah Renn, Jacob Hassell
Isiah Renn and Jacob Hassell

But Raa also had three scorers in the top ten, with Gandy and Duncan joined by eighth-grader Connor Cherry (8th, 11:30). The next two Mustangs across the finish line were eighth-grader Cy Stanley (13th, 11:48) and sixth-grader Raney Oven (14th, 11:49). After that, the Montford boys had 37 points and first place. It was the third year in a row that the Montford boys had won the League team title.


Placing second, Raa was six points back at 43, falling just short of winning the Rams' first championship since 2011. The Deerlake boys took third with 60 points.

2024 Montford Boys' Cross-Country
Montford Boys

Brian Corbin timed and scored the races at Leon County Schools' 2024 Middle School Cross-Country League Championship.


Boys' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. Montford, 37
  2. Raa, 43
  3. Deerlake, 60
  4. Swift Creek, 83
  5. Fairview, 154
  6. Fort Braden, 184
  7. Cobb, 196
  8. Nims, NTS
    Woodville, NTS
    Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Boys, Leon County Schools 2024 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. 10:16.78, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
  2. 10:20.65, Emerson Gandy (Raa) 8
  3. 10:42.19, Jacob Hassell (Deerlake) 8
  4. 10:44.01, Isiah Renn (Montford) 7
  5. 10:50.55, Chase Sims (Montford) 7
  6. 10:51.07, Fife Duncan (Raa) 7
  7. 10:57.08, Nicholas Hassell (Deerlake) 8
  8. 11:29.33, Connor Cherry (Raa) 8
  9. 11:29.75, Peter Curet (Swift Creek) 7
  10. 11:30.33, John Sharpe (Swift Creek) 7

2024 Leon County Schools
Middle School Cross-Country Season Summary
Girls
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
ARPXC
28 August 2024		Deerlake, 42 points11:33, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Fort Braden
3 September 2024		Deerlake, 3712:09, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Mustang
11 September 2024		Swift Creek, 3711:35, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Everhart
18 September 2024		Swift Creek, 3811:04, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Golden Ram
25 September 2024		Canceled
Championship
2 October 2024		Swift Creek, 4011:06, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Boys
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
ARPXC
28 August 2024		Deerlake, 40 points10:45, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Fort Braden
3 September 2024		Montford, 3811:08, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Mustang
11 September 2024		Montford, 3710:37, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Everhart
18 September 2024		Raa, 3510:23, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Golden Ram
25 September 2024		Canceled
Championship
2 October 2024		Montford, 3710:17, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8


Leon County Schools Middle School Cross-Country Championships
Apalachee Regional Park, 2010 - 2024
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
6 October 2010Raa, 3213:34, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 8
28 September 2011Swift Creek, 3113:24, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 7
26 September 2012Swift Creek, 3612:49, Audrey Dogan (Raa) 8
2 October 2013Swift Creek, 4313:00, Ana Wallace (Deerlake) 8
1 October 2014Deerlake, 3612:12, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
7 October 2015Swift Creek, 3512:08, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
5 October 2016Montford, 4413:33, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
4 October 2017Swift Creek, 2713:14, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
4 October 2018Swift Creek, 2812:04, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
3 October 2019Deerlake, 3612:17, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
28 October 2020Deerlake, 2712:22, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
7 October 2021Deerlake, 2311:58, Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford) 7
5 October 2022Deerlake, 2911:21, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 6
5 October 2023Deerlake, 2211:15, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 7
2 October 2024Swift Creek, 4011:06, Charlotte Sikes (Swift Creek) 8
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
6 October 2010Raa, 2411:35, Wil Luca (Raa) 8
28 September 2011Raa, 5811:42, Evan Francis (Raa) 8
26 September 2012Montford, 5611:49, Matthew Cashin (Raa) 8
2 October 2013Montford, 3711:19, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
1 October 2014Fairview, 4411:59, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
7 October 2015Montford, 5011:34, Nile Bryant (Raa) 8
5 October 2016Swift Creek, 4411:38, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 8
4 October 2017Deerlake, 5011:31, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
4 October 2018Deerlake, 3810:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
3 October 2019Fairview, 3310:08, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
28 October 2020++
7 October 2021Swift Creek, 4410:46, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 7
5 October 2022Montford, 3610:16, Jack Koon (Fairview) 8
5 October 2023Montford, 4310:32, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 8
2 October 2024Montford, 3710:17, Jack Nottingham (Montford) 8
Note: LCS held middle-school cross-country championships before 2010.
This table summarizes the history of the championship at ARPXC.

The races were two miles from 2010 to 2017 and 3 km afterwards.


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Posted by Herb Wills at 12:01 AM
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