Grace Koeppel and Leo Rutledge lead a Maclay sweep of 1A District 4

For some athletes in North Florida, the high school cross-country state championship series opened in Lake City on Thursday, 29 October 2020 with the 1A District 4 Meet. Maclay swept the team titles in that opening round competition at Alligator Lake Park, the girls scoring a winning 19 points and the boys nabbing first in their race with 18 points. Maclay frosh Gracie Koeppel was first in the girls' 5K with a 20:50. In the boys' 5K, Maclay senior Leo Rutledge edged Maclay junior Jackson Yarbrough for the win, 17:24 to 17:25.

Grace Koeppel

Morgan Wilson, a Community Christian junior, was second in 21:11. As it turned out, Wilson was the only barrier between Maclay and a perfect score, because the next four places were Maclay's remaining scorers--seventh-grader Lillian Koeppel was third in 22:24, frosh Natalie Hammett was fourth in 22:29, seventh-grader Nishi Bhanderi was fifth in 22:57, and eighth-grader Payton Thumm was sixth in 22:58. After that wave of blue-clad runners, Maclay had nineteen points and the 2020 1A District 4 girls' cross-country title.


Led by Wilson, Community Christian was second in the team standings with 50 points. Saint Joseph scored 71 points to take third; the top runner on the Saint Augustine school's team was sophomore Ana Whitehouse, seventh in 23:26. Aucilla Christian was fourth with 110 points, led by their top sophomore, Samantha Drawdy (18th, 25:15).


Maclay, Community Christian, and Saint Joseph qualified for the next round in the state championship series, the 1A Region 1 Championship Meet at New World Golf in Jacksonville, Florida on Friday morning, 6 November 2020.


Girls' Team Standings, FHSAA 1A District 4 Cross-Country Meet

1. Maclay, 19 *
2. Community Christian, 50 *
3. Saint Joseph, 71 *
4. Aucilla Christian, 110

* Team advances to the 1A Region 1 Championship


Top Ten Girls, FHSAA 1A District 4 Cross-Country Meet

1. 20:49.22, Gracie Koeppel (Maclay) 9
2. 21:10.54, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11
3. 22:23.81, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 7
4. 22:28.26, Natalie Hammett (Maclay) 9
5. 22:56.06, Nishi Bhanderi (Maclay) 7
6. 22:57.54, Payton Thumm (Maclay) 8
7. 23:25.02, Ana Whitehouse (Saint Joseph) 10
8. 23:28.96, Sarah Tychsen (Community Christian) 9
9. 23:48.33, Jane-Kathry Whittington (Maclay) 12
10. 24:10.29, Olivia Bishop (Maclay) 9

In the girls' race, only Community Christian's Morgan Wilson prevented Maclay from having a perfect score. Similarly, in the boys' race only one runner came between Maclay and a perfect score. After Maclay's Leo Rutledge (1st, 17:24) and Jackson Yarbrough (2nd, 17:25) had taken the first two places for the Marauders, Saint Joseph sophomore Victor Farfan grabbed third with a 17:55.

Leo Rutledge

But Farfan was followed by a lot of runners in Maclay blue. Marauder sophomore Clayton Knox was fourth in 18:05, Marauder sophomore Carter Rothell was fifth in 19:01, and Marauder junior Lawrence Bishop placed sixth in 19:13. That gave the Maclay boys eighteen points and the win.


Victor Farfan and Saint Joseph put up 69 points and grabbed the runner-up spot in 1A District 4. Community Christian, led by senior Nicholas Ciarlariello (8th, 19:26), scored 80 points for third.


Maclay, Saint Joseph, and Community Christian each advanced to the 1A Region 1 meet.


Boys' Team Standings, FHSAA 1A District 4 Cross-Country Meet

1. Maclay, 18 *
2. Saint Joseph, 69 *
3. Community Christian, 80 *
4. Aucilla Christian, 85
5. Saint John Paul II, 144
6. Wakulla Christian, 171

* Team advances to the 1A Region 1 Championship


Top Ten Boys, FHSAA 1A District 4 Cross-Country Meet

1. 17:23.42, Leo Rutledge (Maclay) 12
2. 17:24.18, Jackson Yarbrough (Maclay) 11
3. 17:54.40, Victor Farfan (Saint Joseph) 10
4. 18:04.20, Clayton Knox (Maclay) 10
5. 19:00.49, Carter Rothell (Maclay) 10
6. 19:12.59, Lawrence Bishop (Maclay) 11
7. 19:18.27, Wyatt Stafford (Aucilla Christian) 12
8. 19:25.15, Nicholas Ciarlariello (Community Christian) 12
9. 19:25.64, Ashton Akam (Saint Joseph) 9
10. 19:27.57, Sean-Patrick McCann (Maclay) 12

Links

• Complete results of the 2020 FHSAA 1A District 4 Cross-Country Championship Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vS-Z7u5FSv0xK03KrBfi52cPeH136opk8m3OMOUWaH9kSEUq2eyaKf-stAMokojdQN3dRM1O_6bEFpE/pubhtml
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of the 2020 FHSAA District Cross-Country Championships
  • 4A District 1: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/fhsaa-4a-district-1-2020.html
    
  • 3A District 2: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/11/fhsaa-3a-district-2-2020.html
    
  • 1A District 4: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/10/fhsaa-1a-district-4-2020.html
  
  
• Find your next race--road, track, or trail--on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2734

Community Christian and Maclay score wins at the John Paul II Kickoff Cross-Country Meet

On Saturday morning, 5 September 2020, marking Tallahassee, Florida's first cross-country race of the season, the Community Christian girls came out on top of a field of three teams at Saint John Paul II Catholic High School's Cross-Country Kickoff, scoring 22 points. Community Christian junior Morgan Wilson won the race around the Southwood campus of John Paul II, running 22:35. A Maclay School senior, Leo Rutledge, won the boys' 5K in 18:04, leading the Marauders to first in the team standings with 41 points.


With the COVID-19 pandemic simmering, the FHSAA had delayed the start of the season to 4 September 2020. Many schools were not allowed to travel. Tallahassee's parks were closed to events. But the John Paul II Panthers had an on-campus cross-country course, and Tallahassee has more than a few high schools with teams. Five of them showed up for the Kickoff, plus a lone athlete from Thomasville, Georgia's Brookwood School. The Panthers' course already had a history, having been the venue for the Panther Invitational during 2016 to 2019. The players were ready, the stage was set.


Morgan Wilson of Community Christian led the charge in the first race, the girls' 5K. Wilson's winning 22:35 put her more than 200 meters ahead of the next runner, Community Christian senior Karis Desotell. Desotell was runner-up in 23:38. Niya Coleman, a Florida State University School sophomore, outkicked Community Christian frosh Sarah Tychsen for third, 23:57 to 23:58.


After placing three athletes in the top four, Community Christian had two more in the top eight--sophomore Teresa Meli (7th, 24:35) and junior Katherine Bouck (8th, 25:03). After that, the Chargers had a mathematically unbeatable score of 22 points and the team tite. Maclay, led by eighth-grader Payton Thumm (5th, 24:12), was second with 44 points. Florida State placed third with 54.


Girls' Team Standings, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. Community Christian, 22
2. Maclay, 44
3. Florida State University, 54

Top Ten Girls, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. 22:34.57, Morgan Wilson (Community Christian) 11
2. 23:37.15, Karis Desotell (Community Christian) 12
3. 23:56.05, Niya Coleman (Florida State University) 10
4. 23:57.59, Sarah Tychsen (Community Christian) 9
5. 24:11.87, Payton Thumm (Maclay) 8
6. 24:30.98, Nishi Bhanderi (Maclay) 7
7. 24:34.06, Teresa Meli (Community Christian) 10
8. 25:02.50, Katherine Bouck (Community Christian) 11
9. 25:14.64, Leah Keller (Florida State University) 9
10. 25:43.40, Kassidy Moninger (Maclay) 8

The boys' race was scheduled for 8:45, after the girls had cleared the course. Wearing Maclay colors, Leo Rutledge crossed the line first for the Marauders, nearly 300 meters ahead of the next runner. Like Community Christian in the girls' race, Maclay had the top two athletes in the boys' 5K, with Marauder sophomore Clayton Knox taking second in 19:10. Community Christian senior Nicholas Ciarlariello was third in 20:13.


Maclay also had a third runner in the top ten, sophomore Carter Rothel, who was fourth in 20:18. Junior Eli Mears (12th, 21:22) and frosh Charles Rust (26th, 24:37) completed the scoring for the Marauders, giving Maclay 41 points and the win. The Community Christian boys were second with 56 points. The hosts, Saint John Paul II Catholic, placed third with 69 points, led by the seventh-place finish of senior Nicholas Moran (20:44).


John Paul II plans to host their fifth annual Panther Invitational on Saturday, 12 September 2020--just seven days after the Kickoff.


Boys' Team Standings, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. Maclay, 41
2. Community Christian, 56
3. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 69
4. Florida State University, 83
5. North Florida Christian, 105

Top Ten Boys, 2020 John Paul II XC Kickoff

1. 18:03.63, Leo Rutledge (Maclay) 12
2. 19:09.61, Clayton Knox (Maclay) 10
3. 20:12.39, Nicholas Ciarlariello (Community Christian) 12
4. 20:17.62, Carter Rothel (Maclay) 10
5. 20:24.06, Tyler Grubbs (North Florida Christian) 12
6. 20:37.12, Bryce Broga (Florida State University) 10
7. 20:43.11, Nicholas Moran (Saint John Paul II Catholic) 12
8. 20:46.17, Caleb Lindsey (Community Christian) 9
9. 20:49.61, Kent Grayson (Brookwood) 7
10. 21:07.41, Zachary Wynn (North Florida Christian) 12

Links

• Complete results of Saint John Paul II Catholic High School's Cross-Country Kickoff
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSpW-zSmXI9_zHbxdzTHQF54VtFJNAteJAXgC0zh1q2pYNmGsEefA-59QHRpKkpUUy0Xaah2FGVUFWT/pubhtml
  
  

#2701