Lillee Tang and Graham Myers score wins in 3A Region 1 cross-country

In Florida, the last obstacle that high school cross-country teams encounter on their way to the State Championships is a Regional Championship Meet. In 2022, you had to place as one of the top eight squads in your Region to advance to State. For the class 3A schools of Region 1, this test was at Sante Fe College in Gainesville, Florida on Saturday morning, 29 October 2022. The Ponte Vedra Sharks tested partiularly well, sweeping the team titles--the girls putting up 37 points in their race and the boys 42. The winning individual on the girls' side was Leon senior Lillee Tang, who covered the five-kilometer course in 18:08. The boys' champ was Fleming Island junior Graham Myers, first in 15:41.


The girls were scheduled to race first, with a starting time of 9:45. Lillee Tang had placed second in the Region in 2021, finishing runner-up to the defending champ, Sofia Bushkell of Ponte Vedra. A week earlier, Tang had finished second in the District to Belicia O'Grady, a Fort Walton Beach sophomore. Neither runner would touch Tang in this year's Region; the Leon senior's winning 18:08 put her across the finish line 80 meters ahead of her nearest challenger. Lindy White, a Ponte Vedra junior, took second in 18:25. Fort Walton Beach's O'Grady was third in 18:32.


Sophomores Daisy Ross and Sofia Bushkell joined Lindy White in cracking the top ten for Ponte Vedra, Ross sixth in 18:42 and Bushkell seventh in 18:58. The next two Sharks were senior Lily Darnell (11th, 19:47) and junior Hilaree Vega (13th, 19:56), giving Ponte Vedra 37 points and the Region 1 title for the second straight year.


The Leon girls were second with 57 points. Fort Walton Beach was third with 88. Five more teams also qualifed for the State Final--Fleming Island (4th, 95 points), Saint Augustine (5th, 98 points), Choctawhatchee (6th, 198 points), Matanzas (7th, 225 points), and Gainesville (8th, 230 points).


Team Standings, 2022 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Girls' Cross-Country Championships

1. Ponte Vedra, 37 *
2. Leon, 57 *
3. Fort Walton Beach, 88 *
4. Fleming Island, 95 *
5. Saint Augustine, 98 *
6. Choctawhatchee, 198 *
7. Matanzas, 225 *
8. Gainesville, 230 *
9. Gulf Breeze, 256
10. Stanton, 282
11. Arnold, 298
12. Lincoln, 361
13. Ridgeview, 373
14. Middleburg, 379
15. Milton, 414
16. Mosley, 420

* Team qualified to race in the State Championship


Top 15 Girls, 2022 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Championships

1. 18:07.5, Lillee Tang (Leon) 12
2. 18:24.8, Lindy White (Ponte Vedra) 11
3. 18:31.6, Belicia O'Grady (Fort Walton Beach) 10
4. 18:34.2, Katelyn Lawrence (Saint Augustine) 11
5. 18:35.1, Lily Moore (Leon) 12
6. 18:41.9, Daisy Ross (Ponte Vedra) 10
7. 18:58.0, Sofia Bushkell (Ponte Vedra) 10
8. 19:04.0, Elyse Carmichael (Washington) 10
9. 19:08.1, Lauren Voutour (Saint Augustine) 10
10. 19:34.3, Tilda Brewer (Fort Walton Beach) 12
11. 19:46.8, Lily Darnell (Ponte Vedra) 12
12. 19:50.3, Rylan Holmquist (Saint Augustine) 11
13. 19:55.8, Hilaree Vega (Ponte Vedra) 11
14. 20:00.7, Brooke Reynolds (Fleming Island) 9
15. 20:07.6, Mallory Robinson (Leon) 12
16. 20:08.0, Katelyn Thompson (Fleming Island) 12

A transfer from class 1A Saint Johns Country Day School, this was Graham Myers first year at Fleming Island and his first year at the class 3A Region 1 Championship Meet. It was quite the debut for the Fleming Island junior--he won the race by over 50 meters, running 15:41. Already the 3A District 2 champion, Myers was now undefeated in the post-season going into the State Meet.


Grant Doherty, a Ponte Vedra senior, took second in 15:51, moving up from his fourth-place showing in the 2021 3A Region 1 race. In a showdown of two panhandle runners, Choctawhatee senior Kaleb Holling edged Fort Walton Beach junior Grant Chastain for third, both athletes clocked in 16:15.


Davis Brown, a Ponte Vedra junior, was fifth in 16:23, Ponte Vedra put two more Sharks in the top ten--senior Nicolo Fasaneli was eighth in 16:28 and sophomore Tanner Brinsko was tenth in 16:34. When Shark frosh Miles Wicks crossed the finish line seventeenth in 17:01, the Ponte Vedra boys had 42 points and ownership of the Region 1 champion trophy.


Fleming Island placed second with 54 points. Leon was third with 64 points, led by junior Quinn Carrasquilla (6th, 16:27).


The other five teams of the eight qualifying for the State Meet were Fort Walton Beach (4th, 140 points), Lincoln, (5th, 187 points), Choctawhatchee (6th, 221 points), Menendez (7th, 237 points), and Matanzas (8th, 250 points).


The FHSAA Cross-Country State Championship Meet is scheduled for Saturday morning, 5 November 2022, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. The 3A girls race at 9:30 AM ET and the 3A Boys go at 10:20.


Team Standings, 2022 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Boys' Cross-Country Championships

1. Ponte Vedra, 42 *
2. Fleming Island, 54 *
3. Leon, 64 *
4. Fort Walton Beach, 140 *
5. Lincoln, 187 *
6. Choctawhatchee, 221 *
7. Menendez, 237 *
8. Matanzas, 250 *
9. Mosley, 269
10. Ridgeview, 271
11. Saint Augustine, 275
12. Gulf Breeze, 303
13. Stanton, 303
14. Arnold, 317
15. Columbia, 358

* Team qualified to race in the State Championship


Top 15 Boys, 2022 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Championships

1. 15:40.3, Graham Myers (Fleming Island) 11
2. 15:50.7, Grant Doherty (Ponte Vedra) 12
3. 16:14.1, Kaleb Hollins (Choctawhatchee) 12
4. 16:14.8, Grant Chastain (Fort Walton Beach) 11
5. 16:22.8, Davis Brown (Ponte Vedra) 11
6. 16:26.9, Quinn Carrasquilla (Leon) 11
7. 16:27.7, Patrick Koon (Leon) 11
8. 16:27.7, Nicolo Fasanelli (Ponte Vedra) 12
9. 16:30.4, John Keester IV (Fleming Island) 11
10. 16:33.2, Tanner Andrade Brinsko (Ponte Vedra) 10
11. 16:37.1, Nicolas Waddell (Mosley) 11
12. 16:38.3, Danny Sakowski (Fleming Island) 12
13. 16:40.1, Jacob Campbell (Fleming Island) 10
14. 16:41.4, Ryan Jones (Menendez) 12
15. 16:51.7, Cadden Maxwell (Leon) 10

FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Champions, 2005 - 2022
Boys
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
5 November 2005	Chiles, 35	15:53, Jonathan Blocker (Chiles) 12
4 November 2006	Chiles, 50	15:40, Eric Larson (Washington) 11
10 November 2007	Leon, 37	15:19, Eric Larson (Washington) 12
15 November 2008	Leon, 26	15:45, Matt Mizereck (Leon) 11
14 November 2009	Leon, 62	15:27, Matt Mizereck (Leon) 12
13 November 2010	Washington, 48	15:26, William Clark (Creekside) 12
12 November 2011	Fort Walton Beach, 90	15:30, Thomas Howell (Niceville) 10
10 November 2012	Fort Walton Beach, 49	15:26, Thomas Howell (Niceville) 11
2 November 2013	Chiles, 78	15:39, Sukhi Khosla (Leon) 11
8 November 2014	Leon, 35	14:53, Sukhi Khosla (Leon) 12
31 October 2015	Creekside, 45	16:07, Matthew Cashin (Leon) 11
29 October 2016	Chiles, 61	15:51, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 11
4 November 2017	Chiles, 45	15:49, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 12
3 November 2018	Chiles, 69	15:43, Connor Phillips (Chiles) 12
2 November 2019	Leon, 48	16:10, Lewis Benitez-Chaparro (Vanguard) 12
7 November 2020	Ponte Vedra, 54	16:19, Patrick Koon (Leon) 9
6 November 2021	Fleming Island, 98	15:44, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
29 October 2022	Ponte Vedra, 42	15:41, Graham Myers (Fleming Island) 11
Girls
Date	Team Champs	Individual Champs
5 November 2005	Chiles, 47	19:09, Julia Bryant (Chiles) 11
4 November 2006	Chiles, 40	19:11, Julia Bryant (Chiles) 12
10 November 2007	Chiles, 42	19:29, Lauren Day (Crestview) 10
15 November 2008	Chiles, 15	19:02, Carly Thomas (Chiles) 9
14 November 2009	Chiles, 34	18:30, Lilly Williams (Chiles) 10
13 November 2010	Chiles, 45	18:07, Lily Williams (Chiles) 11
12 November 2011	Chiles, 43	17:50, Lilly Williams (Chiles) 12
10 November 2012	Fort Walton Beach, 70	18:33, Susan Givens (Chiles) 12
2 November 2013	Pace, 87	18:45, Emma Rudman (Fort Walton Beach) 10
8 November 2014	Creekside, 40	18:18, Kelly Aponte (Saint Augustine) 11
31 October 2015	Niceville, 63	18:45, Claire Mortiz (Ponte Vedra) 10
29 October 2016	Niceville, 40	17:56, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln) 9
4 November 2017	Chiles, 32	18:08, Ana Wallace (Chiles) 12
3 November 2018	Chiles, 43	17:53, Claire Openshaw (Creekside) 11
2 November 2019	Saint Augustine, 40	18:45, Emily Culley (Chiles) 12
7 November 2020	Leon, 70	18:45, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 12
6 November 2021	Ponte Vedra, 37	18:24, Sofia Bushkell (Ponte Vedra) 9
29 October 2022	Ponte Vedra, 37	18:08, Lillee Tang (Leon) 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, 2015, and 2020. The meet was run at Sante Fe College in Gainesville in 2016 and 2022. 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. The meet was at Bay Dunes Golf Course in Panama City in 2021.

Links

• Complete results of the 2022 FHSAA 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Championship Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTRIPKcJ492eMEvvTnDAAUqyG1yCV4IO_IQpgZWPPTQQC0T35XXKfA_UXiK-ndEH2YMfsJMedJtbu4J/pubhtml
  
  
• Trouble Afoot! coverage of 2022 FHSAA Region 1 cross-country
  
  • 1A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/10/fhsaa-1a-region-1-2022.html
    
  • 2A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/10/fhsaa-2a-region-1-2022.html
    
  • 3A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/10/fhsaa-3a-region-1-2022.html
    
  • 4A: https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2022/10/fhsaa-4a-region-1-2022.html
    
  
  
• 2021 story, “Clear skies and clear victories for Patrick Koon and Sofia Bushkell at 3A Region 1”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2021/11/fhsaa-3a-region-1-2021.html
  
  
• 2020 story, “Region 1 at Alligator Lake is the last win before State for the Leon girls and Ponte Vedra boys”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/11/fhsaa-3a-region-1-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Kambry Smith, Lewis Benitez-Chaparro, St. Augustine, and Leon keep rolling toward State”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/11/fhsaa-3a-region-1-2019.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Region 1 cross country, Sunny Hill Farms and the road to State”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/11/fhsaa-regon-1-2012.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “2009 FHSAA Region 1-3A / 2A Cross Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/11/2009-fhsaa-region-1-3a-2a-cross-country.html
  
  
• Find a cross-country, road, or track race for your schedule on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2887

Leon athletes Lillee Tang and Patrick Koon were 3A District 1 cross-country winners

In Florida high school cross-country, there are three rounds in the state championships series--District, Region, and State. For the class 3A harriers in the northwest of the state, the first round was on Wednesday afternoon, 27 October 2021; the FHSAA 3A District 1 Championship Meet at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida. Choctawhatchee won the girls' 5K with 49 points, while Leon junior Lillee Tang took first in 19:50. Fort Walton Beach had the winning team in the boys' 5K, a race won by Leon sophomore Patrick Koon in 16:35.

Lillee Tang

It was Lillee Tang's first District title. How did she feel to be District champion?


"Tired!" said Tang.

Belicia O'Grady

As well she might. The girls' race had actually been longer than five kilometers, thanks to an errant course marshal. Fort Walton Beach frosh Belicia O'Grady led the first half of the race, but the second half belonged to Tang, and the second half is the one with the finish line. Tang crossed that line first in 19:50, well ahead of the 20:24 posted by runner-up O'Grady. Choctawhatchee senior Chloe Fernander was third in 21:00. Another Choctawhatchee senior, Deanna Bottino, edged Wakulla frosh Isabella Laughton to take fourth, both runners clocked in 21:02.


Choctawhatchee put two more athletes in the top ten, with junior Brylie Kilgore seventh in 21:13 and senior Dannika Kilgore ninth in 21:30. Sophomore Dahlia Irizarry completed the scoring for Choctawhatchee, placing 26th in 23:09. With a winning 49 points, the Choctawhatchee girls were District 1 champions.

The Top 25 girls in 3A District 1

Only two points back, Tang and the Leon girls were second with 49 points. Laughton and her Wakulla teammates placed third with 65 points. Fort Walton Beach (4th, 83 points), Gulf Breeze (5th, 116 points), Lincoln (6th, 175 points), Pace (7th, 178 points), and Arnold (8th, 188 points) also made the top eight and qualified for the 3A Region 1 Meet, slated for Panama City on Saturday, 6 November 2021.


Girls' Team Standings, 2021 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet

1. Choctawhatchee, 49
2. Leon, 51
3. Wakulla, 65
4. Fort Walton Beach, 83
5. Gulf Breeze, 116
6. Lincoln, 175
7. Pace, 178
8. Arnold, 188
9. Washington, 240
10. Milton, 271
11. Mosley, 357

Top Ten Girls, 2021 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet

1. 19:50.00, Lillee Tang (Leon) 11
2. 20:23.40, Belicia O'Grady (Fort Walton Beach) 9
3. 20:59.30, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 12
4. 21:01.20, Deanna Bottino (Choctawhatchee) 12
5. 21:01.60, Isabella Laughton (Wakulla) 9
6. 21:06.40, Stella Lewis (Leon) 11
7. 21:12.20, Brylie Kilgore (Choctawhatchee) 11
8. 21:25.40, Mallory Robinson (Leon) 11
9. 21:29.10, Dannika Kilgore (Choctawhatchee) 12
10. 21:41.60, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 12

For more than three kilometers Kaleb Hollins, a Choctawhatchee junior, set the pace for a large lead pack in the boys' 5K. Tucked back in the group, Patrick Koon wasn't impressed.


Patrick Koon "We went out at 5:30 for the mile and 10:55 for two miles," said Koon. "It was really slow."

Patrick Koon

So Koon sped up. Opening up a 60-meter gap on the field in the final kilometer, the Leon sophomore raced home first in 16:35. It was well off the 15:10 he had run on the same course at the FSU Invitational eleven days earlier, but that was according to script.


"The plan was to win this one as easily as possible," said Koon. "The goal is to be ready for State."

Kaleb Hollins

Fort Walton Beach senior Luke Larkin was second in 16:46. Choctawhatchee's Hollins, the early leader took third in 16:52. Arnold junior Eddie Kepran placed fourth in 17:00, and Grant Chastain, a Fort Walton Beach sophomore, was fifth in 17:03.


Larkin and Chastain made it two in the top ten for Fort Walton Beach. But Leon also placed two athletes in the top ten--Koon and sophomore Will Springer, seventh in 17:22. Outside the top ten, Fort Walton Beach had strong performances from their next three scorers, with senior Luke Bilger thirteenth in 17:41, junior Luke Endt fourteenth in 17:42, and sophomore Curran O'Grady 25th in 18:09. That gave the Vikings 59 points and the District title.

Luke Larkin

Koon and the Leon boys were second with 56 points. Choctawhatchee edged Pace for third, 120 points to 122. The top four teams advanced to the 3A Region 1 meet, as did Gulf Breeze (5th, 141 points), Lincoln (6th, 189 points), Arnold (7th, 195 points), and Wakulla (8th, 197 points).


Arnold High School hosts the 3A Region 1 Cross-Country Championship Meet on Saturday morning, 6 November 2021, at Majette Park in Panama City, Florida. The top eight teams in the Region will qualify for the State Championship, slated for Saturday morning, 13 November 2021, at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.


Boys' Team Standings, 2021 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet

1. Fort Walton Beach, 59
2. Leon, 66
3. Choctawhatchee, 120
4. Pace, 122
5. Gulf Breeze, 141
6. Lincoln, 189
7. Arnold, 195
8. Wakulla, 197
9. Milton, 235
10. Pine Forest, 240
11. Mosley, 252
12. Washington, 275
13. Rickards, 374
14. Escambia, 402

Top Ten Boys, 2021 FHSAA 3A Distict 1 Cross-Country Meet

1. 16:34.90, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
2. 16:45.90, Luke Larkin (Fort Walton Beach) 12
3. 16:51.40, Kaleb Hollins (Choctawhatchee) 11
4. 16:59.30, Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 11
5. 17:02.50, Grant Chastain (Fort Walton Beach) 10
6. 17:09.60, William Armbruster (Choctawhatchee) 12
7. 17:21.90, Will Springer (Leon) 10
8. 17:25.70, Eli Holbrook (Mosley) 12
9. 17:32.20, Chrisshaun Terrell (Pine Forest) 11
10. 17:35.50, Joseph McLeod (Lincoln) 11

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRNyTDS0AvhKlcVTmAgy8PVMh8K5dyVwu1zvC2b7W2l7E6JB3GAPnRHDd7eXpzgTOjtNLokDs1_w1PL/pubhtml
  
  
• More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2021 FHSAA 3A District 1 Cross-Country Championship
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118516941018613
    
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10118519489406623
    
  
  
• 2020 story, “With Jake Rogers and Lilli Unger, Leon Cross-Country wins everything at 3A District 2”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2020/11/fhsaa-3a-district-2-2020.html
  
  
• 2019 story, “Leon's teams, Kambry Smith, and Lewis Benitez-Chaparro each leave 3A District 1 as champions”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/10/fhsaa-3a-district-1-2019.html
  
  
• 2018 story, “Emily Culley and Sebastian Kenne rock ARPXC, as Chiles sweeps 3A District 3”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/10/fhsaa-3a-district-3-2018.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Cashin and Churchill win in blowouts, but Chiles teams continue to dominate 3A District 3”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/10/fhsaa-3a-district-3-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Tallahassee schools shine in 3A District 3 Meet at Apalachee Regional Park”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/fhsaa-3a-district-3.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Red, white, and flew! Leon harriers Audrey Dogan and Sukhi Khosla win District 3-3A”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/10/fhsaa-district-3-3a-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “District 2 belongs to Chiles and Wakulla”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/11/fhsaa-district-2-3a2a-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “2011 FHSAA District 2-3A / 2A cross-country meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/11/fhsaa-district-2-3a2a-xc-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “2010 FHSAA District 1-3A Cross-Country Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/11/2010-district-1-3a-xc.html
  
  
• Find a cross-country, road, or track race for your schedule on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2788

Lillee Tang and Patrick Koon lead a Leon sweep of the Buccaneer Bash

The Leon High Lions cross-country squad ventured out of their Tallahassee, Florida lair on Saturday, 18 September 2021, travelling to Panama City for North Bay Haven's fifth annual Buccaneer Bash. Call it a business trip, because the Lions certainly took care of business. First, Leon won the girls' 5K race, putting up a winning 33 points after Lion juniors Lillee Tang and Lily Moore took the first two places in the race, running 19:40 and 19:50. The boys' 5K had a similar outcome. Leon sophomore Patrick Koon won it in 16:10 and Leon junior Jake Rogers placed second in 16:36 while their team score a mathematically unbeatable 26 points.


The girls' 5K was scheduled for 8:00 AM, racing on the grounds of the old Bay Dunes Golf Course. Thirteen schools had athletes in the race. Eleven of those schools had entered full teams. The defending champion of the Buccaneer Bash, North Bay Haven junior Lakyn Carmichael, was on the starting line. None of them could touch Lillee Tang or Lily Moore that morning. The two Leon girls were the only runners in the race to go under 20:00 that morning, Tang throwing down a winning 19:40 and Moore going 19:50 on a soggy course. Charlene Elizondo, a junior racing for host school North Bay Haven, placed third in 20:08.


After Tang and Moore, Leon had two more Lions in the top ten. Stella Lewis, a junior, placed sixth in 21:05. Another Leon junior, Mallory Robinson, placed ninth in 21:23. Leon's remaining scorer was frosh Madi Sims, fifteenth in 22:33. Once Sims had finished, the Leon girls had 33 points and first place in the team standings. Elizondo and the North Bay Haven girls placed second with 50 points, just better than the 55 scored by third-place Choctawhatchee. Choctawhatchee's top runner was Chloe Fernander, a senior, fourth in 20:42.


Team Standings, 2021 Buccaneer Bash High School Girls' 5K

1. Leon, 33
2. North Bay Haven, 50
3. Choctawhatchee, 55
4. Florida State, 114
5. Providence Christian, 123
6. Port Saint Joe, 146
7. Arnold, 177
8. Bay, 233
9. Altha, 260
10. Rutherford, 294
11. Blountstown, 301

Top Ten, 2021 Buccaneer Bash High School Girls' 5K

1. 19:40.00, Lillee Tang (Leon) 11
2. 19:49.60, Lily Moore (Leon) 11
3. 20:07.40, Charleen Elizondo (North Bay Haven) 11
4. 20:42.00, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 12
5. 20:46.40, Kyla Faint (North Bay Haven) 8
6. 21:05.00, Stella Lewis (Leon) 11
7. 21:15.80, Lakyn Carmichael (North Bay Haven) 11
8. 21:19.40, Brylie Kilgore (Choctawhatchee) 11
9. 21:22.70, Mallory Robinson (Leon) 11
10. 21:23.80, Hannah Jacobs (Providence Christian) 9

The course was no drier for the boys' 5K than it had been for the girls' 5K. If anything, it was a bit sloppier after 98 girls had churned up the wet spots. This doesn't matter to cross-country runners, for whom mud is a kind of baptism. It didn't matter to Patrick Koon, who tore around the 5K circuit in 16:10, taking first by about 130 meters. It was the third win in a row for Koon, following victories at the Cecil Field Summer Classic and the Big Bend Invitational.

Jake Rogers of Leon finished runner-up in 16:36, the only athlete in the boys' race other than Koon to crack 17:00. Kaleb Hollins, a Choctawhatchee junior, placed third in 17:20. In a close battle for third, Arnold junior Eddie Kepran edged Conner Patterson, a Providence Christian senior, 17:27 to 17:29. Kepran had won the boys' 5K in the 2020 Buccaneer Bash.


All five of Leon's scorers placed in the top ten. After Koon and Rogers, Leon sophomore William Springer was sixth in 17:41. Another sophomore, William Winsor, took seventh for Leon in 17:49. Making it four sophomores in Leon's scoring five, Quinn Carrasquila placed tenth in 18:30. The Lions had 26 points, first place among the ten teams in the boys' race, and a sweep of the Buccaneer Bash team titles.


Kaleb Hollins and the Choctawhatchee boys were second with 59 points. Arnold, the 2020 champs, squeaked by North Bay Haven 108 to 110, taking third.


Team Standings, 2021 Buccaneer Bash High School Boys' 5K

1. Leon, 26
2. Choctawhatchee, 59
3. Arnold, 108
4. North Bay Haven, 110
5. Blountstown, 145
6. Providence Christian, 158
7. Florida State, 190
8. Port Saint Joe, 197
9. Wewahitchka, 238
10. Marianna, 253

Top Ten, 2021 Buccaneer Bash High School Boys' 5K

1. 16:09.70, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
2. 16:35.90, Jake Rogers (Leon) 11
3. 17:19.80, Kaleb Hollins (Choctawhatchee) 11
4. 17:26.30, Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 11
5. 17:28.50, Conner Patterson (Providence Christian) 12
6. 17:40.30, William Springer (Leon) 10
7. 17:48.10, William Winsor (Leon) 10
8. 17:51.10, William Armbruster (Choctawhatchee) 12
9. 18:04.70, Matthew Matson (North Bay Haven) 11
10. 18:29.20, Quinn Carrasquilla (Leon) 10

Buccaneer Bash Cross-Country Meet Winners, 2017 - 2021
High School Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
26 August 2017	Choctawhatchee, 33	18:05, Blake Turner (Arnold) 12
25 August 2018	Arnold, 38	18:27, Mason Bennett (Arnold) 12
24 August 2019	Niceville, 35	14:48, Todd Wendel (Niceville) 11
3 October 2020	Arnold, 31	18:40, Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 10
18 September 2021	Leon, 26	16:10, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
High School Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
26 August 2017	Choctawhatchee, 46	19:53, Marisa Ashley (Arnold) 9
25 August 2018	Port Saint Joe, 35	25:36, Autumn Kotelman (Port Saint Joe) 10
24 August 2019	Niceville, 27	16:55, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 11
3 October 2020	North Bay Haven, 32	22:08, Lakyn Carmichael (North Bay Haven) 10
18 September 2021	Leon, 33	19:40, Lillee Tang (Leon) 11

Links

• Complete results, 2021 Buccaneer Bash
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQfuI2G4jFJSt5cidUc-2ifreEGehKaorjFt838MR8moIew_psZiqZODnee10RiiJFoNPv-4MD3lJrp/pubhtml
  
  
• 2017 story, “Choctaw sweeps the team titles while Arnold's Ashley and Turner take individual honors at the Buccaneer Bash”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/08/buccaneer-bash-2017.html
  
  
• Find an upcoming Bash in the region on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2779

Leon's Patrick Koon tears a 15:32 at ARPXC in the Big Bend Invite

Savaging a field of over 100 high school athletes, Leon sophomore Patrick Koon won the Big Bend Invitational boys' 5K, running 15:32 at Tallahassee's Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course on Saturday morning, 4 September 2021. Koon may have been more than 200 meters ahead of every runner in the race, but it was the Chiles High boys who took the team title, outscoring Leon 33 to 40. Leon junior Lillee Tang ran 19:53 to win the girls' 5K, a race where Leon took first in the team standings with 36 points.

Patrick Koon

The Big Bend Invitational Cross-Country Meet always comes very early in Florida's High School cross-country season. In 2021 it was less than two weeks after the official first day of racing. You don't expect to see fast times that early in the season. Before the 2021 Invitational, the meet record had been a more-than-respectable 15:51 run by Chiles senior Michael Phillips in 2017. Phillips had gone on to run 15:15 at Apalachee Regional Park later that season, winning his second state championship. And no one else had broken 16:00 at the Big Bend Invitational since then.


No one else till Koon.


Eight days earlier, the Leon sophomore had posted a winning 15:15 at the Cecil Field Summer Classic in Jacksonville, Florida on a course that averages faster than ARPXC. At Cecil Field, though, Koon's competition was close enough that he could hear their footsteps. He would have to posess remarkably good ears to be able to say the same about the Big Bend race. His 15:32 put him almost 200 meters ahead of the next runner, well out of earshot. And out of eyeshot--on the Apalachee Regional Park course, the finish line isn't visible from 200 meters out. It was Koon's best mark yet at ARPXC; as a frosh he had run 15:56 on the course in the State Championship race.


Chiles senior Ben Kirbo trailed Koon across the fnish line, placing second in 16:11. Another Chiles harrier, Timberwolf junior Wyatt Townsend, took third in 16:25. Leon junior Jake Rogers was fourth in 16:45.


Two more Timberwolves cracked the top ten for Chiles--senior Filippo Reina finshed fifth in 17:13 and junior Owen Franklin was tenth in 18:01. Chiles senior Tyler Canavan finished the scoring for his team, placing thirteenth in 18:25. That gave the Timberwolves 33 points and first place in the eight-team field, the Chiles' boys first team win at Big Bend since 2017.


Leon, led by Koon, put up 40 points to take second in the team standings. Maclay was third with 90 points behind their top runner, Clayton Know. A junior, Knox was sixth in 17:27.


Team Standings, 2021 Big Bend Invitational High School Boys' 5K

1. Chiles, 33
2. Leon, 40
3. Maclay, 90
4. Lincoln, 113
5. Wakulla, 116
6. Santa Fe, 182
7. Rickards, 200
8. Florida State, 203

Top Ten, 2021 Big Bend Invitational High School Boys' 5K

1. 15:32.00, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
2. 16:10.60, Ben Kirbo (Chiles) 12
3. 16:24.80, Wyatt Townsend (Chiles) 11
4. 16:44.30, Jake Rogers (Leon) 11
5. 17:12.30, Filippo Reina (Chiles) 12
6. 17:26.60, Clayton Knox (Maclay) 11
7. 17:31.80, Carter Rothell (Maclay) 11
8. 17:55.50, Matthew Ortiz (Santa Fe) 12
9. 18:00.40, William Springer (Leon) 10
10. 18:00.90, Owen Franklin (Chiles) 11

Before the high school boys raced, the high school girls had the course. Lillee Tang of Leon and Susan Gracie Koeppel of Maclay had already been in one race together during 2021; both had run at the Cecil Field Summer Classic. In that Jacksonville race, Tang had placed tenth and Koeppel 23rd. That order of finish didn't change at the Big Bend Invitational. Tang, a junior, nabbed first in 19:53, while Maclay sophomore Koeppel was runner-up in 19:58. Leon junior Lily Moore placed third in 19:58, and Maclay sophomore Mary Clayton Soto finished fourth in 20:28.


Maclay had two more runners in the top ten, eighth grader Lillian Koeppel (7th, 20:40) and frosh Kassidy Monninger (10th, 21:25). But Leon also grabbed two more top ten spots, thanks to juniors Mallory Robinson (8th, 21:02) and Stella Lewis (9th, 21:03). And while Maclay was waiting for their fifth scorer to arrive, Leon frosh Madi Sims crossed the finish line in 22:01, placing fifteenth and giving the Lions 36 points and first place.


The Maclay girls were second with 44 points. Wakulla, led by senior Clara Alford (11sth, 21:27), edged Chiles for third place, 76 to 80. Chiles top runner was senior Ella Hodges, fifth in 20:34. Nine schools had teams in the girls' 5K.


Team Standings, 2021 Big Bend Invitational High School Girls' 5K

1. Leon, 36
2. Maclay, 44
3. Wakulla, 76
4. Chiles, 80
5. Florida State, 138
6. Lincoln, 156
7. Community Christian, 182
8. Santa Fe, 203
9. Saint John Paul II Catholic, 267

Top Ten, 2021 Big Bend Invitational High School Girls' 5K

1. 19:52.60, Lillee Tang (Leon) 11
2. 19:57.10, Susan Gracie Koeppel (Maclay) 10
3. 20:06.40, Lily Moore (Leon) 11
4. 20:27.70, Mary Clayton Soto (Maclay) 10
5. 20:33.10, Ella Hodges (Chiles) 12
6. 20:35.80, Kelly Davis (Chiles) 12
7. 20:39.80, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 8
8. 21:01.90, Mallory Robinson (Leon) 11
9. 21:02.70, Stella Lewis (Leon) 11
10. 21:24.80, Kassidy Moninger (Maclay) 9

The middle school races followed the high school events. Tallahassee's Clifton Lewis had run the middle school girls' 3K at the Big Bend Invitational every year the meet had been held. She had placed second in 2017, seventh in 2018, and first in 2019. She added another win to that record in 2021, running a meet record 11:34. Fifth-grader Charlotte Sikes, racing for the Red Hills Running Club, took second in 12:56. Maclay eighth-grader Lillian Koeppel, back for more racing after her 20:40 in the high school 5K, placed third in the 3K with a 13:30.


Four other Marauders joined Koeppel in the top ten--seventh-grader Ellie Mazziotta was sixth in 14:03, eighth-grader Mae Deison was seventh in 14:08, sixth-grader Mary Price was eighth in 14:15, and seventh-grader Lilly Bell was ninth in 14:18. With all five scorers in the top ten, the Maclay girls had 28 points and first place.


The Red Hills girls were second in the team standings with 49 points. Trinity Catholic edged Fairview Middle School (competing as the Falcon Track Club) for third, 80 to 84. Trinity Catholic's first finisher was sixth-grader Danielle Sasso (15th, 15:28); Fairview's fastest was sixth-grader Miasia Harden (11th, 14:55).


Team Standings, 2021 Big Bend Invitational Middle School Girls' 5K

1. Maclay, 28
2. Red Hills Running Club, 49
3. Trinity Catholic, 80
4. Falcon Track Club, 84
5. Cornerstone, 92

Top Ten, 2021 Big Bend Invitational Middle School Girls' 5K

1. 11:34.00, Clifton Lewis (Unattached) 8
2. 12:55.80, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills Running Club) 5
3. 13:29.60, Lillian Koeppel (Maclay) 8
4. 13:46.80, Haley Heitmeyer (Red Hills Running Club) 7
5. 13:52.30, Madeline Morris (Red Hills Running Club) 8
6. 14:02.40, Ellie Mazziotta (Maclay) 7
7. 14:07.70, Mae Deison (Maclay) 8
8. 14:14.20, Mary Price (Maclay) 6
9. 14:18.00, Lilly Bell (Maclay) 7
10. 14:18.80, Addyson Paul (Franklin County) 7

Luke Meli, a Community Christian eighth-grader, won the middle school boys' 3K by 30 meters, getting the job done with a winning 11:36. Three athletes battled for the runner-up spot--Community Christian eighth-grader Charles Wilson, Holy Comforter seventh-grader Randon Manausa, and Trinity Catholic eighth-grader Mark Moore. Wilson got across the finish line before the others, nabbing second in 11:43. Manausa was third and Moore fourth, both in 11:44.


Community Christian had grabbed the first two places, but Fairview Middle School, competing as the Falcon Track Club, three runners in the top ten--seventh-grader Jack Koon was sixth in 11:55, eighth-grader Thomas Emari was seventh in 12:01, and eighth-grader Chandler Grace was tenth in 12:10. Two more Falcons--seventh-grader Ethan Nicholson (14th, 12:34) and eighth-grader Kyron Long (21st, 13:39)--brought their team's score to 51 points. However, Community Christian also had 51. Following NFHS rules, the win would go to the team with the fastest sixth runner. Falcon The Falcon's sixth runner, seventh-grader Braxton Cabrera, placed 29th in 14:20, finishing ahead of Community Christian's sixth runner and giving the team in red the win. Trinity Catholic placed third in the eight-team field, scoring 65 points.


Team Standings, 2021 Big Bend Invitational Middle School Boys' 5K

1. Falcon Track Club, 51
2. Community Christian, 51
3. Trinity Catholic, 65
4. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 104
5. Maclay, 109
6. Marianna, 126
7. Community Leadership, 178
8. Cornerstone, 222

Top Ten, 2021 Big Bend Invitational Middle School Boys' 5K

1. 11:35.70, Luke Meli (Community Christian) 8
2. 11:42.30, Charles Wilson (Community Christian) 8
3. 11:43.40, Randon Manausa (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 7
4. 11:43.40, Mark Moore (Trinity Catholic) 8
5. 11:53.90, James Mogg (Trinity Catholic) 6
6. 11:54.50, Jack Koon (Falcon Track Club) 7
7. 12:00.50, Thomas Emari (Falcon Track Club) 8
8. 12:02.40, Logan Phipps (Maclay) 6
9. 12:09.30, Henry Lewis (Unattached) 8
10. 12:10.00, Chandler Grace (Falcon Track Club) 8

Big Bend Invitational Cross-Country Meet champs, 2017 - 2021
High School Boys
Date	Winning Teams	Individual Winners
2 September 2017	Chiles, 22 points	15:51, Michael Phillips (Chiles) 12
1 September 2018	Niceville, 46	17:00, Junious Brown IV (Maclay) 11
31 August 2019	Plant, 38	16:14, Junious Brown IV (Maclay) 12
4 September 2021	Chiles, 33	15:32, Patrick Koon (Leon) 10
High School Girls
Date	Winning Teams	Individual Winners
2 September 2017	Chiles, 27 points	19:02, Ana Wallace (Chiles) 12
1 September 2018	Chiles, 27	18:53, Lillian Holtery (Niceville) 10
31 August 2019	Bolles, 29	18:37, Caitlin Wilkey (Chiles) 12
4 September 2021	Leon, 36	19:53, Lillee Tang (Leon) 11
Middle School Boys
Date	Winning Teams	Individual Winners
2 September 2017	Montford, 21 points	12:09, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 6
1 September 2018	Liza Jackson, 39	12:16, Clayton Knox (Maclay) 8
31 August 2019	Emerald Coast, 53	11:19, Noah Deem (Community Leadership) 7
4 September 2021	Falcon Track Club, 51	11:36, Luke Meli (Community Christian) 8
Middle School Girls
Date	Winning Teams	Individual Winners
2 September 2017	Riversprings, 24 points	14:57, Stella Lewis (Panhandle Express) 7
1 September 2018	Ruckel, 36	12:47, Rory Claussen (Shaldera Panthers) 7
31 August 2019	Emerald Coast, 24	12:19, Clifton Lewis (Unattached) 6
4 September 2021	Maclay, 28	11:34, Clifton Lewis (Unattached) 8

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 Big Bend Cross-Country Invitational
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQcF57GuETPm_ORRvLJS9wMVJVSNsaSQXfO-Hy2za-LPB1GFq_15a_6KvXKmSKwaoxj1rKF79oNp3es/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “Bolles and Plant visit Tallahassee, leave with the Big Bend Cross-Country titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/08/big-bend-xc-2019.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Phillips, Wallace, and Chiles win everything at the Big Bend Invitational”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/big-bend-xc-2017.html
  
  
• Find your next race on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2773