Abbey Griffin and Asa Swope were spectacular at the SportsPlex

Florida State University's Rec SportsPlex is located on the far west side of Tallahassee, Florida. Leon County Schools has held two middle school cross-country meets there--the Falcon Invitational in 2020 and the inaugural Mabry Invitational on Friday night, 1 October 2021. Deerlake's Abbey Griffin has won her race in both meets, most recently taking first in the Mabry Invite girls' 3K, running 12:13. Asa Swope isn't undefeated at the SportsPlex, but he still won the boys' 3K at the Mabry Invitational, going the distance in 11:10. Deerlake took first in the teams standings of the girls' 3K with 25 points; Montford was the top boys' team, scoring 39 points.

Asa Swope

When the 2020 Falcon Invitational was at the FSU Rec SportsPlex, Leon County Schools athletic director Scott Hansen realized that the lighting at the facility would make a night meet possible. Acting on that idea, he added the 2021 Mabry Invitational to the 2021 middle school cross-country calendar, scheduling the meet for a 7:30 PM start at the SportsPlex.


That 7:30 race was the girls' 3K. In her four winning runs at Leon County Schools middle school cross-country meets, Abbey Griffin has established a pattern of close finishes. In her first win at the SportsPlex, the Falcon Invitational, Griffin beat Montford's Sophia Youngberg by inches, both runners clocked in 12:30. Griffin's first win of the 2021 season came at Montford's Mustang Stampede, where the eighth-grader squeaked by Annabelle Wiktorski of Montford, 11:55 to 11:56. The Falcon Invitational was likewise decided on the homestretch, with Griffin just ahead of Deerlake's London Mellen, 12:07 to 12:10.


And at the Mabry Invitational?


"Abbey got me in the last 400 meters," said Montford seventh-grader Annabelle Wiktorski, the runner-up.

FSU Rec SportsPlex

It had still been close. Griffin ran 12:13, Wiktorski 12:14. Deerlake sixth-graders Honesty Daniel and Chloe Molen took the next two places, Daniel third in 12:47 and Molen fourth in 12:52.


Deerlake put two more runners in the top ten--Seventh-grader Chloe Houge placed seventh in 13:19 and eighth-grader Madeline Morris was tenth in 13:54. That gave the Deerlake girls 25 points and another Buck victory.


Montford and Wiktorski scored 35 points, taking second. Cobb edged the Raa girls for third, 101 to 105. Cobb's first finisher was seventh-grader Mallory Brown (12th, 14:37), Raa's was eighth-grader Kennedy Bell (8th, 13:32).


2021 Mabry Invitational Girls' Team Standings

1. Deerlake, 25
2. Montford, 35
3. Cobb, 101
4. Raa, 105
5. Swift Creek, 125
6. Fairview, 131
7. Griffin, 222
8. Fort Braden, NTS
   Woodville, NTS

Top Ten Girls, 2021 Mabry Invitational

1. 12:12.05, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 8
2. 12:13.94, Annabelle Wiktorski (Montford) 7
3. 12:46.96, Honesty Daniel (Deerlake) 6
4. 12:51.23, Chloe Molen (Deerlake) 6
5. 13:01.00, Savannah Stanley (Montford) 7
6. 13:17.53, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 7
7. 13:18.06, Chloe Houge (Deerlake) 7
8. 13:31.47, Kennedy Bell (Raa) 8
9. 13:51.52, Andi Vilardo (Montford) 7
10. 13:53.40, Madeline Morris (Deerlake) 8

There were no close finishes for Asa Swope in the boys' 3K. In the sixth meet of the season, it was Swope's fifth race and his fourth win. Other runners led early, but by the end of the first kilometer the Swift Creek eighth-grader was ahead of everyone. Swope wasn't challenged after that and went on to win by over 100 meters in 11:10. Another Swift Creek eighth-grader, Kingsley Knispel, grabbed the runner-up spot with a 11:34. Fairview seventh-grader Jack Koon held off two Montford runners--seventh-grader Gavin Poucher and eighth-grader Matthew Hauser--to take third in 11:43. Poucher was fourth and Hauser fifth, both in 11:44.

Boys' 3K

Two more Montford athletes made the top ten, with seventh-grader Trent Parsons eighth in 11:59 and eighth-grader Jackson Beener ninth in 12:01. Once Montford eighth-grader Edward Bass was across the finish line thirteenth in 12:31, the Mustang boys had 39 points and first place, their fourth straight win.


Swope's Swift Creek Wolves were second with 58 points. Fairview and Jack Koon tallied 62 points to take third in the field of nine teams.


One meet, the seventh, is left in the 2021 Leon County Schools middle school cross-country season. That final event is the Leon County Schools League Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on Thursday, 7 October 2021. The girls' 3K will start at 6:00 PM with the boys' 3K following at 6:30 PM.


2021 Mabry Invitational Boys' Team Standings

1. Montford, 39
2. Swift Creek, 58
3. Fairview, 62
4. Deerlake, 90
5. Raa, 148
6. Cobb, 153
7. Fort Braden, 226
8. Griffin, 231
9. Woodville, 233

Top Ten Boys, 2021 Mabry Invitational

1. 11:09.54, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 8
2. 11:33.80, Kingsley Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
3. 11:42.17, Jack Koon (Fairview) 7
4. 11:43.30, Gavin Poucher (Montford) 7
5. 11:43.88, Matthew Hauser (Montford) 8
6. 11:52.50, Emari Thomas (Fairview) 6
7. 11:56.13, Thoren Knispel (Swift Creek) 8
8. 11:58.20, Trent Parsons (Montford) 7
9. 12:00.66, Jackson Beener (Montford) 8
10. 12:12.15, Antonio Clements ( Cobb) 6

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 Mabry Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTlUbspmBX9fCJ4rCeXUrxBOD5kLWCE2DZFJjMzVrdWpvBevZ5i-GPOTCGTBcPHvl2HysAMxVbZkoeP/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2021 Mabry Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  [ COMING SOON! PLEASE CHECK BACK! ]
  
  
• The 2021 LCS middle school cross-country season
  
  • ARPXC Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/08/swift-creek-2021.html
    
  • Fort Braden Run https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/fort-braden-2021.html
    
  • Mustang Stampede https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/mustang-2021.html
    
  • Everhart Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/owl-run-2021.html
    
  • Falcon Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/09/falcon-2021.html
    
  • Mabry Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/10/mabry-2021.html
    
  • LCS Championship [ Coming on 7 October 2021 ]
    
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2021 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/08/lcs-xc-2021.html
  
  
• Find your next road race or cross-country run in the Tallahassee region
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2783

Abbey Griffin and Neal Porter fly right at the Falcon Invitational

Friday, 23 October 2020, was a day of close finishes at the third annual Falcon Invitational. At Florida State University' Rec SportsPlex that afternoon, both races were decided by less than a single second. Deerlake seventh-grader Abbey Griffin finished inches ahead of Montford eighth-grader Sophia Youngberg in the girls' 3K, winning 12:29.07 to 12:29.53. Neal Porter outkicked Danny Mauldin for the win in the boys' 3K, the Montford eighth-grader running 11:21.44 to the Deerlake eighth-grader's 11:22.19. The team competition was also tight, with the Montford girls scoring a winning 30 to Deerlake's 32, and the Deerlake boys put up 63 points to take first over Montford (65) and Fairview (67).

Sophia Youngberg and Abbey Griffin

The FSU Rec SportsPlex, on the west side of Tallahassee, was a new venue for the LCS middle school cross-country circuit--the third time this season that the athletes had raced on a new course. It was in fact only the second time that anyone had raced at the site--the first time had been less than two weeks earlier, when Godby High hosted the Mabry Manor Invitational at the SportsPlex. The location may have been novel, but the girls' 3K race started out in a familiar fashion--with Deerlake seventh-grader Kyra Swart setting the pace. Swart had entered the race with a six-race winning streak in LCS competition going back to the 2019 season.


The streak ended. After leading through the first kilometer, Swart stumbled and fell during the second kilometer. The race was now between Abbey Griffin and Sophia Youngberg. Griffin and Youngberg fought for first during the third and final kilometer, leaving the rest of the field far behind. The fight continued down the homestretch and all the way to the finish line, where it was Griffin over Youngberg by less than half a second. Two more Deerlake athletes battled for third, with seventh-grader London Mellen edging sixth-grader Kaia Ables 12:58 to 12:59.


Mellen and Ables gave Deerlake three girls in the top ten, but Montford put all five of their scorers in the top ten. After Youngberg finished runner-up for the Mustangs, sixth-grader Adriena Vilardo was fifth in 13:02, sixth-grader Savannah Stanley was seventh in 13:29, sixth-grader Haley Heitmeyer was ninth in 13:39, and eighth-grader Ava Hill was tenth in 13:40. Montford had 30 points and their first win of the season, ending the Deerlake girls' winning streak at four meets.


Deerlake was a very close second with 32 points. Raa took third with 86 points. The first Raa finisher was seventh-grader Cecilia Veliz, eighth in 13:36.


2020 Falcon Invitational Girls' Team Scores

1. Montford, 30
2. Deerlake, 32
3. Raa, 86
4. Cobb, 110
5. Fort Braden, 130
6. Swift Creek, NTS
   Nims, NTS
   Fairview, NTS
   Woodville, NTS
   Griffin, NTS

Top Ten, 2020 Falcon Invitational Girls' 3K

1. 12:29.07, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
2. 12:29.53, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
3. 12:57.84, London Mellen (Deerlake) 7
4. 12:58.83, Kaia Ables (Deerlake) 6
5. 13:01.89, Adriena Vilardo (Montford) 6
6. 13:22.34, Gianna Guillermo (Swift Creek) 8
7. 13:28.31, Savannah Stanley (Montford) 6
8. 13:35.74, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 7
9. 13:38.44, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 6
10. 13:39.20, Ava Hill (Montford) 8

Only Griffin and Youngberg had been in contention during the final kilometer of the girls' race. With a kilometer to go in the boys' 3K, four runners were still in the hunt for first. Montford's Neal Porter led, with three runners close behind--Deerlake eighth-grader Danny Mauldin, Swift Creek seventh-grader Asa Swope, and Fairview eighth-grader Xalimon Akbar.

Neal Porter

Over the final kilometer Swope and Akbar fell back, but Mauldin moved up to challenge Porter, setting up a finish reminicent of the Killearn Invitational earlier in the season. The outcome was the same--Porter narrowly beat Mauldin to the finish line to take first. Swope was third in 11:34. Akbar held off a late charge by Deerlake sixth-grader Jonathan Kiros to take fourth, 11:42 to 11:43.


Deerlake eighth-grader Logan Peltier was ninth in 12:17, making it three Bucks in the top ten. eighth-graders Trevor Lord (20th, 12:52) and Josh Ryland de Kloet (27th, 13:07) finished the scoring for Deerlake, giving the Bucks 63 points and their fourth win in four outings this season.


Porter and the Montford Mustangs were second with 65. Led by Akbar, Fairview had their best showing of the 2020 season, placing third with 67 points.


Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season concludes on Wednesday, 28 October 2020, with the LCS Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park. On the girls' side, the defending champs from 2019 are the Deerlake bucks. Fairview won the boys' title in 2019.


2020 Falcon Invitational Boys' Team Scores

1. Deerlake, 63
2. Montford, 65
3. Fairview, 67
4. Swift Creek, 81
5. Nims, 130
6. Raa, 134
7. Cobb, 206
8. Fort Braden, 235
9. Woodville, 256
10. Griffin, NTS

Top Ten, 2020 Falcon Invitational Boys' 3K

1. 11:21.44, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
2. 11:22.19, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
3. 11:33.85, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 7
4. 11:41.59, Xalimon Akbar (Fairview) 8
5. 11:42.59, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 6
6. 11:52.95, Julian Thompson (Raa) 8
7. 12:01.90, Cadden Maxwell (Raa) 8
8. 12:10.28, Celestine Rwamptie (Nims) 6
9. 12:16.12, Logan Peltier (Deerlake) 8
10. 12:16.86, Kylen Welch (Nims) 8

Falcon Invitational Champions 2018 - 2020
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2018	Swift Creek, 34	11:27.82, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
26 September 2019	Swift Creek, 44	12:30.55, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
23 October 2020	Montford, 30	12:29.07, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
27 September 2018	Deerlake, 35	9:49.60, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
26 September 2019	Fairview, 30	10:10.03, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
23 October 2020	Deerlake, 63	11:21.44, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
The Falcon Invitational was in Phipps Park in 2018 and 2019, and at the FSU Rec SportsPlex in 2020.

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Falcon Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet via Brian Corbin
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRoi2qGGvA3x3ocZBUGxwx82iulvynRc68kWod4CnFFeflfb6XNTYOB8G2bALzGF9YtEUuiyzhZ4Fd2/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2020 Falcon Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118412999433383
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118413662280033
  
  
• The 2020 LCS middle school cross-country season
  • Swift Creek Kick Off: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/swift-creek-2020.html
  • Killearn Invitational: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/killearn-2020.html
  • Mustang Stampede: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/mustang-2020.html
  • Falcon Invitational: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/falcon-2020.html
  • LCS Championship: [ Coming on 28 October 2020 ]
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/lcs-xc-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Kyra Swart and Patrick Koon soar at the Falcon Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/09/falcon-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Tang and Townsend fly to victory at the Falcon Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/falcon-2018.html
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2020
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  
• Find your next road race or cross-country run in the Tallahassee region
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2725

Raina Crawford and Khary Wright win in Mabry Manor

On the west side of Tallahassee, Florida, next to the Mabry Manor neighborhood, the Florida State Univeristy Rec SportsPlex has been the venue for flag football, soccer, rugby, lacrosse, and softball. No one had ever raced there, though, until Saturday morning, 10 October 2020, when athletes from four different Tallahassee high schools met at the SportsPlex for the inaugural Mabry Manor Invitational. Chiles junior Raina Crawford took first in girls' 5K with a 23:13, leading the Timberwolf girls to a team win. Chiles was also the first team in the boys' 5K, but first place in that race went to a Lincoln senior, Khary Wright, who covered the 3.1 mile route in 19:05.


Raina Crawford finished less than ten meters ahead of the runner-up, Ella Hodges. Also a Chiles junior, Hodges ran 23:20. Lauren Whittier of Lincoln took third in 23:25.


Chiles put two more runners in the top ten, junior Elise Ferguson (4th, 24:02) and frosh Kaitlyn Kristian (8th, 26:30). The fifth Timberwolf harrier was junior Jasmine Miles (13th, 28:30), giving Chiles a narrow 27-to-30 win over Lincoln.


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Mabry Manor Invitational

1. Chiles, 27
2. Lincoln, 30

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Mabry Manor Invitational

1. 23:12.17, Raina Crawford (Chiles) 11
2. 23:19.24, Ella Hodges (Chiles) 11
3. 23:24.20, Lauren Whittier (Lincoln) 12
4. 24:01.47, Elise Ferguson (Chiles) 11
5. 25:52.09, Bethany Morse (Lincoln) 12
6. 25:58.71, Lily Walker (Lincoln) 10
7. 26:21.01, Elizabeth Kessler (Lincoln) 9
8. 26:29.73, Kaitlyn Kristian (Chiles) 9
9. 27:04.66, Anna Caulkins (Lincoln) 9
10. 27:23.13, Abigayle Vannoy (Lincoln) 10

Khary Wright was the front end of a one-two finish for the Lincoln Trojans in the boys' 5K. The other part of that duo was sophomore Joseph McLeod, runner-up in 19:16.


The next four places, though, went to Chiles. Junior Dan Neustadter led the Timberwolves, placing third in 19:20. Chiles sophomore Owen Franklin took fourth in 19:25, Chiles sophomore Colin Dunphy was fifth in 19:27, and Chiles frosh Davis McNeeley was sixth in 19:34. Timberwolf senior Alex Kellberg finished the scoring for Chiles, coming in eighth in 20:04. After that, the Timberwolf boys had 26 points and first place. Khary Wright and the Lincoln Trojans were second with 50 points. Rickards was fourth with 74 points, led by senior Jalen Brownlee (7th, 20:00).


Godby High hosted the inaugural Mabry Manor Invitational. Miles and Minutes, LLC, of Tallahassee timed and scored the meet.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Mabry Manor Invitational

1. Chiles, 26
2. Lincoln, 40
3. Rickards, 74

Top Ten Boys, 2020 Mabry Manor Invitational

1. 19:04.26, Khary Wright (Lincoln) 12
2. 19:15.73, Joseph McLeod (Lincoln) 10
3. 19:19.86, Daniel Neustadter (Chiles) 11
4. 19:24.98, Owen Franklin (Chiles) 10
5. 19:26.16, Colin Dunphy (Chiles) 10
6. 19:33.18, Davis McNeeley (Chiles) 9
7. 19:59.30, Jalen Brownlee (Rickards) 12
8. 20:03.30, Alex Kellberg (Chiles) 12
9. 20:06.31, Calvin Wheatley (Chiles) 10
10. 20:11.68, Nathan Morris (Chiles) 10

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 Mabry Manor Invitational Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRLTuEqViP9_vo1e7wAVnvv_QT7Ejo4SMKaf8wLLokmsRmwGNDe5YH_kJEmYQiZcA1QyThagy0dP4RO/pubhtml
  
  
• The 2020 Tallahassee Area Cross-Country Season
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/09/tallahassee-xc-2020.html
  
  

#2711