Showing posts with label Kyra Swart. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyra Swart. Show all posts

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Kyra Swart and Danny Mauldin win while Deerlake sweeps the Mustang Stampede

Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season returned to familiar ground on Wednesday evening, 14 October 2020. After two weeks of racing on new courses, first at the Alford Greenway and next at the Golf and Country Club, the LCS harriers headed to Montford Middle School on the north side of Tallahassee for the eighth annual Mustang Stampede. The venue was especially familiar to Deerlake seventh-grader Kyra Swart, who had won the girls' 3K at Montford in 2019. Swart successfully defended her title in the 2020 race, running the three kilometers in 12:50 and leading her team to a winning score of 18 points. The Deerlake boys team won team honors for the fourth year in a row and fifth time in six years, edging Swift Creek 43 to 48. Danny Mauldin, a Deerlake eighth-grader, earned his second win of the season, running 11:31.

Kyra Swart
Kyra Swart

The 2019 Mustang Stampede girls' 3K was Kyra Swart's first LCS cross-country win. She hasn't lost a Leon County Schools race since, a winning streak that stands at six races. Swart led most of the way at the 2020 Mustang Stampede, never more than a few steps ahead, but nevertheless always ahead--especially at the finish line, where she was first in 12:50. Just behind Swart, Deerlake seventh-grader Abbey Griffin took second in 13:07. Sophia Youngberg, a Montford eighth-grader, interrupted the parade of Deerlake green by grabbing third with a 13:07.

Abbey Griffin
Abbey Griffin

But after Youngberg the Deerlake procession resumed. Buck sixth-graders Myra Holman and Kaia Ables were fourth in 13:14 and fifth in 13:16. London Mellen, a Deerlake seventh-grader, followed them across the line, sixth in 31:21. The Deerlake girls had a mathematically unbeatable 18 points, successfully defending their 2019 Stampede title.


Led by Youngberg, the girls from Montford, the host school, placed second with 40 points. Raa stood third among the six girls' teams, scoring 83 points behind Ram seventh-grader Cecilia Veliz (8th, 13:45).


2020 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 18
  2. Montford, 40
  3. Raa, 83
  4. Cobb, 125
  5. Swift Creek, 136
  6. Nims, 150
  7. Fort Braden, NTS
    Fairview, NTS
    Woodville, NTS

Top 10 Girls, 2020 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K
  1. 12:49.63, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
  2. 12:54.73, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
  3. 13:06.65, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
  4. 13:13.86, Myra Holman (Deerlake) 6
  5. 13:15.81, Kaia Ables (Deerlake) 6
  6. 13:20.72, London Mellen (Deerlake) 7
  7. 13:39.41, Adriena Vilardo (Montford) 6
  8. 13:44.89, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 7
  9. 13:56.32, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 6
  10. 13:57.65, Ava Hill (Montford) 8

Raa eighth-grader Cadden Maxwell led for most of the first kilometer of the boys' 3K, but he fell back during the second half of the race, ultimately finishing seventh in 12:24. The fading Maxwell was overtaken by a pack of four athletes--Danny Mauldin of Deerlake, Asher Robertson of Swift Creek, Neal Porter of Montford, and Asa Swope of Swift Creek. The lead group strung out as Robertson, an eighth-grader, charged ahead. With less than 400 meters left in the race, Robertson was still in front, ten meters ahead of Mauldin. Then Mauldin made his move.

Asa Swope, Neal Porter, Asher Robertson, Danny Mauldin
Boys' 3K

On the way to the finish line Mauldin passed Robertson, going on to win 11:31 to 11:36. Eighth-grader Porter was third in 11:45, and seventh-grader Swope placed fourth in 11:45.


Swift Creek had three athletes in the top ten--Robertson, Swope, and eighth-grader Connor Aarons (10th, 12:42). Deerlake also put three in the top ten--winner Mauldin, plus eighth-graders Logan Peltier (5th, 12:10) and Petyon Allen (9th, 12:35). But Deerlake put eighth-grader Mathew Miralles (12th, 12:43) across the finish line ahead of Swift Creek's fourth runner, and Deerlake sixth-graders Sawyer McNeely (16th, 12:51) and Jonathan Kiros (17th, 12:52) were in before Swift Creek's fifth scorer. That was enough to put the Deerlake boys first in the nine-team field with 45 points, keeping the Bucks undefeated in 2020 league competition.

Danny Mauldin
Danny Mauldin

Swift Creek was a close second with 48 points. Montford took third with a score of 81.


2020 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Boys
  1. Deerlake, 43
  2. Swift Creek, 48
  3. Montford, 81
  4. Fairview, 109
  5. Raa, 133
  6. Cobb, 161
  7. Nims, 173
  8. Fort Braden, 238
  9. Woodville, 276
  10. Griffin, NTS

Top 10 Boys, 2020 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K
  1. 11:30.94, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
  2. 11:35.57, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 8
  3. 11:44.81, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
  4. 11:56.57, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 7
  5. 12:09.45, Logan Peltier (Deerlake) 8
  6. 12:09.97, Xalimon Akbar (Fairview) 8
  7. 12:23.54, Cadden Maxwell (Raa) 8
  8. 12:26.49, Julian Thompson (Raa) 8
  9. 12:34.55, Peyton Allen (Deerlake) 8
  10. 12:41.17, Connor Aarons (Swift Creek) 8

Mustang Cross-Country Stampede Champions
2013 - 2020
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2013Swift Creek, 37 points13:42, Saige Kemeny (Montford) 7
10 September 2014Swift Creek, 3412:46, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
30 September 2015Swift Creek, 4312:25, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
28 September 2016Montford, 4313:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
28 September 2017Swift Creek, 2013:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
20 September 2018Montford, 4011:45, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
19 September 2019Deerlake, 4013:03, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
14 October 2020Deerlake, 1812:50, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2013Montford, 56 points11:56, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
10 September 2014Swift Creek, 6612:14, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
30 September 2015Deerlake, 4311:56, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2016Swift Creek, 3911:28, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2017Deerlake, 4211:15, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
20 September 2018Deerlake, 349:43, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
19 September 2019Deerlake, 3610:54, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
14 October 2020Deerlake, 4311:31, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
From 2013 to 2017, the race distance at the Mustang Stampede was two miles. In
2018 the distance was changed to three kilometers.


Brian Corbin timed and scored Montford Middle School's eighth annual Mustang Stampede. There are two more events left in Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season, starting with the third annual Falcon Invitational at the Florida State University SportsPlex on 23 October 2020. The season concludes with the LCS League Championship Meet on 28 October 2020 at Apalachee Regional Park.


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Monday, October 12, 2020

Kyra Swart and Neal Porter quickly christen Killearn's new cross-country course

Monday was an unusual day of the week for a Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country meet, and Killearn Golf and Country Club was an unusual venue for such a competition. Nevertheless, it was business as usual for Deerlake seventh-grader Kyra Swart. Swart, the 2019 LCS girls' cross-country champion, won her fifth LCS race in a row, running 12:10 and leading the Bucks to a mathematically unbeatable score of 24 points and the team title. The Deerlake boys were the first team in their race as well, but the first runner across the finish line in the boys' 3K was a Montford eighth-grader, Neal Porter, who ran 10:49.

Middle School Girls' 3K
Middle School Girls' 3K

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season almost didn't happen at all. As it was, competition was delayed a month till late September, and many of the parks and schoolyards where the athletes had races in years past were closed. But on the north side of Tallahassee, Florida in the Killearn Estates neighborhood, Killearn Golf and Country Club had nine holes that were no longer in use. Agreements were made, a course was designed, grass was mowed. It wasn't 3000 meters--definitely more than 2800, not quite 2900--but it was a cross-country course. On Monday evening, 5 October 2020, nearly 200 middle school harriers showed up to race on the new venue.


The girls' race inaugurated the course. With 300 meters to go, competition was still close. Kyra Swart was leading going around the last turn, closely shadowed by Deerlake seventh-grader Abbey Griffin and Montford eighth-grader Sophia Youngberg, with Fort Braden eighth-grader Madison Sims not much further back. Then Swart put the hammer down. She opened a gap of more than 20 meters on the homestretch, on her way to crossing the finish line first in 12:10. Griffin held off Youngberg to take second, 12:19 to 12:21, while Sims was fourth in 12:33.

Kyra Swart
Kyra Swart

Deerlake had four more runners in the top ten--sixth-grader Kaia Ables was fifth in 12:36, seventh-grader London Mellen seventh in 12:46, sixth-grader Myra Holman ninth in 13:06, and seventh-grader Charlotte Reynolds tenth in 13:08. With most of the field still out on the course, the Deerlake girls had put up a total of 24 points, clinching first. Montford, led by Youngberg, was second with 55 points. Swift Creek took third among the six teams entered with 100 points; their top runner was eighth-grader Gianna Guillermo, sixth in 12:40.


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Killearn Invitational
  1. Deerlake, 24
  2. Montford, 55
  3. Swift Creek, 100
  4. Raa, 103
  5. Cobb, 127
  6. Fort Braden, 134

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Killearn Invitational
  1. 12:09.51, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
  2. 12:18.33, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
  3. 12:20.55, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
  4. 12:32.14, Madison Sims (Fort Braden) 8
  5. 12:35.37, Kaia Ables (Deerlake) 6
  6. 12:39.96, Gianna Guillermo (Swift Creek) 8
  7. 12:45.11, London Mellen (Deerlake) 7
  8. 12:47.55, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 7
  9. 13:05.20, Myra Holman (Deerlake) 6
  10. 13:07.32, Charlotte Reynolds (Deerlake) 7

With half a kilometer to go in the boys' 3K, Montford's Neal Porter was leading the race, running 40 meters ahead of a chase group that included eighth-graders Danny Mauldin of Deerlake and Asher Robertson of Swift Creek, sixth-grader Celestine Rwamptie of Nims, seventh-grader Asa Swope of Swift Creek, and sixth-grader Jonathan Kiros of Deerlake. By the homestretch, Mauldin had burst out of the pack and was closing on Porter. But Porter held on and beat Mauldin to the finish line 10:49 to 10:51. Robertson and Swope took third and fourth, running 11:05 and 11:09. Kiros was fifth in 11:15 and Rwamptie sixth in 11:26.

Middle School Boys' 3K
Middle School Boys' 3K

Mauldin and Kiros were joined in the top ten by another Deerlake scorer, eighth-grader Logan Peltier, who placed seventh in 11:21. Eighth-grader Matt Morales (11th, 11:46) and sixth-grader Sawyer McNeely (13th, 11:57) also scored for the Bucks, giving Deerlake 38 points and first place among the eight teams in the meet.

Swift Creek, led by Robertson, was second with 56 points. Montford was third with 73 points behind the winning performance of Neal Porter.

Neal Porter
Neal Porter

Next up in Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season is the eighth annual Mustang Stampede at Montford Middle School on Wednesday, 14 October 2020. The season continues with the Falcon Invitational at the FSU Recreation SportsPlex on Friday, 23 October 2020, and concludes with the LCS League Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park on Wednesday, 28 October 2020.


Brian Corbin timed and scored the 2020 Killearn Invitational.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Killearn Invitational
  1. Deerlake, 38
  2. Swift Creek, 56
  3. Montford, 73
  4. Fairview, 106
  5. Nims, 144
  6. Raa, 147
  7. Cobb, 174
  8. Fort Braden, 233

Top Ten Boys, 2020 Killearn Invitational
  1. 10:48.38, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
  2. 10:50.08, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
  3. 11:04.72, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 8
  4. 11:08.09, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 7
  5. 11:15.00, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 6
  6. 11:25.94, Celestine Rwamptie (Nims) 6
  7. 11:26.81, Logan Peltier (Deerlake) 8
  8. 11:29.29, Cadden Maxwell (Raa) 8
  9. 11:37.46, Xalimon Akbar (Fairview) 8
  10. 11:42.92, Julian Thompson (Raa) 8

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Thursday, October 1, 2020

Kyra Swart, Danny Mauldin, and Deerlake run back the Kick Off

Unlike past years, the season didn't open in August or September. Unlike past years, the season didn't open at Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course. But Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season did open, debuting on Thursday, 1 October 2020, at Tallahassee, Florida's Alford Greenway. That curtain-opener was the Swift Creek Cross-Country Kick Off, and Deerlake Middle School stole the show. Bucks teams won both the girls' 3K and the boys' 3K, with Deerlake seventh-grader Kyra Swart placing first in the girls' race and Deerlake eighth-grader Danny Mauldin taking first in the boys' event.

Alford Greenway
Alford Greenway

Located on the east side of Tallahassee, the Alford Greenway is a hilly peninsula of Lake Lafayette, nearly 900 acres of woods and old pastures. Even though the Greenway is just a short jog from Swift Creek Middle School--too short to even break a sweat--the school had never hosted a cross-country meet at Alford, going instead to Tom Brown Park or Apalachee Regional Park. The Cross-Country Kick Off was the first, starting with the girls' 3K race.


It was a closely contested race, with the top four runners all finishing within 50 meters of each other. At the finish line, though, it was Kyra Swart edging her Deerlake teammate Abbey Griffin for the win, 12:44 to 12:48. Swart was the 2019 LCS League Champion in girls' cross-country; 2020 is seventh-grader Griffin's first year in Leon County Schools competition. Another LCS rookie, Montford sixth-grader Adriena Vilardo, was a close third in 12:51. Montford eigth-grader Sophia Youngberg placed fourth in 12:56.


After taking the top two spots, Deerlake put two more Bucks in the top ten--seventh-grader London Melle was seventh in 13:35 and sixth grader Myra Holman was ninth in 13:39. The fifth scorer for the Bucks was seventh-grader Madeline Morris, placing eleventh in 13:50 and giving Deerlake a 28-point total--good for first in the five-team field.


Montford and Vilardo were second with 41 points. Host school Swift Creek placed third with 89 points, led by eighth-grader Gianna Guillermo (5th, 13:11).


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off
  1. Deerlake, 28
  2. Montford, 41
  3. Swift Creek, 89
  4. Raa, 103
  5. Cobb, 123

Top Ten Girls, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off
  1. 12:43.79, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 7
  2. 12:47.74, Abbey Griffin (Deerlake) 7
  3. 12:50.09, Adriena Vilardo (Montford) 6
  4. 12:55.60, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 8
  5. 13:10.45, Gianna Guillermo (Swift Creek) 8
  6. 13:32.31, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 7
  7. 13:34.51, London Mellen (Deerlake) 7
  8. 13:36.77, Madison Sims (Fort Braden) 8
  9. 13:38.62, Myra Holman (Deerlake) 6
  10. 13:46.73, Haley Heitmeyer (Montford) 6

The boys put on a close race as well, with Danny Mauldin getting across the finish line just ahead of Swift Creek seventh-grader Asa Swope, 11:31 to 11:35. Not far behind, Swift Creek eighth-grader Asher Robertson dueled for third with Deerlake eighth-grader Jonathan Kiros. Robertson got there ahead of Kiros, 11:42 to 11:46.


Eigth-grader Logan Peltier also cracked the top ten for Deerlake, coming in fifth in 11:51. Another eighth-grader, Josh Ryland DeKloet, took eleventh for Deerlake with a 12:28. Evan Mauldin, a sixth-grader, completed the scoring for the Bucks, finishing sixteenth in 12:38. With 37 points, Deerlake was first among eight teams. Swift Creek and runner-up Swope scored 52 points for second place. Montford, led by a seventh-place 12:12 performance by eighth-grader Neal Porter, was third with 89 points.


Leon County Schools' 2020 middle school cross-country season continues on 5 October 2020 with the Killearn Invitational at Killearn Golf and Country Club, the Mustang Stampede on 14 October 2020 at Montford Middle School, and the Falcon Invitational on 23 October 2020 at Florida State University's Rec SportsPlex. The season concludes on 28 October 2020 with the LCS League Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off
  1. Deerlake, 37
  2. Swift Creek, 52
  3. Montford, 89
  4. Fairview, 131
  5. Raa, 132
  6. Nims, 153
  7. Cobb, 166
  8. Fort Braden, 217

Top Ten Boys, 2020 Swift Creek Kick Off
  1. 11:30.33, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 8
  2. 11:34.65, Asa Swope (Swift Creek) 7
  3. 11:41.92, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 8
  4. 11:45.47, Jonathan Kiros (Deerlake) 6
  5. 11:50.33, Logan Peltier (Deerlake) 8
  6. 11:52.28, Cadden Maxwell (Raa) 8
  7. 12:11.44, Neal Porter (Montford) 8
  8. 12:15.19, Julian Thompson (Raa) 8
  9. 12:19.53, Celestine Rwamptie (Nims) 6
  10. 12:25.27, Xalimon Akbar (Fairview) 8

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Friday, October 4, 2019

Patrick Koon and Kyra Swart lead their teams to Leon County Schools cross-country titles

Late summer and early autumn of 2019 was a time of drought in Tallahassee, Florida. But even as leaves drooped and lawns turned brown, Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season went on, and with not a single race canceled due to rain. All six meets on the schedule were run, and for the first time an athlete won six races in a season. Patrick Koon, a Fairview eighth-grader, got his record-setting sixth win of the season in the boys' 3K at the LCS League Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on Thursday evening, 3 October 2019. Koon and the Fairview boys scored 33 points in that race to take the League team title. In the girls' 3K, the Deerlake Bucks scored 35 points to become League champions, led by the first-place finish of Buck sixth-grader Kyra Swart.

Kyra Swart
Kyra Swart

Swart had won the two races immediately before the Championship Meet, but the first three races of the season had belonged to Skye Williams, a Montford eighth-grader. The girls raced first at the Championship, their three-kilometer event starting at 6:00 PM. 800 meters into the race, Swart and Williams were in a lead pack that also included Deerlake eighth-graders Ella Holman and Leah Kiros. Each of the four leader had run at Apalachee Regional Park in the season opener, the ARPXC Invitational, on 29 August 2019. Swart felt she had learned a little about the course since then. It was a different race.


"I feel like it was a little harder because I went out faster and attacked the uphills more," said Swart. "Now I definitely know where the uphills and downhills are out here."

Skye Williams, Kyra Swart, Ella Holman, Leah Kiros
Lead pack at 800 meters

Midway through the race, Swart broke away.


"It was probably near the mile mark again," said Swart.

Ella Holman
Ella Holman

With a kilometer to go, Holman was still within a few steps of Swart, but everyone else was much farther back. Williams, fading rapidly, would end up tenth in 13:10. But Swart continued to pull away, ultimately winning the Championship by just over 100 meters in 12:17, more than half a minute faster than the 12:56 she had posted in the August race. Holman took second in 12:35. Swift Creek eighth-grader Elizabeth Kessler was third in 12:45. In a battle of Montford seventh-graders, Aditi Mukhirala edged Clara Thompson for fourth, 12:50 to 12:51.


The Deerlake girls ended up with four Buck in the top ten, with Leah Kiros sixth in 12:57 and seventh-grader Callie Byington eighth in 13:04. Sixth-grader Madeline Morris was the fifth scorer for Deerlake, giving her squad 35 points and the team title. It was the first League Championship for the Deerlake girls since 2014.

Elizabeth Kessler
Elizabeth Kessler

The Montford girls were second with 44 points. Swift Creek, the 2018 League Champions, were third with 55 points.


Girls' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2019 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. Deerlake, 36
  2. Montford, 44
  3. Swift Creek, 55
  4. Raa, 94
  5. Cobb, 135
  6. Fairview, 173
  7. Fort Braden, 225
2019 Deerlake Middle School girls' cross-country team
Deerlake Girls

Top Ten Girls, Leon County Schools 2019 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. 12:16.26, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
  2. 12:34.46, Ella Holman (Deerlake) 8
  3. 12:44.86, Elizabeth Kessler (Swift Creek) 8
  4. 12:49.15, Aditi Mukhirala (Montford) 7
  5. 12:50.28, Clara Thompson (Montford) 7
  6. 12:56.88, Leah Kiros (Deerlake) 8
  7. 13:01.60, Ava Jones (Swift Creek) 8
  8. 13:03.97, Callie Byington (Deerlake) 7
  9. 13:08.58, Cecilia Veliz (Raa) 6
  10. 13:09.30, Skye Williams (Montford) 8

"Rance did amazing," said Patrick Koon. "He really helped us, finishing third."

Ranceeson Grace
Rance Grace

Ranceeson Grace had run well. The Fairview eighth-grader had been the third or fourth scorer for his team all season, and had even broken into the top ten a few times. But at the League Championship, when it really counted, Grace took third, giving the Falcons the first three places in the race and sparking a narrow 33 to 35 victory over the runners-up from Deerlake.


After the first 800 meters, the field up front looked like most of the earlier races of the season. Patrick Koon was well out front, with Fairview eighth-grader Justin Greenwood holding down second. Montford eighth-grader Jackson Rowe was running third. Except for the runner being a bit farther apart, that hadn't changed at the two-kilometer mark. What had changed was that Grace was right behind Rowe.

Patrick Koon
Patrick Koon

With less than 400 meters to go, Koon had first nailed down. He would go on to win in 10:08, his fastest time of the season and just off the 10:07 posted by Wyatt Townsend in the 2018 League Championship. Greenwood kept the runner-up spot, running 10:44, ten seconds faster than he had run at ARPXC in August.


Grace, meanwhile, was trailing Rowe, with Deerlake eighth-graders Cade Swart and Brooks Bowden coming up behind them. On the homestretch, Grace kicked past Rowe, grabbing third place with a 10:50 to Rowe's 10:51. Koon, Greenwood, and Grace had taken the first three places.

Justin Greenwood
Justin Greenwood

Deerlake, though, came roaring back. After Rowe, the Bucks took the next five places with Cade Swart fifth in 10:53, Brooks Bowden sixth in 11:01, seventh-grader Danny Mauldin seventh in 11:03, eighth-grader Davis McNeely eighth in 11:06, and eighth-grader Jonah Blay ninth in 11:06. Teams don't often lose when they put five runners in the top ten, but they don't always win either. Fairview's last two scorers were eighth graders Enijah Thomas (13th, 11:27) and Keno Rivers (14th, 11:32), giving the Falcons 33 points and the Championship. After titles in 2017 and 2018, Deerlake was second with 35 points. Montford was third in the seven-team field with 94 points.


"I came out here last week to work on angles on the course," said Koon. Clearly, he had left little up to chance at the Championship.


"I ran more consistent this time," said Koon. "I ran 5:24 for the first mile and 5:28 for the rest of the race."

Jackson Rowe
Jackson Rowe

The League Championship marks the end of the regular season, but Koon is already eyeing the post season.


"I just have to work till State," said Koon. "Then after that that I'm going to Foot Locker South in Charlotte. FSU Invitational? I'm going to that."


For Kyra Swart, her first cross-country season is probably over.


"I'm picking up track in January with Deerlake," said Swart. "And I'm playing soccer for Deerlake, too."


Boys' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2019 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. Fairview, 33
  2. Deerlake, 35
  3. Montford, 94
  4. Swift Creek, 104
  5. Raa, 122
  6. Cobb, 167
  7. Fort Braden, 186
  8. Griffin, NTS
2019 Fairview Middle School boys' cross-country team
Fairview Boys

Top Ten Boys, Leon County Schools 2019 Middle School Cross-Country Championship
  1. 10:07.53, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
  2. 10:43.67, Justin Greenwood (Fairview) 8
  3. 10:49.04, Ranceeson Grace (Fairview) 8
  4. 10:50.58, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 8
  5. 10:52.32, Cade Swart (Deerlake) 8
  6. 11:00.19, Brooks Bowden (Deerlake) 8
  7. 11:02.36, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 7
  8. 11:05.51, Davis McNeely (Deerlake) 8
  9. 11:05.81, Jonah Blay (Deerlake) 8
  10. 11:06.09, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 7


2019 Leon County Schools
Middle School Cross-Country Season Summary
Girls
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
ARPXC (Story)
29 August 2019		Montford, 4012:44, Skye Williams (Montford) 8
Fort Braden (Story)
5 September 2019		Montford, 4612:58, Skye Williams (Montford) 8
Everhart (Story)
12 September 2019		Montford, 3112:29, Skye Williams (Montford) 8
Mustang (Story)
19 September 2019		Deerlake, 4013:03, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
Falcon (Story)
26 September 2019		Swift Creek, 4412:31, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
Championship (Story)
3 October 2019		Deerlake, 3612:17, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
Boys
MeetTeam ChampIndividual Champ
ARPXC (Story)
29 August 2019
Fairview, 41
10:32, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
Fort Braden (Story)
5 September 2019		Deerlake, 3210:27, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
Everhart (Story)
12 September 2019		Fairview, 3910:12, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
Mustang (Story)
19 September 2019		Deerlake, 3610:54, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
Falcon (Story)
26 September 2019		Fairview, 3010:11, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
Championship (Story)
3 October 2019		Fairview, 3310:08, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8


Leon County Schools Middle School Cross-Country Championships
Apalachee Regional Park, 2010 - 2019
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
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
Note: LCS held middle-school cross-country championships before 2010.
This table summarizes the history of the championship at ARPXC.


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Friday, September 27, 2019

Kyra Swart and Patrick Koon soar at the Falcon Invitational

"I haven't run cross-country ever before," said Kyra Swart. "I've been a sprinter, running 200 and 400 meters. Probably my best event though is the 80-meter hurdles."

Ella Holman, Kyra Swart, Madison Sims
Ella Holman, Kyra Swart, & Madison Sims

Nevertheless, Swart is getting the hang of the cross-country game. The Deerlake sixth-grader won the girls' 3K at the Falcon Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet on Thursday evening, 26 September 2019, her second win of the season. Swart's time on the three-kilometer course through Tallahassee, Florida's Phipps Park was 12:31. The Swift Creek Wolves were first in the girls' team standings, while the Fairview Falcons were the top boys' team. Fairview sixth-grader Patrick Koon won the boys' 3K, running 10:11.


The girls' ran first in Phipps Park, their race starting just after 6:00 PM. The park was hot, dry, and dusty, the sky bright and cloudless. 700 meters into the race, three runners were well out in front of the rest of the field. Madison Sims, a Fort Braden seventh-grader, was the pacesetter, with Kyra Swart and Deerlake eighth-grader Ella Holman following in her shadow.

Kyra Swart
Kyra Swart

"We stayed together for a while," said Swart. "But about one mile I picked it up."


Making a move going up the biggest hill on the course, Swart broke away from the other two runners, going on to win by over 50 meters in 12:31. Holman took second in 12:44. Sims held off a late charge by Elizabeth Kessler, a Swift Creek eighth-grader, to take third, 12:49 to 12:51.

Ella Holman
Ella Holman

Ava Jones and Natalie Nelson, both of Swift Creek, joined their teammate Kessler in the top ten, eighth-grader Jones sixth in 13:06 and seventh-grader Nelson ninth in 13:25. Seventh-grader Aza Hampton (12th, 13:32) and eighth-grader Naomi Buchanan completed the scoring for Swift Creek, giving the Wolves 44 points and their first victory of the season.


Seventh-grader Aditi Mukhirala placed fifth in 13:05, leading the Montford Mustangs to second in the team standings with 51 points. Swart and Holman's Deerlake Bucks were third in the six-team field with 58 points.

Elizabeth Kessler
Elizabeth Kessler

2019 Falcon Invitational Girls' Team Scores
  1. Swift Creek, 44
  2. Montford, 51
  3. Deerlake, 58
  4. Raa, 97
  5. Fairview, 153
  6. Fort Braden, 156

Top Ten, 2019 Falcon Invitational Girls' 3K
  1. 12:30.55, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
  2. 12:43.39, Ella Holman (Deerlake) 8
  3. 12:48.94, Madison Sims (Fort Braden) 7
  4. 12:50.68, Elizabeth Kessler (Swift Creek) 8
  5. 13:04.62, Aditi Mukhirala (Montford) 7
  6. 13:05.55, Ava Jones (Swift Creek) 8
  7. 13:06.30, Mariona Heartsfield (Montford) 7
  8. 13:11.20, Clara Thompson (Montford) 7
  9. 13:24.80, Natalie Nelson (Swift Creek) 7
  10. 13:25.72, Kennedy Bell (Raa) 6

"I really need to work on not falling off during the second half of the race," said Patrick Koon.

Patrick Koon
Patrick Koon

It's hard to push the pace when your closest competitor is a phone call behind you. Koon may not have been in a different area code than the rest of the athletes in the boys' 3K, but he did cross the finish line 100 meters ahead of the next runner. Anyway, it's unlikely that the runner-up would have had time to take his call. Koon already had a comfortable lead of 40 meters after the first 800 meters of the race, but immediately behind him, Justin Greenwood and Jackson Rowe were debating second place. A week earlier, Fairview's Greenwood had outkicked Rowe of Montford for the runner-up spot in the boys' 3K at the Mustang Stampede. Since that last meeting of the two eighth-graders, Jackson had won the middle school boys' 3K at the Alligator Lake Invitational in Lake City, Florida on 21 September 2019.


Rowe wasn't ready to challenge Koon, but he did his best to outrun Greenwood. With just under 300 meters left in the race, Rowe was ten meters ahead of Greenwood. But during that final 300 Greenwood made up those ten meters and then added ten of his own to take second in 13:32. Rowe was third in 10:34. In a battle for fourth, Deerlake eighth-grader Brooks Bowden outkicked Drayden Reams, a Raa eighth-grader, 11:09 to 11:10.

Justin Greenwood
Justin Greenwood

Eighth-grader Ranceeson Grace took sixth place for Fairview. Eighth-grader Enijah Thomas (8th, 11:24) also cracked the top ten for the Falcons. Eighth-grader Keno Rivers was the fifth and final scorer for Fairview, coming in thirteenth in 11:44. Rivers' thirteen points gave the Falcons 30 and first place in a seven-team field.

Fairview and Deerlake have been going back and forth during Leon County Schools' 2019 middle school cross-country season, with Deerlake winning the even-numbered meets and Fairview the odd-numbered events. The Falcon Invitational was the fifth meet of the season, so it was Fairview's turn to win. The Deerlake boys were second with 45. Swift Creek was third with 98 point and Montford fourth, also with 98. Seventh-grader Asher Robertson was the top runner for Swift Creek, tenth in 11:31.

Jackon Rowe
Jackon Rowe

Only one middle school cross-country meet remains on the regular season schedule for Leon County Schools, the League Championship at Apalachee Regional Park on Thursday evening, 3 October 2019. The athletes saw ARPXC in the season opener on 29 August 2019. Swart is ready to race on the course again.


"I feel like it has some good uphills and downhills," said Swart. "I could definitely run better now that I know the course."


"I think I can break 10:00," said Koon. "If I can get down to 9:50, I think I'll be competitive at State."

Brooks Bowden, Drayden Reams
Brooks Bowden & Drayden Reams

2019 Falcon Invitational Boys' Team Scores
  1. Fairview, 30
  2. Deerlake, 45
  3. Swift Creek, 98
  4. Montford, 98
  5. Raa, 104
  6. Fort Braden, 171
  7. Griffin, 212

Top Ten, 2019 Falcon Invitational Boys' 3K
  1. 10:10.03, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
  2. 10:31.37, Justin Greenwood (Fairview) 8
  3. 10:33.16, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 8
  4. 11:08.63, Brooks Bowden (Deerlake) 8
  5. 11:09.38, Drayden Reams (Raa) 8
  6. 11:16.38, Ranceeson Grace (Fairview) 8
  7. 11:16.95, Jonah Blay (Deerlake) 8
  8. 11:23.68, Enijah Thomas (Fairview) 8
  9. 11:28.54, Cade Swart (Deerlake) 8
  10. 11:30.08, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 7

Falcon Invitational Champions
2018 - 2019
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2018Swift Creek, 3411:27.82, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
26 September 2019Swift Creek, 4412:30.55, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2018Deerlake, 359:49.60, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
26 September 2019Fairview, 3010:10.03, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8


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Friday, September 20, 2019

Kyra Swart and Patrick Koon saddle up at the Mustang Stampede Cross-Country Meet

There was a lot of Deerlake at the Mustang Stampede Middle School Cross-Country Meet on Thursday evening, 19 September 2019. Montford Middle School hosted the seventh annual meet, but it was the Deerlake Middle School Bucks who took team titles in both the girls' 3K race and the boys' 3K race. Deerlake sixth-grader Kyra Swart placed first in the girls' race. Instead of a Deerlake athlete, though, the top spot in the boys' race when to Fairview eighth-grader Patrick Koon, his fourth win in four outings during the Leon County Schools' 2019 middle school cross-country season.

Madison Sims, Kyra Swart
Madison Sims & Kyra Swart

Competition opened just after 6:00 PM with the girls' 3K. 99 athletes from eight different school scrambled for the lead. When the dust had cleared, though, Fort Braden seventh-grader Madison Sims was setting the pace, with Kyra Swart of Deerlake just behind her. Sims was still leading near the one-kilometer mark, where the athletes turned into a wooded section of the course. Coming out of the woods nearly a kilometer later, Swart was ahead.


Sims wasn't going away. Just past the two-kilometer mark, she overtook Swart. Sims was still ahead with less than 500 meters to go, but Swart was less than ten meters back. It was still a race.

Ella Holman
Ella Holman

And it was a race all the way to the finish line, where Swart outkicked Sims to eke out a 13:03 to 13:05 win, the first of the season for the Deerlake sixth-grader. It was also the best showing of the LCS season for Sims, who had previously placed sixth at the Fort Braden Run and the ARPXC Invitational. Deerlake eighth-grader Ella Holman passed Sophia Youngberg, a Montford seventh-grader, late in the race to take third in 13:26. Youngberg was fourth in 13:29.

Sophia Youngberg
Sophia Youngberg

It was Montford' home course, and in addition to Youngberg, the Mustangs also put seventh-graders Aditi Mukhirala (7th, 13:59) and Clara Thompson (8th, 14:04) into the top ten. But four athletes cracked the top ten for Deerlake--Swart, Youngberg, eighth-grader Leah Kiros (9th, 14:07), and seventh-grader Callie Byington (10th, 14:17). When sixth-grader London Mellen crossed the line in 14:49 to take seventeenth for the Bucks, the Deerlake girls had 40 points and their first win of the season. Montford was a close second with 56 points. Led by the fifth place, 13:34 finish of eighth-grader Ava Jones, Swift Creek was fourth in the seven-team field with 56 points.


2019 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Girls
  1. Deerlake, 40
  2. Montford, 44
  3. Swift Creek, 56
  4. Raa, 107
  5. Cobb, 163
  6. Fairview, 170
  7. Fort Braden, 183
  8. Griffin, NTS

Top 10 Girls, 2019 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K
  1. 13:02.18, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
  2. 13:04.39, Madison Sims (Fort Braden) 7
  3. 13:25.28, Ella Holman (Deerlake) 8
  4. 13:28.13, Sophia Youngberg (Montford) 7
  5. 13:33.32, Ava Jones (Swift Creek) 8
  6. 13:33.76, Elizabeth Kessler (Swift Creek) 8
  7. 13:58.61, Aditi Mukhirala (Montford) 7
  8. 14:03.77, Clara Thompson (Montford) 7
  9. 14:06.79, Leah Kiros (Deerlake) 8
  10. 14:16.71, Callie Byington (Deerlake) 7

"I didn't think I ran well today," said Patrick Koon, shortly after the boys' 3K.

Patrick Koon
Patrick Koon

Some athletes are driven by discontent. It was difficult to find fault with Koon's performance, though. The Fairview eighth-grader won his race at the Mustang Stampede by close to 150 meters, leading from wire to wire and running 10:54. Behind him, though, there was a race on for second. Two eighth-graders, Justin Greenwood and Jackson Rowe of Montford, were in a dogfight all the way to the finish line. Rowe had been close to Greenwood all season, but not this close. The home course wasn't a factor, either.


"We just rebuilt the course this week," said Rowe. "I only got to run the course three times. Last time I was slacking a little bit, but this time I changed my game plan."


Greenwood made his own adjustments to Rowe's challenge.

Justin Greenwood, Jackson Rowe
Justin Greenwood & Jackson Rowe

"I just thought, I'm going to pace off of him and then kick it," said Greenwood.


Greenwood's plan passed the test. The Fairview runner held off Rowe on the homestretch to take second, 11:28 to 11:29.


Rowe was followed across the finish line by a whole lot of Deerlake. The Bucks took the next three places, with eighth-grader Brooks Bowden fourth in 11:41, eighth-grader Davis McNeely fifth in 11:49, and seventh-grader Danny Mauldin sixth in 11:49. Eighth-grader Cade Swart also cracked the top ten for Deerlake, nabbing ninth in 11:52. Eighth-grader Jonah Blay finished the scoring for the Bucks, taking twelfth in 12:06. The Deerlake boys had 36 points, putting them first among the eight teams in the race.

Davis McNeely, Danny Mauldin, Drayden Reams
Davis McNeely, Danny Mauldin, & Drayden Reams

Fairview was second with 40 points. On the boys' side, Fairview and Deerlake have split the first four meets of the season, with each team claiming two wins. The boys from Montford, the host school, were third with 87 points.


The middle schools of Leon County Schools are close to the conclusion of their 2019 cross-country season. Next up is the penultimate meet of the year, the Falcon Invitational at Phipps Park on Thursday evening, 26 September 2019. The season closes seven days later on Thursday evening, 3 October 2019, with the League Championship at Apalachee Regional Park.


2019 Mustang Stampede Team Standings, Boys
  1. Deerlake, 36
  2. Fairview, 40
  3. Montford, 87
  4. Swift Creek, 113
  5. Raa, 113
  6. Cobb, 185
  7. Fort Braden, 194
  8. Griffin, 214

Top 10 Boys, 2019 Montford Mustang Stampede 3K
  1. 10:53.95, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
  2. 11:27.54, Justin Greenwood (Fairview) 8
  3. 11:28.03, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 8
  4. 11:40.90, Brooks Bowden (Deerlake) 8
  5. 11:48.67, Davis McNeely (Deerlake) 8
  6. 11:48.91, Danny Mauldin (Deerlake) 7
  7. 11:49.50, Ranceeson Grace (Fairview) 8
  8. 11:50.56, Drayden Reams (Raa) 8
  9. 11:51.61, Cade Swart (Deerlake) 8
  10. 11:59.54, Asher Robertson (Swift Creek) 7


Mustang Cross-Country Stampede Champions
2013 - 2019
Girls
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2013Swift Creek, 37 points13:42, Saige Kemeny (Montford) 7
10 September 2014Swift Creek, 3412:46, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
30 September 2015Swift Creek, 4312:25, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
28 September 2016Montford, 4313:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
28 September 2017Swift Creek, 2013:12, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
20 September 2018Montford, 4011:45, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
19 September 2019Deerlake, 4013:03, Kyra Swart (Deerlake) 6
Boys
DateTeam ChampIndividual Champ
27 September 2013Montford, 56 points11:56, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
10 September 2014Swift Creek, 6612:14, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
30 September 2015Deerlake, 4311:56, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2016Swift Creek, 3911:28, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 7
28 September 2017Deerlake, 4211:15, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
20 September 2018Deerlake, 349:43, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
19 September 2019Deerlake, 3610:54, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 8
From 2013 to 2017, the race distance at the Mustang Stampede was two miles. In
2018 the distance was changed to three kilometers.


The middle schools of Leon County Schools continue their cross-country season on Thursday, 27 September 2018, with the Falcon Invitational, hosted by Fairview at Phipps Park. On Thursday, 4 October 2018, the season concludes with a return to Apalachee Regional Park for the league championship meet.


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