Showing posts with label Wil Luca. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wil Luca. Show all posts

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Wil Luca, Rebekah Smith finish the season right at Yellow Jacket Cross Country Meet

Yellow JacketCross country season was winding down, but the high schools of Southwest Georgia and the neighboring portions of Florida found time for one last competition on Saturday, 25 August 2014--Thomas County Central's 22nd annual Yellow Jacket Invitational. Thomasville High junior Rebekah Smith won the girls' 5K in 20:58, but Berrien County took the team title with 47 points. Likewise, Leon High senior Wil Luca hammered the field in the boys' 5K with a 16:25, but Leon finished second to a Thomas County Central team that scored 74 points.


Since it was established in 1827, Greenwood plantation has had many distinguished visitors, including the Duke of Windsor, President Eisenhower, and Jacqueline Kennedy. In recent years, some regular fall visitors are the area's cross-country runners. The athletes come to the plantation to race in several meets, one of which was the 2014 edition of the Yellow Jacket Invitational. The Invitational opened at 9:00 AM with the high school girls' race. Finishing close to 250 meters ahead of the next runner, Thomasville Bulldog junior Rebekah Smith dominated the field of 71 runners, posting a 20:58. Bainbridge Bearcat frosh Uriyah Davis edged Rickards Raider sophomore Blessing Nkembo for the runner-up spot, 22:04 to 22:09. Rickard freshman Carina Richardson took fourth in 22:33, but the next two places went to Berrien County, with sophomore Janna Jernigan running 22:38 and senior Emily Boyd 22:40. Berrien County's next three scorers were senior Haley Jernigan (13th, 24:06), sophomore Alice Sensenbrenner (16th, 24:24), and frosh Magie Harper (17th, 24:33). That gave the Rebels a 47-point total and the team title. Thomasville was second in seven-team field with 59 points, while host team Thomas County Central was third with 66.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Girls
  1. Berrien County, 47
  2. Thomasville, 59
  3. Thomas County Central, 66
  4. Bainbridge, 89
  5. Leon, 119
  6. Cairo, 141
  7. Florida State, 179

Top Ten High School Girls, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 20:57.78 ~ Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11
  2. 22:03.07 ~ Uriyah Davis (Bainbridge) 9
  3. 22:08.24 ~ Blessing Nkembo (Rickards) 10
  4. 22:32.22 ~ Carina Richardson (Rickards) 9
  5. 22:37.45 ~ Janna Jernigan (Berrien County) 10
  6. 22:39.57 ~ Emily Boyd (Berrien County) 12
  7. 23:00.36 ~ Jacara Hayes (Thomasville) 11
  8. 23:31.28 ~ Madison Campbell (Cairo) 9
  9. 23:32.33 ~ Anna Gill (Leon) 9
  10. 23:35.71 ~ Angela Cipriani (Thomas County Central) 10
William Luca
The boys' 5K followed the girls' race. Like the first race, it wasn't close. In the last regular-season race of his high school career, Leon Lion senior Wil Luca put up a 16:25 to outrun a field of 86 athletes, crossing the finish line with a 130-meter lead. Thomas County Central junior Sam Gelabert finished second for the Yellow Jackets in 16:51, but the Lions answered with a 17:12 third-place performance by junior Danny Moore. Yellow Jacket junior Conley Wilhelm was seventh in 17:49. Thomas County Central's next three runners were juniors Jerrious Dee (13th, 18:12), Joshua Williams (19th, 18:38), and Johnathan Robinson (36th, 19:41). Each of the three finished ahead of their counterpart on the Leon team, earning the Yellow Jackets the top place in the nine-team field with 74 points. Leon was a close second with 80 points, and Bainbridge not much farther back with 86.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, High School Boys
  1. Thomas County Central, 74
  2. Leon, 80
  3. Bainbridge, 86
  4. Thomasville, 95
  5. Berrien County, 109
  6. Rickards, 131
  7. Florida State, 171
  8. Worth County, 175
  9. Cairo, 249

Top Ten High School Boys, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 16:24.47 ~ William Luca (Leon) 12
  2. 16:50.88 ~ Sam Gelabert (Thomas County Central) 11
  3. 17:11.63 ~ Danny Moore (Leon) 11
  4. 17:17.19 ~ Solomon Stevens (Rickards) 11
  5. 17:24.31 ~ Abraham Grandison (Rickards) 12
  6. 17:36.26 ~ Travet Witherspoon (Thomasville) 12
  7. 17:48.62 ~ Conley Wilhelm (Thomas County Central) 11
  8. 17:49.99 ~ Hunter Tucker (Berrien County)
  9. 17:51.65 ~ Andrew Jackson (Thomasville) 12
  10. 17:57.32 ~ Bennett Enfinger (Bainbridge) 11

The high school races were followed by a middle school two mile. Anna James of Thomas County Central won the girls' competition, running 13:56, with Summer Williams of Florida State University School finishing runner-up in 14:32. Berrien County runners Devinity Jackson (3rd, 14:54), Maddie Harper (4th, 14:54), and Stephanie Kimbrell (5th, 15:02) took the next three places. The rebels also got top ten finishes from their next two runners--Natalie Nix (8th, 15:38) and Tiffany Boyette (9th, 15:45)--and that was enough to give the team a winning score of 29 points. Thomas County Central nipped Cook for second, 67 to 70.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Girls
  1. Berrien County, 29
  2. Thomas County Central, 67
  3. Cook, 70
  4. Florida State, 90
  5. Whigham, 104

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 13:55.18 ~ Anna James (Thomas County Central) 6
  2. 14:31.12 ~ Summer Williams (Florida State) 8
  3. 14:53.32 ~ Devinity Jackson (Berrien County) 8
  4. 14:53.63 ~ Maddie Harper (Berrien County) 6
  5. 15:01.51 ~ Stephanie Kimbrel (Berrien County) 6
  6. 15:14.85 ~ Gracie White (Cook) 7
  7. 15:30.48 ~ Caytiana Smith (Cook) 7
  8. 15:37.25 ~ Natalie Nix (Berrien County) 7
  9. 15:44.53 ~ Tiffany Boyette (Berrien County) 8
  10. 15:50.94 ~ Kasey Melton (Thomas County Central) 7

Jahaz Morgan of Florida State University School topped the middle school boys' standings with a 12:18. But Berrien County answered by putting four runners in the top ten--Ladarius Dumas (2nd, 12:43), CJ Guest (6th, 13:02), Ryan Lindsey (8th, 13:04), and Morgan Bolmer (9th, 13:08). Once their fifth scorer, Mason Sikes, had crossed the finish line in 16th with a 13:45, Berrien had 40 points and the middle school boys' team title. Florida State University School squeaked by MacIntyre Park for second in the team standings, 67 to 71.


2014 Yellow Jacket XC Invitational Team Standings, Middle School Boys
  1. Berrien County, 40
  2. Florida State, 67
  3. MacIntyre Park, 71
  4. Trinity Catholic, 109
  5. Cook, 110
  6. Thomas County Central, 115
  7. Whigham, 198

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 22nd annual Yellow Jacket XC Invitational
  1. 12:17.35 ~ Jahaz Morgan (Florida State) 6
  2. 12:42.39 ~ Ladarius Dumas (Berrien County) 7
  3. 12:52.17 ~ Baylen Young (MacIntyre Park) 6
  4. 12:56.24 ~ Aidan Murtha (Trinity Catholic) 8
  5. 12:56.40 ~ Cody Pezent (Cook) 8
  6. 13:01.53 ~ Cj Guest (Berrien County) 7
  7. 13:02.76 ~ Nathan Smith (MacIntyre Park) 6
  8. 13:03.96 ~ Ryan Lindsey (Berrien County) 8
  9. 13:07.41 ~ Morgan Bolmer (Berrien County) 7
  10. 13:16.69 ~ Brandon Hopper (Thomas County Central) 8

Thomas County Central Yellow Jacket Invitational Cross-Country Meet
Team Champs, 2008 - 2014
DateBoysGirls
18 October 2008Tift County, 32 pointsValdosta, 30 points
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 2013Maclay, 41Maclay, 30
25 October 2014Thomas County Central, 74Berrien County, 47


Thomas County Central Yellow Jacket Invitational Cross-Country Meet
Individual Winners, 2008 - 2014
DateBoysGirls
18 October 200816:59, Hunter Honeycutt (Tift County) 21:12, JaCourtney Alexander (Cairo)
17 October 2009
16 October 2010
15 October 2011
20 October 2012
19 October 201316:13, Chase Harris (Bainbridge) 1119:44, Paige Braswell (Bainbridge) 12
25 October 201416:25, Wil Luca (Leon) 1220:58, Rebekah Smith (Thomasville) 11


Links
#1236

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Clendinen and Luca lead Raa to LCS Titles

The Leon County Schools' 2010 cross-country season closed on Wednesday, October 6, with the League Championship Meet at the Apalachee Regional Park Trail. The Raa girls took home the league title, outscoring Swift Creek 32 to 48. Raa's Rebecca Clendinen won the individual title, finishing a few steps ahead of runner-up Lindsay Hughes of Raa. Raa likewise took home the boys' championship trophy with a winning score of 23 points, while Raa's Wil Luca and Sukhi Khosla took the top two spots in the race.


The girls ran at 6:00pm ET. 96 runners charged from the line across the first meadow, but the early leaders soon faded away. By the halfway point of the two-mile race, as the runners followed the weaving path through the jungle, Zoe Sheldon of Swift Creek was setting the pace, with Raa's Lindsay Hughes and Rebecca Clendinen half a step back, and Swift Creek's Madeline Horgan right behind them. Horgan fell back first, and then Sheldon gave up the lead to the pair from Raa. Clendinen broke away at the end, beating Hughes to the finish line, 13:34 to 13:36. It was Clendinen's fourth win in four outings, completing a perfect LCS cross-country season. Sheldon and Horgan picked up third and fourth place for Swift Creek in 13:47 and 14:09. Raa, however, also picked up sixth (Christiana Dogan), tenth (Brittany Asbury), and 13th (Kelly Ervin) for a winning team total of 32. Raa ended the season having won three of the four meet in the LCS season, with Swift Creek having won the season opener, "The Battle at Tom Brown."


When the boys' race started at 6:30 pm, 155 runners almost immediately found themselves running behind Raa's Will Luca. By the mile mark of the two-mile race Raa's Sukhi Khosla had moved into second with Anthony Walker of Cobb following closely in his wake, but Luca was still up front. As the runners climbed up out of the jungle Luca maintained his lead over Khosla and Walker, while Raa's Evan Francis moved up into fourth. Luca appeared to be close to exhaustion as he crossed the finish line, but he crossed it first, running 11:35. Khosla was runner-up in 11:40, and Walker held off the charging Francis, 11:43 to 11:44. With Jason Benn in sixth and Devon Foster in eleventh, Raa ended up with 24 points and the championship, completing a perfect four-for-four LCS season.


As the sun set on Apalachee Regional Park it also set on the 2010 Leon County Schools' middle-school cross-country season. Meet director Gary Kenney, however, did make a pitch for a post-season competition, the inaugural Florida Middle-School State Championship in Lakeland on November 13. And cross-country certainly isn't over at Apalachee Regional Park Trail--not even for this week, with college competition slated at the Florida State University Invitational on Friday (10/8) evening and high school racing on Saturday (10/9) morning.


Girls' Team Standings
  1. Raa, 32 *
  2. Swift Creek, 48 *
  3. Montford, 74 *
  4. Cobb, 107
  5. Deerlake, 121
  6. Fairview, 153
  7. Fort Braden, 201

    * Qualified for the state championship

Top Ten Girls
  1. Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 13:34
  2. Lindsay Hughes (Raa) 13:36
  3. Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 13:47
  4. Madeline Horgan (Swift Creek) 14:09
  5. Maddy Kennan (Cobb) 14:13
  6. Christiana Dogan (Raa) 14:18
  7. Alex Wallace (Deerlake) 14:20
  8. Haley Jacobs (Montford) 14:21
  9. Jewels Krueger (Montford) 14:24
  10. Brittany Asbury (Raa) 14:27

Boys' Team Standings
  1. Raa, 24 *
  2. Montford, 83 *
  3. Swift Creek, 89 *
  4. Cobb, 90
  5. Fairview, 122
  6. Deerlake, 132
  7. Griffin, 191
  8. Fort Braden, 241

    * Qualified for the state championship.

Top Ten Boys
  1. Wil Luca (Raa) 11:35
  2. Sukhi Khosla (Raa) 11:40
  3. Anthony Walker (Cobb) 11:43
  4. Evan Francis (Raa) 11:44
  5. Hunter Scott (Montford) 11:48
  6. Jason Benn (Raa) 11:49
  7. Jaryd Walton (Swift Creek) 11:52
  8. Ryan Olin (Montford) 11:55
  9. Kyle Buchholz (Cobb) 11:59
  10. Evan Wilson (Fairview) 12:10

Links:

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Luca and Clendinen conquer the Owl Run

Over the years, the meet has been called Champs Day, the Everhart Invitational, and (most recently) the Owl Run. Whatever you want to call it, though, it was the third middle-school cross-country meet of the 2010 season for Leon County Schools, and was hosted with the usual panache by Gretchen Everhart School.


The middle school girls two-mile race started just after 10:45am. After a little more than a quarter mile, Swift Creek's Madeline Horgan was setting the pace for the field, with a horde of runners right on her heels. By the end of the first mile the lead pack had dwindled to four--Horgan, Raa's Rebecca Clendinen and Lindsay Hughes, and Zoe Sheldon of Swift Creek tucked in behind them. The four passed the mile mark in 6:58. A quarter mile later Horgan, Clendinen, and Hughes had started to slip away from Sheldon. The runners returned to the schoolyard, and with a quarter-mile to go, Clendinen was out in front, followed by Hughes and then Horgan. As they raced to the finish line Hughes closed on Clendinen, but couldn't quite close the gap. It was Clendinen and then Hughes, both clocked in 13:57. The win was Clendinen's third this season. Horgan followed in third at 14:10, with Sheldon fourth in 14:23. Christiana Dogan (5th, 14:40) and Kelly Irvin (9th, 14:56) also put up top ten finishes for Raa, and the Rams ended up with 28 points and their eighth straight Owl Run team title. Horgan and Sheldon led Swift Creek to a 53-point total, good enough for second place. Montford was third with 67 points.


The boys' two-mile race followed. After finishing runner-up last Wednesday at Fort Braden, Raa's Wil Luca returned to the top at the Owl Run. Luca took the lead early, hit the one mile in front at 5:45, and outran his teammate Sukhi Kosla for the win, 11:41 to 11:53. Anthony Walker of Cobb ran 12:02 for third, breaking up Raa's chance at their third perfect score this season. Nevertheless, the Raa boys won the Owl Run team title for the eighth year in a row, scoring 18 points. Montford took home the runner-up trophy with 64 points, and the Swift Creek boys scored 87 points for third.


The oldest meet of the Leon County Schools' middle-school cross-country season, the Owl Run has the most history on any event on the circuit. Many Owl Run winners have gone on to have storied high school cross country careers. In particular, Joe Franklin and Carly Thomas went on to win state championships. Still the Owl Run is only the third event of the four-meet season, and the league championship meet remains to be run next Wednesday, 6 October 2010, at the Apalachee Regional Park Trail.


Girls' Team Standings
  1. Raa, 28
  2. Swift Creek, 53
  3. Montford, 67
  4. Cobb, 104
  5. Fairview, 147
  6. Deerlake, 172
  7. Fort Braden, 285
    Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Girls
  1. Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 13:57
  2. Lindsay Hughes (Raa) 13:57
  3. Madeline Horgan (Swift Creek) 14:10
  4. Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 14:23
  5. Christiana Dogan (Raa) 14:40
  6. Alex Wallace (Deer Lake) 14:40
  7. Maddy Kennan (Cobb) 14:52
  8. Jewels Krueger (Montford) 14:56
  9. Kelly Irvin (Raa) 14:56
  10. Katie Jones (Swift Creek) 14:57

Boys' Team Standings
  1. Raa, 18
  2. Montford, 64
  3. Swift Creek, 87
  4. Cobb, 110
  5. Deerlake, 196
  6. Fairview, 208
  7. Fort Braden, 537
  8. Griffin, 297

Top Ten Boys
  1. Wil Luca (Raa) 11:41
  2. Sukhi Khosla (Raa) 11:53
  3. Anthony Walker (Cobb) 12:02
  4. Jason Benn (Raa) 12:07
  5. Evan Francis (Raa) 12:10
  6. Devon Foster (Raa) 12:14
  7. Evan Wilson (Fairview) 12:16
  8. Ryan Olin (Montford) 12:18
  9. Scott Hunter (Montford) 12:23
  10. Kyle Buchholz (C0bb) 12:24

Owl Run Champions, 1997 - 2010
DateBoysGirls
30 SEP 2010
Wil Luca (Raa) 11:41
Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 13:57
1 OCT 2009
Cade Zimmerman (Deerlake) 11:33
Cece Williams (Deerlake) 13:26
25 SEP 2008
Will Henderson (Raa) 11:42
Cece Williams (Deerlake) 11:56
27 SEP 2007
Will Henderson (Raa) 12:11
Carly Thomas (Raa) 12:27
28 SEP 2006
Will Stanford (Raa) 10:59
Summer Shepherd (Raa) 12:59
29 SEP 2005
Kurt Dietrich (Swift Creek) 12:07
Jana Stolting (Deerlake) 13:26
30 SEP 2004
Graham Hawkes (Cobb) 11:51
Mallory Alonzo (Raa) 14:01
2 OCT 2003
Joe Franklin (Griffin) 11:38
Charlotte Murrell (Cobb) 14:17
2002
Bryan Miletich (Deerlake) 11:51
Julia Bryant (Deerlake) 14:06
2001
Kevin Bryant (Raa) 12:33
Karen Devick (Raa) 13:58
2000
Danny Sass (Deerlake) 13:04
LaShaunta Arnold (Fairview) 14:50
1 OCT 1999
Logan Wolcott (Raa) 12:52
LaShaunta Arnold (Fairview) 14:30
13 OCT 1998
Matt Varn (Swift Creek) 12:31
Allie Hunter (Swift Creek) 14:27
1997
Anthony Washington (Bellevue) 12:26
Allie Hunter (Swift Creek) 15:00


Links:

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Swift Creek girls and Raa boys win the "Battle at Tom Brown"

Leon County Schools opened the middle-school cross-country season on Wednesday, 15 September 2010 with the "Battle at Tom Brown," a meet at (you guessed it) Tom Brown Park. The Swift Creek Middle School girls won for the second straight year, scoring 43 points. The Raa boys also successfully defended their 2009 title, totaling the best possible score of 15 points.


The girls' raced first, two miles around Tom Brown Park. 2008 and 2009 winner Cece Williams having moved on from Deerlake Middle to Chiles High School, it was certain that there would be a new champion. Raa runners Rebecca Clendinen and Lindsay Hughes went to the front and steadily ran away from the field. Ultimately Clendinen took first and Hughes second, 14:24 to 14:25. Raa put four runners in the top ten, but you need five runners to make a team score. Led by Madelyn Horgan's third place finish, Swift Creek put all five of their scorers in the top 12 for their title-winning total of 43 points.


Several runners dashed for the front at the start of the boys' two-mile race, looking like they had come out of starting blocks. But they quickly learned that you can't sprint two miles, and swiftly faded. Soon Raa's Wil Luca and Sukhi Khosla were leading, and then Luca pulled away. At the finish line Luca had successfully defended his 2009 "Battle At Tom Brown Title," running 11:45 for the win. Behind him his teammates Sukhi Khosla (11:57), Jason Benn (12:10), Evan Francis (12:12), and Lewis Langston (12:23) took places two through five, making for a perfect 15-point score. Anthony Walker of Cobb placed sixth in 12:26, coming within three seconds of breaking Raa's monopoly on the top five and ruining their perfect score.


The Battle at Tom Brown was hosted by Swift Creek Middle School and directed by their coach, Mike Eto. The Leon County Schools' cross country season continues on September 22 at Fort Braden Park, on September 30 at Gretchen Everhart School, and concludes on October 6 with the championship meet at Apalachee Regional Park Trail.


Girls' Team Standings
  1. Swift Creek, 43 points
  2. Raa, 61 points
  3. Cobb, 68 points
  4. Montford, 85 points
  5. Deer Lake, 134 points
  6. Fairview, 179 points
  7. Ft. Braden, 245 points
  8. Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Girls
  1. Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 14:24
  2. Lindsay Hughes (Raa) 14:25
  3. Madelyn Horgan (Swift Creek) 14:50
  4. Alex Wallace (Deer Lake) 14:52
  5. Mandy Kinner (Cobb) 14:53
  6. Brittany Asbury (Raa) 14:58
  7. Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 15:09
  8. Mary Dixon (Cobb) 15:20
  9. Christiana (Raa) 15:26
  10. Lindsay Riker (Swift Creek) 15:39

Boys' Team Standings
  1. Raa, 15 points
  2. Montford, 67 points
  3. Swift Creek, 85 points
  4. Cobb, 119 points
  5. Deer Lake,
  6. Fairview, 223 points
  7. Griffin, 382 points
  8. Fort Braden, 577 points

Top Ten Boys
  1. Will Luca (Raa) 11:45
  2. Sukhi Khosla (Raa) 11:57
  3. Jason Benn (Raa) 12:10
  4. Evan Francis (Raa) 12:12
  5. Lewis Langston (Raa) 12:23
  6. Anthony Walker (Cobb) 12:26
  7. Gary Barnes (Raa) 12:30
  8. Ryan Olin (Montford) 12:31
  9. Devon Foster (Raa) 12:32
  10. Kyle Nichols (Cobb) 12:38

Links: