Showing posts with label Lewis Benitez-Chaparro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lewis Benitez-Chaparro. Show all posts

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Kambry Smith, Lewis Benitez-Chaparro, St. Augustine, and Leon keep rolling toward State

At its most challenging, cross-country is a sport of barriers. Hills, hedges, fallen trees, fences, and creeks are all barriers that an athlete might encounter during a cross-country race. For a high school cross-country team in Florida, though, there is one last barrier before the State Championship Meet, and that's the Regional. In order to get to State, a team has to place high enough in the Regional Meet to qualify. At the 3A Region 1 Championship Meet on Saturday morning, 2 November 2019, the Saint Augustine girls cleared that hurdle with room to spare, winning the regional title with 40 points. Likewise, the Leon High boys won their race, scoring 48. Fort Walton Beach senior Kambry Smith took first in the girls' 5K, running 18:42.44. In the boys' 5K, Vanguard senior Lewis Benitez-Chaparro edged Pace junior Francisco Ramirez for the win, 16:09.05 to 16:10.00.

Kambry Smith
Kambry Smith

For Kambry Smith, it was her second post-season win during 2019; nine days earlier she had won the 3A District 1 girls' 5K at Apalachee Regional Park, leading her team to a spot in the Regional Meet. Saint Augustine sophomore Reilly Barber took the runner-up spot behind Barber with a 19:07. Another Saint Augustine harrier, senior Madison Niederriter, was third in 19:14. Ani Veltcheva, a Gainesville sophomore, placed fourth in 19:23.


Saint Augustine had three runners in the top ten--more than any other team--when Elliott Fluman, a senior, finished fifth for the Yellowjackets in 19:25. Juniors Karah McElhone and Illiana Woodruff completed the scoring for Saint Augustine, placing fourteenth in 20:39 and eighteenth in 20:56. With that, the Yellowjackets had 40 points and the first-place team trophy.


Ponte Vedra and Leon each had 100 points. Leon's top runner, junior Avery Calabro (6th, 10:40), finished well ahead of Ponte Vedra's ace, junior Lauren Bing (16th, 20:50). But in high school cross-country, when scores are equal it's the sixth runner that decides the team's place, and Ponte Vedra's sixth runner, senior Sarah McMullin (43rd, 21:44), gave her team the advantage and second place. Leon was third in the eighteen-team field.


The top eight teams qualified for State. Saint Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and Leon each advanced, as did Fort Walton Beach (4th, 149), Choctawhatchee (5th, 170), Matanzas (6th, 180), Wakulla (7th, 237), and Vanguard (8th, 251).


Team Standings, 2019 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Girls' Cross-Country Championships
  1. Saint Augustine, 40
  2. Ponte Vedra, 100
  3. Leon, 100
  4. Fort Walton Beach, 149
  5. Choctawhatchee, 170
  6. Matanzas, 180
  7. Wakulla, 237
  8. Vanguard, 251
  9. Gainesville, 262
  10. Gulf Breeze, 271
  11. Stanton, 310
  12. Lincoln, 326
  13. Mainland, 339
  14. New Smyrna Beach, 349
  15. Pace, 355
  16. Seabreeze, 363
  17. Columbia, 372
  18. Middleburg, 379

Top 15 Girls, 2019 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Championships
  1. 18:42.5, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11
  2. 19:06.5, Reilly Barber (Saint Augustine) 10
  3. 19:13.8, Madison Niederriter (Saint Augustine) 12
  4. 19:22.5, Annabella Veltcheva (Gainesville) 10
  5. 19:24.3, Elliott Fluman (Saint Augustine) 12
  6. 19:39.1, Avery Calabro (Leon) 11
  7. 19:54.1, Kathryn Underhill (Mosley) 12
  8. 20:05.9, Lily Moore (Leon) 9
  9. 20:07.3, Sydney Stelly (Stanton) 12
  10. 20:08.7, Lillian Unger (Leon) 11
  11. 20:15.0, Kelly Steffens (Matanzas) 12
  12. 20:18.1, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 10
  13. 20:21.2, Deanna Bottino (Choctawhatchee) 10
  14. 20:38.5, Karah McElhone (Saint Augustine) 11
  15. 20:41.5, Lauren Whittier (Lincoln) 11

Lewis Benitez-Chaparro and Francisco Ramirez had already tangled nine days earlier in the boys' race at the 3A District 1 Meet. That race had gone down to the final 200 meters, when Benitez-Chaparro pulled away with the finish line in sight and grabbed a 16:04 to 16:11 win. It was even closer in Lake City. Vanguard's Benitez-Chaparro crossed the finish line less than a second before his Pace rival, Ramirez. Benitez-Chaparro had beaten Ramirez again, 16:09.05 to 16:10.00, but the two would meet again a week later at the State Meet.

Lewis Benitez-Chaparro, Francisco Ramirez
Lewis Benitez-Chaparro and Francisco Ramirez

Behind the duelling Benitez-Chaparro and Ramirez, Leon sophomore Jackson Yarbrough placed third in 16:30. Leon frosh Jacob Rogers took fourth in 16:43, edging out Choctawhatchee junior Darius Johnson (5th, 16:44).


Leon had a third top-ten finisher, senior Assencha Ashebo, who was seventh in 16:50. Leon's remaining two scorers were seniors Bryson Gonzalez (14th, 17:00) and Jackson Roberts (20th, 17:15), giving the Lions 48 points and the Region 1 title--their first since 2014.


Ponte Vedra, led by junior Lucas Bouquot (6th, 16:46), was second among nineteen teams with 108 points. Darius Johnson's Choctawhatchee team was third with 130 points, just a few points better than Gainesville (4th, 135) and Stanton (5th, 136). Also qualifying for State were Fort Walton Beach (6th, 160), Lincoln (7th, 180), and Vanguard (8th, 196).


The State Championship Meet will be in Tallahassee, Florida at Apalacheee Regional Park on Saturday morning, 9 November 2019. Florida's State Championship in High School Cross-Country has been contested 53 times since 1947; the meet has been at Apalachee Regional Park each year since 2012.


Team Standings, 2019 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Boys' Cross-Country Championships
  1. Leon, 48
  2. Ponte Vedra, 108
  3. Choctawhatchee, 130
  4. Gainesville, 135
  5. Stanton, 136
  6. Fort Walton Beach, 160
  7. Lincoln, 180
  8. Vanguard, 196
  9. Saint Augustine, 219
  10. Pace, 225
  11. Gulf Breeze, 275
  12. Matanzas, 284
  13. New Smyrna Beach, 320
  14. Lecanto, 392
  15. Seabreeze, 438
  16. Belleview, 440
  17. Middleburg, 464
  18. Ridgeview, 476
  19. Pine Ridge, 541

Top 15 Boys, 2019 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Championships
  1. 16:09.1, Lewis Benitez-Chaparro (Vanguard) 12
  2. 16:10.0, Francisco Ramirez (Pace) 11
  3. 16:29.8, Jackson Yarbrough (Leon) 10
  4. 16:42.2, Jacob Rogers (Leon) 9
  5. 16:43.8, Darius Johnson (Choctawhatchee) 11
  6. 16:45.3, Lucas Bouquot (Ponte Vedra) 11
  7. 16:49.7, Assencha Ashebo (Leon) 12
  8. 16:55.7, Christopher Russell (Stanton) 11
  9. 16:55.8, Cameron Heinz (Ponte Vedra) 12
  10. 16:56.1, Dalton Hawley (Matanzas) 12
  11. 16:56.5, Cade Seeber (Gulf Breeze) 11
  12. 16:56.6, Chase Wilson (Lecanto) 12
  13. 16:58.6, Nicholas Samuel (Lincoln) 11
  14. 16:59.1, Bryson Gonzalez (Leon) 12
  15. 16:59.9, Nicholas Cain (Gainesville) 12

Fifteen years of FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Champions, 2005 - 2019
Boys
DateTeam ChampsIndividual Champs
5 November 2005Chiles, 3515:53, Jonathan Blocker (Chiles) 12
4 November 2006Chiles, 5015:40, Eric Larson (Washington) 11
10 November 2007Leon, 3715:19, Eric Larson (Washington) 12
15 November 2008Leon, 2615:45, Matt Mizereck (Leon) 11
14 November 2009Leon, 6215:27, Matt Mizereck (Leon) 12
13 November 2010Washington, 4815:26, William Clark (Creekside) 12
12 November 2011Fort Walton Beach, 9015:30, Thomas Howell (Niceville) 10
10 November 2012Fort Walton Beach, 4915:26, Thomas Howell (Niceville) 11
2 November 2013Chiles, 7815:39, Sukhi Khosla (Leon) 11
8 November 2014Leon, 3514:53, Sukhi Khosla (Leon) 12
31 October 2015Creekside, 4516:07, Matthew Cashin (Leon) 11
29 October 2016Chiles, 6115:51, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 11
4 November 2017Chiles, 4515:49, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 12
3 November 2018Chiles, 6915:43, Connor Phillips (Chiles) 12
2 November 2019Leon, 4816:10, Lewis Benitez-Chaparro (Vanguard) 12
Girls
DateTeam ChampsIndividual Champs
5 November 2005Chiles, 4719:09, Julia Bryant (Chiles) 11
4 November 2006Chiles, 4019:11, Julia Bryant (Chiles) 12
10 November 2007Chiles, 4219:29, Lauren Day (Crestview) 10
15 November 2008Chiles, 1519:02, Carly Thomas (Chiles) 9
14 November 2009Chiles, 3418:30, Lilly Williams (Chiles) 10
13 November 2010Chiles, 4518:07, Lily Williams (Chiles) 11
12 November 2011Chiles, 4317:50, Lilly Williams (Chiles) 12
10 November 2012Fort Walton Beach, 7018:33, Susan Givens (Chiles) 12
2 November 2013Pace, 8718:45, Emma Rudman (Fort Walton Beach) 10
8 November 2014Creekside, 4018:18, Kelly Aponte (Saint Augustine) 11
31 October 2015Niceville, 6318:45, Claire Mortiz (Ponte Vedra) 10
29 October 2016Niceville, 4017:56, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln) 9
4 November 2017Chiles, 3218:08, Ana Wallace (Chiles) 12
3 November 2018Chiles, 4317:53, Claire Openshaw (Creekside) 11
2 November 2019Saint Augustine, 4018:45, Emily Culley (Chiles) 12
The 3A Region 1 meet was run at Ridgeview High in Orange Park in 2005.
The meet was run at the Miccosukee Greenway in Tallahassee in 2006, 2007, and 2008.
The meet was run at Sunnyhill Farms near Tallahassee in 2009, 2010, 2012, 
and 2014.
The meet was run at Alligator Lake in Lake City in 2011, 2013, and 2015.
The meet was run at Sante Fe College in Gainesville in 2016.
The meet was run at New World Golf in Jacksonville in 2018.
 The meet was held at The Oaks Equestrian Park in Lake City in 2017 and 2019.


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Friday, October 25, 2019

Leon's teams, Kambry Smith, and Lewis Benitez-Chaparro each leave 3A District 1 as champions

It was a different FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship Meet at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park on Thursday morning, 24 October 2019. Instead of just the western tip of the Florida Panhandle, the district went all the way from Pensacola in the west to Ocala in the east. In the new, larger District 1, the players had changed--neither Niceville nor Chiles were still in the District, having moved up to class 4A, while Wakulla was a new addition from class 2A. But it was Leon High School, a long-time player in class 3A, which came out of the meet as District champion in both the boys' race and the girls' race. Fort Walton Beach junior Kambry Smith won the girls' 5K in 18:44, while Ocala Vanguard senior Lewis Benitez-Chaparro was first in the boys' race with a 16:04.

Kambry Smith
Kambry Smith

Competition opened under cloudy skies at 8:00 AM with the girls' race. Gainesville sophomore Ani Veltcheva, the runner-up in Florida's 2018 high school cross-country state championship race, led the early charge, but Kambry Smith just off her shoulder. By two kilometers into the race, Smith had taken over the lead, ten meters ahead of Veltcheva. That gap widened to nearly 100 meters by the three-kilometer mark. Unchallenged during the final two kilometers, Smith crossed the line first in 18:44. It was Smith's career-best time at Apalachee Regional Park, the state meet course, and thirteen seconds better than her mark in the Pre-State Invitational at ARPXC twelve days earlier. Behind her, Leon junior Avery Calabro had overtaken Veltcheva, going on to place runner-up in 19:18. Veltcheva finished third in 19:36.


Smith wasn't the only Fort Walton Beach junior in the top ten, Jenson Shonk placed tenth for the Vikings in 20:58. But before Shonk could cross the line, Leon already had scoring performances from Calabro, junior Lillian Unger (5th, 19:59), and frosh Lily Moore (8th, 20:32). Frosh runners Mallory Robinson (25th, 21:51) and Stella Lewis (2:05) capped the Lions score, giving the Leon girls 69 points and the 2019 District title. Fort Walton was a close second with 76 points. Another Okalaoosa County team, Choctawhatchee, took third with 98 points.

Avery Calabro
Avery Calabro

The top ten teams qualified for the Region 1 championship, the second competition in the state championship series. Leon, Fort Walton Beach, and Choctawhatchee advanced, as did Gainesville (4th, 114), Vanguard (5th, 124), Wakulla (6th, 147), Gulf Breeze (7th, 152), Pace (8th, 200), Columbia (9th, 259), and Lincoln (10th, 267). Those teams earned the right to compete at The Oaks Equestrian Center in Lake City, Florida on Saturday, 2 November 2019, in the 3A Region 1 Championship. For the rest of the teams in the race, the 2019 high school cross-country season was over.


Girls' Team Standings, 2019 FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. Leon, 69 *
  2. Fort Walton Beach, 76 *
  3. Choctawhatchee, 98 *
  4. Gainesville, 114 *
  5. Vanguard, 124 *
  6. Wakulla, 147 *
  7. Gulf Breeze, 152 *
  8. Pace, 200 *
  9. Columbia, 259 *
  10. Lincoln, 267 *
  11. Lecanto, 335
  12. Mosley, 360
  13. Belleview, 363
  14. Washington, 413
  15. Milton, 446
  16. Lake Weir, 493
* Team advances to the 3A Region 1 Championship


Top 15 Girls, 2019 FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. 18:43.30, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11
  2. 19:17.50, Avery Calabro (Leon) 11
  3. 19:35.30, Annabella Veltcheva (Gainesville) 10
  4. 19:43.30, Kathryn Underhill (Mosley) 12
  5. 19:58.30, Lillian Unger (Leon) 11
  6. 20:10.40, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 10
  7. 20:18.40, Deanna Bottino (Choctawhatchee) 10
  8. 20:31.70, Lily Moore (Leon) 9
  9. 20:38.50, Julia Charske (Vanguard) 11
  10. 20:57.30, Jensen Shonk (Fort Walton Beach) 11
  11. 21:03.50, Diamond Cooper (Wakulla) 12
  12. 21:17.70, Susan Ryan (Gainesville) 12
  13. 21:19.40, Elisa Williamson (Gulf Breeze) 10
  14. 21:20.50, Brylie Kilgore (Choctawhatchee) 9
  15. 21:23.10, Lauren Whittier (Lincoln) 11

The five-kilometer course at Apalachee Regional Park is two loops. The loops differ in length, but both take the runners up "the Wall," a steep rise. Choctaw junior Darius Johnson led opening stages of the 3A District 1 boys' race, but after the first trip up the Wall he had fallen into third, trailing Vanguard senior Lewis Benitez-Chaparro and Pace junior Francisco Ramirez. Two Leon runners--sophomore Jackson Yarbrough and frosh Jacob Rogers--were also moving up on Johnson.

Lewis Benitez-Chaparro, Francisco Ramirez
Lewis Benitez-Chaparro & Francisco Ramirez

After the second climb of the Wall, Benitez-Chaparro still had the lead, with Ramirez less than a step behind. The race was still that close with 200 meters to go. On the home stretch, Benitez-Chaparro sprinted away from Ramirez, taking the district title in 16:04. Ramirez was second in 16:11. Yarbrough was third in 16:14 and Rogers fourth in 16:30. Johnson outkicked Gainesville senior Nicholas Cain for fifth, 16:36 to 16:40.


Leon senior Bryson Gonzalez placed tenth in 16:59, making three athletes in the top ten for the Lions. The Lions completed their scoring with senior Assencha Ashebo finishing fourteenth in 17:08 and sophomore Leo Kelly twentieth in 17:15, giving the Leon boys 51 points and first place in the field of twenty teams.

Jackson Yarbrough
Jackson Yarbrough

Nicholas Cain's Gainesville squad placed second with 81 points, joining Leon in qualifying for the Region 1 contest as did Johnson and Choctawhatchee by placing third with 92 points. Lincoln (4th, 134), Vanguard (5th, 138), Fort Walton Beach (6th, 147), Pace (7th, 187), Gulf Breeze (8th, 195), Lecanto (9th, 280), and Belleview (10th, 310) also advanced to the Region 1 championship in Lake City.


The teams in Lake City on 2 November 2019 will be racing for a berth in Florida's 2019 State Cross-Country Championship Meet. The top eight teams in each race will qualify for the State Meet, scheduled for Saturday, 9 November 2019, on the Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course in Tallahassee.


Boys' Team Standings, 2019 FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. Leon, 51 *
  2. Gainesville, 81 *
  3. Choctawhatchee, 92 *
  4. Lincoln, 134 *
  5. Vanguard, 138 *
  6. Fort Walton Beach, 147 *
  7. Pace, 187 *
  8. Gulf Breeze, 195 *
  9. Lecanto, 280 *
  10. Belleview, 310 *
  11. Wakulla, 312
  12. Columbia, 385
  13. Washington, 386
  14. Milton, 409
  15. Arnold, 426
  16. Mosley, 452
  17. Rickards, 495
  18. Escambia, 522
  19. Pine Forest, 537
  20. Lake Weir, 556
* Team advances to the 3A Region 1 Championship


Top 15 Boys, 2019 FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  1. 16:03.60, Lewis Benitez-Chaparro (Vanguard) 12
  2. 16:10.40, Francisco Ramirez (Pace) 11
  3. 16:13.70, Jackson Yarbrough (Leon) 10
  4. 16:29.30, Jacob Rogers (Leon) 9
  5. 16:35.50, Darius Johnson (Choctawhatchee) 11
  6. 16:40.00, Nicholas Cain (Gainesville) 12
  7. 16:41.90, Cade Seeber (Gulf Breeze) 11
  8. 16:55.20, Nicholas Samuel (Lincoln) 11
  9. 16:58.00, Finn Youberg (Gulf Breeze) 11
  10. 16:58.50, Bryson Gonzalez (Leon) 12
  11. 16:59.60, Michael Egorov (Gainesville) 12
  12. 17:02.70, Kaleb Hollins (Choctawhatchee) 9
  13. 17:05.70, Ryan Sloan (Fort Walton Beach) 11
  14. 17:07.10, Assencha Ashebo (Leon) 12
  15. 17:07.60, Benjamin Mock (Gainesville) 12

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