Kelly Davis and Wyatt Townsend win their duels at Dueling Summits

An early-season staple of high school cross-country in Tallahasse, Florida from 2006 to 2019, the annual Dueling Summits Meet was absent from the schedule in 2020, a casualty of COVID-19. But the fixture returned to Phipps Park on Saturday morning, 28 August 2021, drawing over 500 athletes in five races. Chiles senior Kelly Davis took first in the high school girls' 5K with a 21:23, but it was the Wakulla girls who nabbed the team title, scoring 25 points. Wyatt Townsend, a Chiles junior, won the high school boys' 5K in 16:32, leading the Timberwolves to first in the team standings with 20 points.

Kelly Davis

The Phipps Park hills, the "Summits" in the meet's name, hadn't become any less steep during the hiatus since the 2019 event. On the other hand, they hadn't grown any more steep, either. Kelly Davis, meanwhile, had gotten tougher. Davis had run 23:02 in the 2019 Duelling Summits; in 2021 she raced nearly two minutes faster than her sophomore mark, recording a winning 21:23. Another Chiles senior, Ella Hodges, had run 23:23 in the 2019 meet. Hodges improved that to 21:30 in 2021, finishing runner-up to Davis. Similarly, Wakulla senior Clara Alford, third in 22:05, had run 24:01 in 2019.


Wakulla frosh Isabella Laughton was fourth in 22:17 and Wakulla sophomore Liliana Lewis was fifth in 22:21. Wakulla's remaining two scorers also cracked the top ten--senior Marina Whitsell was seventh in 22:53 and sophomore Taylor Pfeifer was eighth in 23:07. With that, the Wakulla girls had 25 points and victory--their first Dueling Summits win in the history of the meet.

Chiles was second in the eleven-team field with 49 points. Lowndes took third with 64 points, led by junior Madison Parker. Parker was eleventh in 23:42.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Wakulla, 25
2. Chiles, 49
3. Lowndes, 64
4. Community Christian, 133
5. Tift County, 140
6. Arnold, 160
7. Thomas County Central, 183
8. Maclay, 206
9. Brookwood, 245
10. Mosley, 284
11. Cairo, 317

Top Ten High School Girls, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 21:22.80, Kelly Davis (Chiles) 12
2. 21:29.80, Ella Hodges (Chiles) 12
3. 22:04.60, Clara Alford (Wakulla) 12
4. 22:16.20, Isabella Laughton (Wakulla) 9
5. 22:20.90, Liliana Lewis (Wakulla) 10
6. 22:42.40, Niya Coleman (Florida State University) 11
7. 22:53.00, Marina Whitsell (Wakulla) 12
8. 23:06.70, Taylor Pfeifer (Wakulla) 10
9. 23:14.50, Alyssa Cooper (Chiles) 12
10. 23:33.10, Teresa Meli (Community Christian) 11

Ben Kirbo and Wyatt Townsend have been racing against each other in cross-country for years, going back to at least their middle school days when Kirbo was on the team at Montford and Townsend at Deerlake. By the 2021 Dueling Summits meet, though, both were running for the same team, Chiles High, where Kirbo was a senior and Townsend the junior. Townsend may have been a year behind Kirbo in school, but at Dueling Summits he was nearly a hundred meters ahead of Kirbo in the high school boys' 5K, winning the race in 16:32. Kirbo placed second in 16:50. Another Chiles senior, Filippo Reina, took third in 17:26. Reina has also been racing Townsend and Kirbo since middle school.


The remaining Chiles scorers also cracked the top ten--Timberwolf sophomore Jackson Rowe was sixh in 17:50 and junior Owen Franklin was eighth in 18:22. The first five Timberwolves totaled a mathematically unbeatable 20 points, giving Chiles first place in the seventeen-team field. It was the fourth win in the last five Dueling Summits meets for the Chiles boys.


Traveling to Tallahassee from Valdosta, Georgia, Lowndes High took second with 57 points. Lowndes put two runners in the top ten, but the fastest of those was senior Matthew Herndon, fifth in 17:50. Wakulla came from the next county south to take third with 126 points. Wakulla's top runner was Jaden Callaghan, a junior, seventeenth in 19:25.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Chiles, 20
2. Lowndes, 57
3. Wakulla, 126
4. Mosley, 176
5. Arnold, 178
6. Leon, 196
7. Florida, 219
8. Tift County, 224
9. Bainbridge, 240
10. Maclay, 282
11. Thomas County Central, 291
12. Rickards, 334
13. Cairo, 336
14. Brookwood, 338
15. St. John Paul II Catholic, 364
16. Marianna, 436
17. Grace Christian, 437

Top Ten High School Boys, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 16:31.60, Wyatt Townsend (Chiles) 11
2. 16:49.50, Ben Kirbo (Chiles) 12
3. 17:25.90, Filippo Reina (Chiles) 12
4. 17:43.50, Eddie Kepran (Arnold) 11
5. 17:49.50, Matthew Herndon (Lowndes) 12
6. 17:49.50, Jackson Rowe (Chiles) 10
7. 17:52.70, Eli Holbrook (Mosley) 12
8. 18:21.70, Owen Franklin (Chiles) 11
9. 18:36.60, Aaron Munger (Lowndes) 11
10. 18:53.90, Landon Watts (Bainbridge) 12

Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet High School Winners 2006 - 2021
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2006	Maclay, 23	20:44, Laura Hempel (Rickards)
10 September 2007	Maclay, 18	20:36, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
15 September 2008	Maclay, 39	20:18, Jana Stolting (Maclay)
14 September 2009	Maclay, 43	21:05, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
2 October 2010	West Florida Tech, 27	19:23, Stefanie Kurgatt (Maclay)
8 October 2011	Lincoln, 49	21:16, Savana Osterbye (FSUS)
2012	No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013	Leon, 27	20:35, Madison Harris (Wakulla)
6 September 2014	Leon, 44	21:09, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla)
29 August 2015	Fort Walton Beach, 24	21:16, Caroline Willis (Maclay)
27 August 2016	Chiles, 40	18:47, Alyson Churchill (Lincoln)
26 August 2017	Chiles, 80	18:29, Elizabeth Funderburk (Colquitt County)
25 August 2018	Chiles, 27	19:42, Abigail Schrobilgen (Chiles) 12
24 August 2019	Chiles, 39	18:52, Alyson Churchill (Chiles) 12
28 August 2021	Wakulla, 25	21:23, Kelly Davis (Chiles) 12
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
16 September 2006	Lincoln, 42	16:56, Joseph Franklin (Godby)
10 September 2007	Maclay, 23	17:18, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
15 September 2008	Niceville, 36	17:02, Whitney Strickland (NFCS)
14 September 2009	Maclay, 47	17:27, Patrick Swain (Maclay)
2 October 2010	Lincoln, 52	16:10, Jacob Slupecki (Lincoln)
8 October 2011	Lincoln, 63	16:55, Stanley Linton (Wakulla)
2012	No meet held in 2012
31 August 2013	Leon, 34	16:47, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
6 September 2014	Leon, 15	16:42, Sukhi Khosla (Leon)
29 August 2015	Leon, 52	16:38, Adam Wallenfelsz (Leon)
27 August 2016	Chiles, 32	16:44, Michael Phillips (Chiles)
26 August 2017	Chiles, 23	16:42, Michael Phillips (Chiles)
25 August 2018	Chiles, 32	17:01, Connor Phillips (Chiles) 12
24 August 2019	Leon, 28	17:11, Jackson Yarbrough (Leon) 10
28 August 2021	Chiles, 20	16:32, Wyatt Townsend (Chiles) 11

Montford Middle School opened their cross-country season on Thursday, 26 August 2021, at the Apalachee Regional Park Cross-Country Invitational. Eighth-grader Annabelle Wiktorski raced with the Montford team that evening. Less than 48 hours later, Wiktorski had traded her Montford uniform for a Red Hills Running Club kit and was racing in the middle school girls' 3K at Dueling Summits. The change of colors didn't slow her down; Wiktorski won the Dueling Summits race in 12:21. Another Red Hills Runner, fifth-grader Charlotte Sikes, finished runner-up in 12:27. Sikes had won the middle school girls' race at the FSUS Invitational a week earlier. Andi Vilardo of Red Hills placed third in 12:45. Like Wiktorski, seventh-grader Vilardo had raced in the ARPXC Inivtational on Thursday, competing for Montford.


Haley Heitmeyer, another Montford seventh-grader competing for Red Hills, placed fourth in 13:04. Sixth-grader Chloe Molen, who had won the ARPXC Invitational for Deerlake, took fifth for Red Hills in 13:13. Having swept the top five, the Red Hills girls won the team title with a perfect score of 15.


Maclay seventh-grader Ellie Mazziotta was sixth in 13:15, leading her team to second place with 48 points. Trinity Catholic was third in the seven-team field with 102 points. Trinity's top runner was sixth-grader Danielle Sasso, nineteenth in 15:34.


Team Standings, Middle School Girls, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Red Hills Running Club, 15
2. Maclay, 48
3. Trinity Catholic, 102
4. Lowndes Runners, 110
5. Thomas County, 120
6. Cornerstone, 142
7. Whigham, 182

Top Ten Middle School Girls, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 12:20.60, Annabelle Wiktorski (Red Hills Running Club) 7
2. 12:26.40, Charlotte Sikes (Red Hills Running Club) 5
3. 12:44.20, Andi Vilardo (Red Hills Running Club) 7
4. 13:03.20, Haley Heitmeyer (Red Hills Running Club) 7
5. 13:12.90, Chloe Molen (Red Hills Running Club) 6
6. 13:14.30, Ellie Mazziotta (Maclay) 7
7. 13:17.60, Leah Boutwell (Florida State University) 7
8. 13:26.40, Savannah Stanley (Red Hills Running Club) 7
9. 13:37.60, Sarah Puckett (Lowndes Runners) 7
10. 14:01.70, Mae Deison (Maclay) 8

Bainbridge, Georgia's Grace Christian Academy didn't have a full middle school boys' team to Dueling Summits, but they did have Walker Elrod. The eighth-grader won the boys' 3K race by over half a minute, running 10:38. Wesley Warren, a seventh-grader from Brookwood in Thomasville, Georgia, outkicked Community Christian eighth-grader Luke Meli for second, 11:12 to 11:13.


Community Christian eighth-grader Charles Wilson also made it into the top ten for the Chargers, placing eighth in 11:52. Community Christian's remaining three scorers were eighth-grader Benjamin Reeves (15th, 12:17), sixth-grader Landon Reeves (29th, 12:57), and eighth-grader Jeremy Collier (35th, 12:21). That gave Community Christian 65 points and first place among thirteen teams of middle school boys.


Maclay was second with 90 points behind the Marauder seventh-grader David Barton, fourteenth in 12:17. Brookwood, led by Wesley Warren, scored 108 points for third.


Team Standings, Middle School Boys, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. Community Christian, 65
2. Maclay, 90
3. Brookwood, 108
4. Trinity Catholic, 121
5. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 122
6. Thomas County, 144
7. Lowndes Runners, 175
8. Marianna, 189
9. Falcon Track Club, 208
10. Bainbridge, 257
11. Whigham, 288
12. Christ Classical, 305
13. Cornerstone, 320

Top Ten Middle School Boys, 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet

1. 10:37.10, Walker Elrod (Grace Christian) 8
2. 11:11.70, Wesley Warren (Brookwood) 7
3. 11:12.80, Luke Meli (Community Christian) 8
4. 11:23.80, Henry Lewis (Unattached) 8
5. 11:38.50, Ethan Burnett (Valwood) 8
6. 11:43.00, Mark Moore (Trinity Catholic) 8
7. 11:45.10, James Mogg (Trinity Catholic) 6
8. 11:51.40, Charles Wilson (Community Christian) 8
9. 12:01.00, Randon Manausa (Holy Comforter Episcopal) 7
10. 12:03.50, Maxwell Wester (Marianna) 7

Links

• Complete results of the 2021 Dueling Summits Cross-Country Meet
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRtV45rqL7WaUNuYhSoy5BJjMF-fTk4SiEhsAYDUa5yJEMJLP5CoGKgYLI8k38zNkHE1JemG6MHf08Q/pubhtml
  
  
• 2019 story, “Jackson Yarbrough and Alyson Churchill were the winning duo at Dueling Summits”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2019/08/cougar-xc-2019.html
  
  
• 2017 story, “Chiles sweeps, Phillips repeats, and Funderburk sets a record at the Cougar Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/08/cougar-xc-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Alyson Churchill meets the Challenge, runs 18:47”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/08/cougar-xc-2016.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Leon and Khosla repeat at Cougar Challenge”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/cougar-xc-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Harris and Khosla take on all challengers at the Challenge”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/cougar-xc-2013.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “The 2010 Cougar Challenge belongs to Kurgatt and Slupecki”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/cougar-xc-2010.html
  
  
• 2009 story, “Cougar Challenge opens cross-country season in Tallahassee”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2009/09/cougar-challenge-opens-cross-country.html
  
  
• Choose an upcoming race in the region from the selection on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2775

Wyatt Townsend and Katie Sherron race to Habitat 5K wins

As far as I know, during the 1890s there was no school in the farming community of Centerville, Florida. There was, however, a one-room schoolhouse in the neighboring village of Bradfordville. Depending on where you lived in Centerville, it would have been a three- or four-mile walk, but people of that era didn't fear walking. Some child, like a young Kip Keino, might have run the whole way. Putting in several miles running to school and back each day, he or she might have even become pretty good. Did an Olympic-caliber athlete live unnoticed in Centerville a century ago?


The Centerville of 2019 has both Roberts Elementary School and Montford Middle School, as well as cars and buses to take students to more distant high schools. The Bradfordville area has Killearn Lakes Elementary School, Deerlake Middle School, Chiles High School, and its own fleet of automobiles. One of those brought Deerlake eighth-grader Wyatt Townsend to the Centerville Conservation Community on Saturday morning, 9 March 2019, where Townsend won the fifth annual Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K, running 18:17. Florida State University economics professor Dr. Katie Sherron was the first woman in the race, placing fifth overall in 21:21.


Unlike the Centerville athlete I imagined, Townsend is no undiscovered country runner. He was undefeated during the 2018 middle school cross-country season, winning the FLYRA middle school state championship in the sport. Twenty seconds behind Townsend in the Habitat 5K, Jason McClung was second in 18:37. Zach DeVeau, fourth in the 2018 Habitat 5K, finished third in the 2019 race with a 19:13. Dan Manausa was the first master runner and fifth male finisher, sixth overall in 21:40.


Just a few steps behind Manausa, Jennifer Kilinski was seventh overall in 21:43, the first woman master and second female finisher. Master runner Monica Judd the 2016 Habitat 5K women's champ, was the third woman in the 2019 race, coming in ninth overall in 21:55.


65 athletes finished the 2019 Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee, Florida chip-timed the race.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K

1. 18:17, Wyatt Townsend (M, 14)
2. 18:37, Jason McClung (M, 33)
3. 19:13, Zach Deveau (M, 31)
4. 20:25, Jason Graham (M, 39)
5. 21:40, Dan Manausa (M, 49)
6. 21:48, Joe Dorn (M, 38)
7. 22:17, Angelo Cicatello (M, 32)
8. 22:36, Chris Kuhn (M, 48)
9. 22:51, Ben Betts (M, 49)
10. 23:47, Mark Tombrink (M, 31)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K

1. 21:21, Kate Sherron (F, 37)
2. 21:43, Jennifer Kilinski (F, 40)
3. 21:55, Monica Judd (F, 44)
4. 23:56, Nancy Stedman (F, 57)
5. 24:57, Belinda Wharton (F, 58)
6. 26:55, Jensen Reinert (F, 30)
7. 29:48, Chrissy Lee (F, 30)
8. 30:20, Mollie Palme Palmer (F, 64)
9. 31:57, Lindsey Thompson (F, 39)
10. 34:06, Susan Cornwell (F, 69)

Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K winners, 2014 - 2019
Date	Men	Women	Finishers
15 November 2014	18:58, Michael Martinez	21:16, Kate Harrison	100
14 November 2015	17:59, Grady Smith	23:12, Nancy Moody	93
12 November 2016	17:58, Geb Kiros	23:07, Monica Judd	80
10 March 2018	18:44, Kurt Dietrich	18:47, Sheryl Rosen	77
9 March 2019	18:17, Wyatt Townsend	21:21, Kate Sherron	65

Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQHYfA4m-1825v5cVq2UpaW2qY_qsXpjjW6li1imO41r8g0QWY0i3ew92YB6JGZITnnC21Wu9apTVry/pubhtml
  
  
• 2018 story, “Dietrich wins and Rosen runs a record 18:47 at the Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/03/big-bend-habitat-5K-2018.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Master runners Kiros and Judd show their mastery at the Habitat 5K”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/11/big-bend-habitat-5K-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Grady Smith and Nancy Moody speed through Centerville”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/11/big-bend-habitat-5K.html
  
  
• USATF Course Certification Map FL11064EBM for the 2015 Big Bend Habitat For Humanity 5K
  http://www.usatf.org/events/courses/maps/showMap.asp?courseID=FL11064EBM
  
  
• Find upcoming races everywhere in the Big Bend on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2450

Jim Halley and Alison Thumm finish earliest at the better-late-than-never Run For Lawson 10K

The Run For Lawson started as an annual 5K in 2011 with a 10K added to the program in 2012. Through 2017, each cross-country race took athletes on a tour of some beautiful Tallahassee, Florida countryside. Runners got to experience Lawson's Course on the campus of Holy Comforter Episcopal School as well as the hills and fields of Welaunee Plantation.


Meanwhile, Welaunee was changing. After decades of agriculture, it was turning into a residential development. In 2018 the course for the Run For Lawson was unusable because of construction, and the autumn races were postponed.

Jim Halley, Alison Thumm

But the Run For Lawson was back with new courses on Saturday morning, 16 February 2019. Jim Halley of Tallahassee was first in a field of 44 finishers in the 10K, winning by over a minute in 41:25. Tallahassee master runner Alison Thumm was the first woman in the 6.2-mile race, placing fifth overall in 46:00.


Eric Godin had won the 5K at the 2016 Run For Lawson. He stepped up to the 10K in 2019, taking the runner-up spot in 42:43. Wayne Thumm was the first master runner in the 10K, coming in third overall in 44:21.


Alison Thumm's Run For Lawson 10K title was her second; she had also won the race in 2012, it's inaugural year. Master runner Ali Kelly was second to Thumm in the 2019 women's standings, placing ninth overall in 48:37. Emily Kaiser took third on the women's side and eleventh overall in 48:37.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Run For Lawson 10K

1. 41:25, Jim Halley (M, 39)
2. 42:43, Eric Godin (M, 34)
3. 44:21, Wayne Thumm (M, 46)
4. 45:30, Jack Chatham (M, 38)
5. 46:50, Michael Kennett (M, 45)
6. 48:02, Juan Padron (M, 49)
7. 48:17, Juan Ordonez (M, 45)
8. 51:20, Robert Steinmetz (M, 63)
9. 53:40, Danny Balmer (M, 10)
10. 54:25, Mark Zeigler (M, 55)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Run For Lawson 10K

1. 46:00, Alison Thumm (F, 41)
2. 48:37, Ali Kelly (F, 46)
3. 52:44, Emily Kaiser (F, 26)
4. 53:11, Kristin Halley (F, 37)
5. 55:40, Sarah Brown (F, 32)
6. 56:16, Allison Richards (F, 24)
7. 56:48, Ashley Young (F, 32)
8. 57:09, Lindsey Boomer (F, 26)
9. 57:46, Karima Anderson (F, 32)
10. 58:38, Laura Clark (F, 27)

Wyatt Townsend is in this third and final year at Deerlake Middle School. Townsend ran for Deerlake's cross-country team during those years, winning more than half a dozen 3K races during the 2018 season, including Florida's Middle School Boys' Cross-Country Championship. Holy Comforter hosted six middle school cross-country meets on Lawson's Course while Townsend was competing for Deerlake, but he never got to race at any of those. The Deerlake eighth-grader got his first look at Lawson's Course in the 2019 Run For Lawson 5K.


Townsend may have been a first-timer, but he raced like a veteran, winning the 5000-meter race by almost 400 meters. Tallahassee Community College cross-country runner Kendall Ward was the first woman in the 5K, placing fourth overall in 21:56.

Wyatt Townsend, Kendall Ward

At 19:40, Kurt Dietrich, runner-up in the 2017 Run For Lawson 5K, was also runner-up in the 2019 race. David Cruz took third in 21:44. Tom Schulte was the first master runner in the 5K and the fourth male finisher, fifth overall in 22:22.


Running 23:44, Meghan Kennedy edged Ava Hill for second in the women's standings. Hill, a sixth-grader on Holy Comforter's cross-country team, ran 23:46. Kennedy and Hill were ninth and tenth overall. Jaye Danforth (16th, 26:07) finished just ahead of Camilla Schaefer (17th, 26:13) to take fourth on the women's side. Schaefer was the first woman master in the race.


126 athletes finished the 2019 Run For Lawson 5K. Gulf Winds Track Club of Tallahassee chip-timed both the 10K and the 5K.


Top Ten Men, 2019 Run For Lawson 5K

1. 18:09, Wyatt Townsend (M, 14)
2. 19:40, Kurt Dietrich (M, 27)
3. 21:44, David Cruz (M, 37)
4. 22:22, Tom Schulte (M, 52)
5. 22:53, Ian Kuhn (M, 15)
6. 23:25, Henry Mayfield (M, 41)
7. 23:33, Joe Soto (M, 44)
8. 23:53, Asher Hill (M, 10)
9. 24:28, Jeremy Cohen (M, 42)
10. 24:30, Harrison Kennedy (M, 9)

Top Ten Women, 2019 Run For Lawson 5K

1. 21:56, Kendall Ward (F, 18)
2. 23:44, Meghan Kennedy (F, 38)
3. 23:46, Ava Hill (F, 12)
4. 26:07, Jaye Danforth (F, 38)
5. 26:13, Camilla Schaefer (F, 47)
6. 27:07, Isabel Davis (F, 12)
7. 28:36, Ellie Mazziotta (F, 9)
8. 28:51, Stephanie Wade (F, 27)
9. 29:08, Claire Georgiadis (F, 21)
10. 29:08, Ireland MacDonell (F, 21)

Run For Lawson champions, 2011 - 2019
Date	Distance	Men	Women	Finishers
8 October 2011	5K	17:29, Gary Droze	22:22, Molly McCann	393
6 October 2012	10K	39:32, Tony Guillen	52:00, Allison Thumm	123
	5K	18:29, Gary Droze	22:00, Molly McCann	335
28 September 2013	10K	35:50, Chris Lake	45:53, Renee Cox	174
	5K	18:20, Gary Droze	21:23, Molly McCann	317
1 November 2014	10K	38:58, Paul Guyas	45:32, Jillian Heddaeus	94
	5K	19:16, Evan Wilson	20:47, Molly McCann	221
26 September 2015	10K	41:03, Michael Peymann	44:56, Leslie Dickinson	98
	5K	20:56, Hawthorne Hay	21:04, Brittney Barnes	226
22 October 2016	10K	36:23, Chris O'Kelley	45:47, Juanita Chalmers	100
	5K	18:24, Eric Godin	20:57, Samantha Reilly	205
28 October 2017	10K	41:36, Tony Guillen	44:43, Emily Culley	63
	5K	20:38, Eric Houge	27:42, Jaye Danforth	137
16 February 2019	10K	41:25, Jim Halley	46:00, Alison Thumm	44
	5K	18:09, Wyatt Townsend	21:56, Kendall Ward	126

The photos in this story were taken by the peerless Fred Deckert.


Links

• Complete results of the 2019 Run For Lawson
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSzaZYmqL9OexOp_F9XjGof1oLmBq6jL7_B90rLBlco4gajJoh-1vCYatmShp2-gGAqrM9aKdAp-HDc/pubhtml
  
  
• Fred Deckert's photos of the 2019 Run For Lawson
  https://photos.app.goo.gl/EVGWGo9i8EeNr95H8
  
  
• 2016 story, “O'Kelley and Chalmers capture the Run For Lawson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/10/lawson-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Peymann and Dickinson prevail on the trail at Run For Lawson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/lawson-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Guyas rolls and Heddaeus sets record at Run For Lawson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/11/lawson-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Lake and Cox set new standards at Run For Lawson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/09/lawson-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Farther is better for Guillen and Thumm at Run For Lawson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/10/lawson-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 story, “Droze and McCann race for Lawson”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/10/lawson-2011.html
  
  
• Run For Lawson website
  http://runforlawson.org/
  
  
• Plan a future run in the Tallahassee region using the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2433

Wyatt Townsend and Ella Porcher bring FLYRA cross-country titles home to Tallahassee

Jacksonville, Florida's Bolles Middle School took both the girls' and the boys' team titles at the ninth annual Florida Youth Running Association Middle School Cross-Country State Championship, held at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday morning, 27 October 2018. But while both team trophies were headed to Jacksonville, the individual titles went to Tallahassee. Ella Porcher, an eighth-grader at Tallahassee's Maclay School, won the middle school girls' championship 3K race in 10:50. Another Tallahassee eighth-grader, Wyatt Townsend of Deerlake, took first in the boys' 3K with a 9:55.


It was a close finish at the front in the girls' 3K, with Porcher holding off Samantha Kavanaugh for the win, 10:50 to 10:53. Kavanaugh is an eighth-grader at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale. Not much farther back, Bolles eighth-grader Elizabeth Csikai took third in 11:03.


The Bolles Bulldogs also had two more girls in the top ten, both eighth-graders--Jillian Candelino took fourth in 11:11, and Ella Mickler was eighth in 11:17. Two more
scorers, seventh-graders Leila Bata (24th, 11:49) and Suki Burgstiner--gave the Bulldogs 67 points and their first FLYRA title ever. Indian Trails, the defending champions, placed second with 137 points, led by seventh-grader Grace Mason (31st, 12:03) and sixth-grader Gabriella Mason (32nd, 12:03). Fruit Cove Middle School was third in the team standings, scoring 143 points behind the eighteenth-place, 11:43 performance of their top runner, eighth-grader Peyton Skoglund.


Girls' teams from Maclay and Holy Comforter Episcopal represented Tallahassee at the State Championship. The Maclay girls were twelfth with 367 points, and Holy Comforter was 26th with 651 points. In addition to state champ Ella Porcher, the Maclay runners were eighth-grader Sofia Paredes (17th, 11:43), seventh-grader Gracie Koeppel (35th, 12:05), sixth-grader Lauren Guyer (225th, 14:00), sixth-grader Payton Thumm (127th, 14:00), sixth-grader Gretchen Van Iddenkinge (266th, 14:44), and seventh-grader Sarah Kathryn Munroe (289th, 15:19). Holy Comforter's State Meet squad was sixth-grader Ava Hill (128th, 13:09), eighth-grader Grace Reichelderfer (155th, 13:23), sixth-grader Kate Reichelderfer (156th, 13:24), eighth-grader Camille Resavage (195th, 13:45), seventh-grader Juliette Heckman (280th, 14:58), and eighth-grader Lucy McKee (300th, 15:53). Other Tallahassee runners in the field included Swift Creek eighth-grader Stella Lewis (58th, 12:25), Trinity Catholic eighth-grader Lillee Tang (78th, 12:37), Deerlake eighth-grader Maya Tang (94th, 12:50), Deerlake seventh-grader Leah Kiros (119th, 13:04), and Deerlake seventh-grader Copeland Frazee (178th, 13:36).


Girls' Team Standings, 2018 FLYRA Middle School State Cross Country Final

1. Bolles, 67
2. Indian Trails, 137
3. Fruit Cove, 143
4. Calvary Christian, 149
5. Emerald Coast, 193
6. Ruckel, 201
7. Pine Crest, 237
8. Mount Dora, 272
9. Bell Creek, 275
10. Gulfview, 305
11. Destin, 311
12. Maclay, 367
13. Tavares, 381
14. Saint Francis Xavier Catholic, 383
15. Nolan, 408
16. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic, 422
17. Assumption Catholic, 438
18. East Ridge, 456
19. Rampello, 529
20. Marco Island Charter, 559
21. Westminster Christian, 564
22. Oasis Charter, 581
23. Conchita Espinosa, 596
24. Varsity Lakes, 622
25. Ammons, 632
26. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 651
27. Berkeley Prep, 725
28. Braden River, 751
29. Lutz, 792
30. Palmer Trinity, 823
31. Ivy Hawn, 905
32. Queen of Peace, 914
33. Holy Names, 917
34. Independence, 1000
35. Bok, 1038
36. First Baptist Brandon, 1116
37. Saint John's Episcopal, 1117

Top 15 Girls, 2018 FLYRA Middle School State Cross Country Final

1. 10:49.58, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
2. 10:52.88, Samantha Kavanagh (Calvary Christian) 8
3. 11:02.40, Elizabeth Csikai (Bolles) 8
4. 11:10.33, Jillian Candelino (Bolles) 8
5. 11:11.72, Lucrezia Gowdy (Assumption Catholic) 6
6. 11:12.68, Noelle Vu (Mount Dora) 4
7. 11:13.73, Eliana Black (Hillsborough Harriers) 5
8. 11:16.12, Ella Mickler (Bolles) 8
9. 11:21.35, Elizabeth Williamson (The Elite Runner Fort Myers) 6
10. 11:29.05, Lauren McGaffic (Unattached) 8
11. 11:29.40, Emma Hencock (Miami Milers) 8
12. 11:32.89, Lula Katz (Rampello) 6
13. 11:33.66, Sophie Kellogg (Destin) 7
14. 11:34.86, Hailey Holtery (Ruckel) 7
15. 11:34.91, Lily Henderson (Nolan) 7

In collecting five wins during the five races of Leon County Schools' 2018 middle school cross-country season, Deerlake's Wyatt Townsend experienced a close finish. Even at the League Championship Meet, Townsend had comfortable leads by the end of the race. That wasn't the case in the FLYRA boys' 3K at Lakeland, where Riley Novack, a Tavares eighth-grader, was right with Townsend. Townsend had the better kick, though, beating Novack to the finish line 9:55 to 9:56 for the State Championship. Another Tavares eighth-grader, Matthew Raucci, took third in 10:00, just ahead of the 10:02 posted by the fourth-place runner, Varsity Lakes eighth-grader Cooper Banks.


Tavares eighth-grader Noah Musselwhite placed tenth in 10:20, giving the Patriots three runners in the top ten. It was a good start if Tavares was going to add a second team title to the one their boys had collected in 2016. However right behind Musselwhite, Bolles eighth-grader Aidan Ryan crossed the finish line eleventh in 10:22. Two more Bolles eighth-graders were close behind, with Matthew Thomas 21st in 10:39 and Andrew McGraw 22nd in 10:40. Bolles sixth-grader Parker Adams placed 98th for the Bulldogs in 11:27, and Bolles seventh-grader Cole Breuer was 104th in 11:31, wrapping up the Bulldog score--a winning 155 points. Led by the 40th-place, 10:58 showing of seventh-grader Joshua Ruiz, the defending champs from Belen Jesuit placed second with 185 points. Circle Christian scored 232 points for third, led by eighth-grader Jack DeJesus, twelfth in 10:24. Tavares was fourth in the 47-team field, scoring 242 points.


The boys from Tallahassee's Fairview Middle School were 24th in the team standings with 626 points. Tallahassee was also represented by teams from Maclay and Holy Comforter Episcopal; Maclay was 26th with 744 points and Holy Comforter 29th with 762 points.


Tallahassee runners Connor Edwards and Patrick Koon continued their close rivalry in the Lakeland race. Edwards, a Swift Creek eighth-grader was fifteenth in 10:34, while Fairview seventh-grader Koon was sixteenth in 10:36. Also representing Tallahassee at FLYRA, Trinity Catholic seventh-grader Will Springer was 49th in 11:05.14, Montford seventh-grader Jackson Rowe was 75th in 11:18.80, Maclay eighth-grader Clayton Knox was 76th in 11:18.95, Fairview seventh-grader Yien Liu was 121st in 11:35.48, Holy Comforter sixth-grader Henry Fernandez was 131st in 11:38.89, Maclay eighth-grader Lucas Mauch was 137th in 11:40.52, Community Leadership sixth-grader Noah Deem was 147th in 11:48.20, Deerlake eighth-grader Alastair Deng was 158th in 11:53.83, Holy Comforter seventh-grader Matthew Wilbourn was 194th in 12:07.90, Fairview seventh-grader Enijah Thomas was 204th in 12:12.87, Raa seventh-grader Drayden Reams was 216th in 12:17.61, Community Leadership sixth-grader Peter Boulware was 221st in 12:18.76, Maclay eighth-grader Jack Matthews was 228th in 12:22.20, Holy Comforter sixth-grader Barnes Ray was 235th in 12:25.71, Holy Comforter seventh-grader Will Winsor was 237th in 12:26.75, Fairview eighth-grader Lucca Garrison was 245th in 12:28.79, Maclay sixth-grader Marc Campbell was 311th in 12:49.71, Maclay sixth-grader Avery Coffin was 330th in 12:57.53, Holy Comforter sixth-grader Davis Malone was 325th in 12:54.70, Fairview eighth-grader Brantley Gibson was 333rd in 12:58.87, Maclay eighth-grader Oakley Deison was 335th in 13:00.16, Holy Comforter seventh-grader Hudson Leger was 342nd in 13:03.46, Holy Comforter seventh-grader Aiden Merritt was 347th in 13:06.68, and Maclay sixth-grader Robert McAuliffe was 351st in 13:09.34.


Boys' Team Standings, 2018 FLYRA Middle School State Cross Country Final

1. Bolles, 155
2. Belen Jesuit, 185
3. Circle Christian, 232
4. Tavares, 238
5. East Ridge, 242
6. Ruckel, 281
7. Liza Jackson, 305
8. Emerald Coast, 313
9. Calvary Christian, 350
10. Oakleaf, 379
11. Pine Crest, 388
12. Fruit Cove, 421
13. Bonita Springs, 427
14. Out of Door, 449
15. Green Cove Springs, 478
16. Pine Ridge, 500
17. Palmer Trinity, 511
18. Montverde, 526
19. Varsity Lakes, 536
20. Queen of Peace, 539
21. Nolan, 581
22. Donahue of Ave Maria, 617
23. River Spring, 626*
24. Fairview, 626*
25. Assumption Catholic, 662
26. Maclay, 744
27. Saint Francis Xavier Catholic, 757
28. Oakridge, 758
29. Holy Comforter Episcopal, 762
30. Lawton Chiles, 771
31. PAL Indian Trails, 790
32. Braden River, 805
33. Conchita Espinosa, 840
34. Marco Island Charter, 850
35. Don Estridge High Tech, 854
36. Ammons, 908
37. Destin, 939
38. Ivy Hawn, 948
39. Bell Creek, 966
40. Rampello, 989
41. Terrace Community, 1011
42. Saint John's Episcopal, 1058
43. Carrollwood, 1073
44. Independence, 1074
45. Abraham Lincoln, 1088
46. Berkley Accelerated, 1265
47. Florida College, 1342

Top 15 Boys, 2018 FLYRA Middle School State Cross Country Final

1. 9:54.52, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
2. 9:55.98, Riley Novack (Tavares) 8
3. 9:59.86, Matthew Raucci (Tavares) 8
4. 10:01.59, Cooper Banks (Varsity Lakes) 8
5. 10:05.56, Miguel Pantojas (Unattached) 8
6. 10:06.09, Braxton Legg (Citrus Park Christian) 8
7. 10:08.37, Kaden Levings (Unattached) 8
8. 10:12.71, Andrew Fredericks (Holy Names) 8
9. 10:14.20, Bernardo Barnhart Jr. (Gulf Coast Runners) 8
10. 10:19.64, Noah Musselwhite (Tavares) 8
11. 10:21.59, Aidan Ryan (Bolles) 8
12. 10:23.34, Jack DeJesus (Circle Christian) 8
13. 10:28.21, Mac Williams (Fruit Cove) 8
14. 10:32.81, Kaleb Hollins (Pryor) 8
15. 10:33.66, Connor Edwards (Montford) 8

Florida Youth Running Association Middle School State Cross-Country Championships, 2010 - 2018
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
13 November 2010	Liza Jackson, 56 points	11:03.60, Daesha Rogers (American Heritage)
5 November 2011	Lake City, 31	10:54.50, Emma Rudman (Liza Jackson) 8
3 November 2012	Eye of the Tiger, 64	11:41.10, Rafaella Gibbons (Unattached) 7
2 November 2013	Pine Crest, 64	11:05.70, Rafaella Gibbons (Orlando Runners) 8
1 November 2014	Pine Crest, 81	10:39.00, Tsion Yared (Pine Crest) 7
31 October 2015	Destin, 94	10:40.30, Ashley Klingenberg (Central Fla Gliders) 8
29 October 2016	Emerald Coast, 79	10:38.67, Ani Veltcheva (Abraham Lincoln) 7
28 October 2017	Indian Trails, 41	10:37.59, Ani Veltcheva (Abraham Lincoln) 8
27 October 2018	Bolles, 67	10:49.58, Ella Porcher (Maclay) 8
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
13 November 2010	Rams TC, 110 points	10:02.70, Kurt Convey (G. W. Carver) 8
5 November 2011	Destin, 59	9:50.80, Brandon Marquez (Avalon) 8
3 November 2012	Ammons, 85	10:21.60, Julian Elortegui (Unattached) 8
2 November 2013	Liza Jackson, 98	9:48.30, Joey Fitzpatrick (Unattached) 8
1 November 2014	Belen Jesuit, 47	9:56.30, Clayburn Milford (Maclay) 8
31 October 2015	Belen Jesuit, 165	10:08.50, Brady Gibson (Gulfview) 8
29 October 2016	Tavares, 145	9:56.76, Adrian Bichara (Miami Elite) 8
28 October 2017	Belen Jesuit, 89	9:43.91, Rheinhardt Harrison (Saint Johns Striders) 8
27 October 2018	Bolles, 155	9:54.52, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
The 2010 Championships were run at Sun 'N' Fun Fly In in Lakeland, Florida. The 2011 Championships were run at Sanlan Ranch in Lakeland, Florida. From 2012-2018 the Championships were run at Holloway Park in Lakeland, Florida.

Links

• Complete results, 2018 FLYRA Middle School Cross-Country Championships
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQFtYt-kVUpa2Y9RgzglZSZDk8-ybWz4Y8PZ1N6pOILP85QhO2DWX4Eh-uonHIYTxwUHGboYWTbrD30/pubhtml
  
  
• 2015 story, “Tallahassee at Florida's 2015 Middle School Cross Country Championship”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/11/florida-ms-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Tallahassee runners fly at FLYRA”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/11/florida-ms-2014.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “2010 FLYRA Middle School State Cross-Country Championships”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/11/florida-ms-2010.html
  
  
• Florida Youth Running Association
  http://www.flyra.org/
  
  
• Championship or not, find an upcoming race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2359

Paige Churchill and Wyatt Townsend close their middle school cross-country careers with wins

The middle school cross-country championship for Leon County Schools' was Thursday, 4 October 2018. Was it in the afternoon, or the evening? During the first race, the girls' 3K, pileated woodpeckers piped from the trees of Apalachee Regional Park, signaling that it was daytime. But before the boys' 3K was over, barred owls--night birds--were hooting "who-cooks-for-you?" over the course.


Afternoon or evening, it was 6:00 PM when the girls' race started, and it was Swift Creek eighth-grader Paige Churchill who finished first, winning her third straight Leon County Schools' cross-country title in three years. The Swift Creek girls captured the team championship. In the boys' 3K, Deerlake eighth-grader Wyatt Townsend got his fifth win of the 2018 season, running 10:07. Townsend and the Deerlake boys successfully defended their 2017 team title, going a perfect five-for-five during 2018.

Paige Churchill

Going into the meet, Paige Churchill had won the previous two girls' championships. During her middle school cross-country career she had won ten races--more than any other athlete in Leon County Schools history. Churchill had won three of four races during the 2016 season, and five of five during 2017.


But of the first five meets of 2018, Maya Tang of Deerlake had won three. She opened the 2018 season by taking first in the ARPXC Invitational. Churchill answered with a win the following week at the Fort Braden Run, but Tang was first the week after that at the Everhart Invitational. Churchill won at the Mustang Invitational in week four, and Tang won at the Falcon Invitational in week five.

Maya Tang

And then it was week six, the week of the Championship.


"I started running in sixth grade, but it wasn't as serious," said Tang.


By seventh grade, though, it was serious. Tang finished near the front in all five Leon County Schools cross-country meets during her seventh-grade season. At the 2017 championship that year, during the first kilometer she had shared the lead with Paige Churchill before dropping back to place third.

Skye Williams

At the 2018 championship, Tang had the early lead to herself.


"I know Maya goes out really fast," said Churchill. "So I tried not to stress out."


Tang led through the first half of the race, but Churchill started closing the gap. With less than a kilometer to go, she caught Tang.


"It was right before the hill," recalled Churchill.

Swift Creek Girls

"The hill" was Apalachee Regional Park's notorious "Wall," a steep climb out of the woods. Churchill crested the Wall seven seconds before Tang, then started on the final half kilometer to the finish line. The gap between the two runners grew during that stretch, and Churchill finished in a winning 12:04. Tang took second in 12:16. Skye Williams, a Montford seventh-grader, overtook Swift Creek eighth-grader Stella Lewis during the final half kilometer to take third in 12:19. Lewis was fourth in 12:32.


Right behind Lewis, another Swift Creek runner, eighth-grader Ava Jones, placed fifth in 12:36. Lilly Walker, a sixth-grader, was Swift Creek's fourth scorer in the top ten, placing seventh in 12:54. Seventh-grader Elizabeth Kessler was Swift Creek's fifth scorer, giving the Wolves 28 points and the 2018 team title. The Montford girls were second with 53 points, and Deerlake third with 60.


Girls' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2018 Middle School Cross-Country Championship

1. Swift Creek, 28
2. Montford, 53
3. Deerlake, 60
4. Cobb, 118
5. Raa, 132
6. Fairview, 147
7. Fort Braden, NTS
   Griffin, NTS

Top Ten Girls, Leon County Schools 2018 Middle School Cross-Country Championship

1. 12:03.29, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
2. 12:15.08, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
3. 12:18.90, Skye Williams (Montford) 7
4. 12:31.58, Stella Lewis (Swift Creek) 8
5. 12:35.25, Ava Jones (Swift Creek) 7
6. 12:49.80, Parker Matherne (Cobb) 8
7. 12:53.02, Lilly Walker (Swift Creek) 6
8. 12:54.09, Leah Kiros (Deerlake) 7
9. 12:56.13, Mackenzie Hulquist (Montford) 7
10. 12:57.85, Copeland Frazee (Deerlake) 7

"It felt long," said Wyatt Townsend after the boys' 3K. "But that just could be because we've been running a lot of short races."

Wyatt Townsend

It must have felt even longer for Townsend's competitors, who had to watch his back the whole way. They must have been used to the view, though. Leading up to the Championship, Townsend had won the boys' 3K at the Fort Braden Run, the Everhart Invitational, the Mustang Stampede, and the Falcon Invitational. At Apalachee Regional Park that evening, Townsend was ahead of the field soon after the start, and only got farther ahead as the race went on. Swift Creek eighth-grader Connor Edwards settled into second behind Townsend by the 800-meter mark, chased by seventh-graders Patrick Koon of Fairview and Jackson Rowe of Montford. Those positions remained unchanged for the rest of the race. Townsend won in 10:07, with Edwards runner-up in 10:28. Koon took third in 10:35, and Rowe finished fourth in 10:48.


Deerlake put two more athletes in the top ten with eighth-grader Alastair Deng sixth in 11:09 and seventh-grader Davis McNeely eighth in 11:11. Sixth-grader Ethan Ekk and eighth-grader Carter Rothell complete the scoring for Deerlake, giving the Bucks a winning total of 38 points. Swift Creek was second with 61 points, and Fairview edged Montford for third, 79 to 82.

Connor Edwards

And with that, the season was over. The top athletes were recognized, the team trophies were awarded, and athletes started to drift home, realizing that cross-country had just come to an end. Of course, there's always spring, and track season.


"Track's a lot different," said Townsend. "I'm looking forward to that."


"I might do a few 5K races here are there," said Churchill. "But just for fun. I might do the Turkey Trot. That's always my favorite race."

Patrick Koon

Both Paige Churchill and Wyatt Townsend are eighth-graders and therefore in their final year of middle school. High school looms ahead, but you may never see either runner in a high school cross-country uniform. Churchill is very involved in soccer. Townsend is "a year-round swimmer." Time will tell.


Boys' Team Standings, Leon County Schools 2018 Middle School Cross-Country Championship

1. Deerlake, 38
2. Swift Creek, 61
3. Fairview, 79
4. Montford, 82
5. Raa, 121
6. Cobb, 190
7. Fort Braden, 198
8. Griffin, 221
9. Nims, NTS

Top Ten Boys, Leon County Schools 2018 Middle School Cross-Country Championship

1. 10:06.38, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
2. 10:27.19, Connor Edwards (Swift Creek) 8
3. 10:34.33, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 7
4. 10:47.31, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 7
5. 10:57.81, Eric Stillman (Swift Creek) 8
6. 11:08.88, Alastair Deng (Deerlake) 8
7. 11:10.65, Yien Liu (Fairview) 7
8. 11:10.84, Davis McNeely (Deerlake) 7
9. 11:11.63, Neal Porter (Montford) 6
10. 11:12.36, Drayden Reams (Raa) 7

2018 Leon County Schools Middle School Cross-Country Season Summary
Girls
Meet	Team Champ	Individual Champ
ARPXC (Story) 30 August 2018	Swift Creek, 36	12:52, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
Fort Braden (Story) 6 September 2018	Swift Creek, 35	12:51, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
Everhart (Story) 13 September 2018	Swift Creek, 41	12:16, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
Mustang (Story) 20 September 2018	Montford, 40	11:45, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
Falcon (Story) 27 September 2018	Swift Creek, 34	11:28, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
Championship (Story) 4 October 2018	Swift Creek, 28	12:04, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
Boys
Meet	Team Champ	Individual Champ
ARPXC (Story) 30 August 2018	N/A	N/A
Fort Braden (Story) 6 September 2018	Deerlake, 39	11:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
Everhart (Story) 13 September 2018	Deerlake, 30	10:46, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
Mustang (Story) 20 September 2018	Deerlake, 34	9:43, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
Falcon (Story) 27 September 2018	Deerlake, 35	9:50, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
Championship (Story) 4 October 2018	Deerlake, 38	10:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8

Leon County Schools Middle School Cross-Country Championships Apalachee Regional Park, 2010 - 2018
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
6 October 2010	Raa, 32	13:34, Rebecca Clendinen (Raa) 8
28 September 2011	Swift Creek, 31	13:24, Zoe Sheldon (Swift Creek) 7
26 September 2012	Swift Creek, 36	12:49, Audrey Dogan (Raa) 8
2 October 2013	Swift Creek, 43	13:00, Ana Wallace (Deerlake) 8
1 October 2014	Deerlake, 36	12:12, Lawton Campbell (Deerlake) 8
7 October 2015	Swift Creek, 35	12:08, Emily Molen (Deerlake) 8
5 October 2016	Montford, 44	13:33, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 6
4 October 2017	Swift Creek, 27	13:14, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 7
4 October 2018	Swift Creek, 28	12:04, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
6 October 2010	Raa, 24	11:35, Wil Luca (Raa) 8
28 September 2011	Raa, 58	11:42, Evan Francis (Raa) 8
26 September 2012	Montford, 56	11:49, Matthew Cashin (Raa) 8
2 October 2013	Montford, 37	11:19, Jacob Dodson (Raa) 8
1 October 2014	Fairview, 44	11:59, Tavaris King (Griffin) 8
7 October 2015	Montford, 50	11:34, Nile Bryant (Raa) 8
5 October 2016	Swift Creek, 44	11:38, Weston Blake (Swift Creek) 8
4 October 2017	Deerlake, 50	11:31, Ben Kirbo (Montford) 8
4 October 2018	Deerlake, 38	10:07, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
Note: LCS held middle-school cross-country championships before 2010. This table summarizes the history of the championship at ARPXC.

Links

• Complete results of Leon County Schools' 2018 Middle School Cross Country Championships
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTEUlbvhdqETwEqF9fXLLRREy0VJdZF5KUKhs3u6IIghh7kCdTxJq2s3k-8iAuwmepwuXdVRWgPA4L6/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2018 Leon County Schools Middle School Cross Country Championships
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10112599508316183&type=1&l=d52d30f7b7
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10112599620451463&type=1&l=65f152add5
  
  
• The 2018 LCS middle school cross-country season
  
  • ARPXC Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/swift-creek-2018.html
    
  • Fort Braden Run https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/fort-braden-2018.html
    
  • Everhart Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/owl-run-2018.html
    
  • Mustang Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/mustang-2018.html
    
  • Falcon Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/falcon-2018.html
    
  • LCS Championship [ Coming on 4 October 2018 ]
    
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2018 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/07/lcs-xc-2018.html
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2018
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/07/tallahassee-xc-2018.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Swift Creek boys and Montford girls take the Leon County Schools cross-country championship”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/10/lcs-champs-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Emily Molen and Nile Bryant grab 2015 LCS Cross Country titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/lcs-champs-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “Deerlake girls stun Swift Creek, Fairview boys win first title”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/lcs-champs-2014.html
  
  
• 2013 story, “Jacob Dodson and Ana Wallace race to 2013 LCS XC titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2013/10/lcs-champs-2013.html
  
  
• 2012 story, “Swift Creek girls and Montford boys end season as champions”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2012/09/lcs-champs-2012.html
  
  
• 2011 girls' story, “Sheldon leads Swift Creek to victory in the 2011 LCS Meet”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/09/lcs-ms-girls-2011.html
  
  
• 2011 boys' story, “Francis goes 4-0 while Raa boys win when it counts”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2011/09/lcs-ms-boys-2011.html
  
  
• 2010 story, “Clendinen and Luca lead Raa to LCS Titles”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2010/10/lcs-champs-2010.html
  
  
• Even more upcoming distance races in the Tallahassee region
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2353

Tang and Townsend fly to victory at the Falcon Invitational

Week five of the Leon County Schools' middle school cross-country season saw the athletes in Phipps Park on Thursday afternoon, 27 September 2018, for the first ever Falcon Invitational. Deerlake's Maya Tang won the opening event, the girls' 3K, running 11:28, while the Swift Creek girls took the team title. In the boys' 3K Wyatt Townsend ran 9:50 for his fourth win of the season, leading Deerlake to first place in the team standings.

Maya Tang

It was the first year of the Falcon Invitational, and it almost didn't happen. Hosted by Fairview Middle School, the meet was scheduled to take place at the school. However, construction at Fairview made that impossible. Where could you run a pair of three-kilometer middle school races? Well, Gulf Winds Track Club had staged a 3K at Phipps Park as part of the Miller Landing Madness. So the Falcon Invitational moved from the south side of town to the north side of town, more than ten miles.


On the day of the races, the weather turned threatening.


But as ominous as the skies looked, only a light rain was falling when the girls' race got started, though. Deerlake eighth-grader Maya Tang had already seen the course just over a month earlier, running 12:31 in the Miller Landing Madness 3K. 600 meters into Falcon Invitational girls' 3K Tang was already leading, more than 40 meters ahead of the next group of runners--Swift Creek eighth-graders Stella Lewis and Paige Churchill, and Deerlake seventh-grader Leah Kiros. Tang increased the margin after that, finishing the race with a lead of more than a hundred meters and a winning time of 11:28. It was her third win of the season. Paige Churchill, who had won the other two girls' races during the season, took second in 11:53. The next two places went to Swift Creek seventh-graders, with Stella Lewis third in 12:07 and Ava Jones fourth in 12:13. Skye Williams, a Montford seventh-grader, was a close fifth in 12:15, and Leah Kiros was sixth in 12:25.

Swift Creek Girls' Team

The remaining two scorers for the Swift Creek Wolves were seventh-grader Elizabeth Kessler (9th, 12:45) and sixth-grader Lilly Walker (18th, 13:11), giving the team a winning total of 34 points. Led by Williams, Montford took second with 45 points. Kiros' Deerlake Bucks were third with 59 points.


2018 Falcon Invitational Girls' Team Scores

1. Swift Creek, 34
2. Montford, 45
3. Deerlake, 59
4. Cobb, 125
5. Raa, 136
6. Fairview, 140
7. Fort Braden, NTS
   Griffin, NTS
   Nims, NTS

Top Ten, 2018 Falcon Invitational Girls' 3K

1. 11:27.82, Maya Tang (Deerlake) 8
2. 11:52.85, Paige Churchill (Swift Creek) 8
3. 12:06.38, Stella Lewis (Swift Creek) 8
4. 12:12.98, Ava Jones (Swift Creek) 7
5. 12:14.69, Skye Williams (Montford) 7
6. 12:24.26, Leah Kiros (Deerlake) 7
7. 12:43.62, Madison Sims (Fort Braden) 6
8. 12:44.15, Mariona Heartsfield (Montford) 6
9. 12:44.39, Elizabeth Kessler (Swift Creek) 7
10. 12:45.43, Mackenzie Hulquist (Montford) 7

Swift Creek eighth-grader Connor Edwards and Fairview seventh-grader Patrick Koon had both raced the Phipps Park 3K course before, dueling for the win in the Miller Landing Madness 3K. Edwards had come out slightly ahead that day, 10:37 to 10:39. But in the boys' 3K at the Falcon Invitational, it was Deerlake eighth-grader Wyatt Townsend who took the first lead. Townsend got ahead at the start, and stayed ahead, finishing the race with a 140-meter lead in 9:50. Fighting for second, Edwards and Koon had a rematch of their Miller Landing Madness duel. The outcome was closer, but the same--Edwards edged Koon for second, 10:09 to 10:10.

Wyatt Townsend

In addition to Townsend, the Deerlake Bucks had three more boys in the top ten--eighth-grader Alastair Deng was sixth in 10:54, eighth-grader Carter Rothell was seventh in 10:57, and seventh-grader Davis McNeely was eighth in 10:58. Sixth-grader Ethan Ekk completed the scoring for the Bucks, finishing thirteenth in 11:08 and completing his team's winning total of 35 points. Led by Edwards, Swift Creek placed second with 66 points. Montford seventh-grader Jackson Rowe was fifth in 10:35, leading the Mustangs to third place in the team standings with 77 points.


The middle school cross-country season for Leon County Schools concludes on Thursday, 4 October 2018, at Apalachee Regional Park Championship Cross-Country Course with the League Championship Meet. The girls' 3K starts at 6:00 PM and the boys race at 6:30.

Patrick Koon & Connor Edwards

2018 Falcon Invitational Boys' Team Scores

1. Deerlake, 35
2. Swift Creek, 66
3. Montford, 77
4. Fairview, 94
5. Raa, 99
6. Fort Braden, 185
7. Cobb, 200
8. Griffin, NTS
   Nims, NTS

Top Ten, 2018 Falcon Invitational Boys' 3K

1. 9:49.60, Wyatt Townsend (Deerlake) 8
2. 10:08.30, Connor Edwards (Swift Creek) 8
3. 10:09.22, Patrick Koon (Fairview) 7
4. 10:32.41, Eric Stillman (Swift Creek) 8
5. 10:34.74, Jackson Rowe (Montford) 7
6. 10:53.55, Alastair Deng (Deerlake) 8
7. 10:56.44, Carter Rothell (Deerlake) 8
8. 10:57.96, Davis McNeely (Deerlake) 7
9. 11:00.16, Drayden Reams (Raa) 7
10. 11:02.16, Neal Porter (Montford) 6

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Falcon Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet via Brian Corbin
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTLqF3HcADqXvNYvCzjz55z2Ad833D5f1x6wSNvcnMd_0zNejqCQL8rHNB0jGic-pwF6sjrBmhaTUQ4/pubhtml
  
  
• More photos of the 2018 Falcon Invitational Middle School Cross-Country Meet
  
  • Girls: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10112523395506863&type=1&l=3037eb43fa
  • Boys: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10112523525226903&type=1&l=530fae2c96
  
  
• The 2018 LCS middle school cross-country season
  
  • ARPXC Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/swift-creek-2018.html
    
  • Fort Braden Run https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/fort-braden-2018.html
    
  • Everhart Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/owl-run-2018.html
    
  • Mustang Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/mustang-2018.html
    
  • Falcon Invitational https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/falcon-2018.html
    
  • LCS Championship [ Coming on 4 October 2018 ]
    
  
  
• Leon County Schools' 2018 middle school cross country schedule
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/07/lcs-xc-2018.html
  
  
• Tallahassee area cross country meets in 2018
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/07/tallahassee-xc-2018.html
  
  
• Find your next road race or cross-country run in the Tallahassee region
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

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