Xander Peacock keeps on rolling at the Ram Run

In 2016 Fort Walton Beach High swept the team titles at Rutherford High's Ram Run Cross-Country Meet. In 2017 it was South Walton's turn to sweep. And on Saturday morning, 20 September 2018, the runners of Choctawhatchee High took their turn, taking top team honors in both the girls' race and the boys' race. Choctawhatchee frosh Deanna Bottino was the first individual in the girl's 5K running 20:45. Blountstown junior Xander Peacock notched his fourth win of the 2018 season in the boys' 5K with a 16:59.


The girls' race started at 9:15 AM. Deanna Bottino of Choctawhatchee may not have led from the outset, but she certainly led at the finish line, entering the chute in a winning 20:45, more than 300 meters ahead of the next runner. Lauren Locke, a senior at Marianna, took second in 22:15. Frosh runners Chloe Fernander and Dannika Kilgore contributed to the Choctawhatchee cause, placing third in 22:16 and fourth in 22:30.


Rutherford senior Darby Bennett was fifth in 23:52, but after that came a wave of Choctawhatchee green. Choctaw sophomore Alison Boyle was sixth in 24:01, Choctaw frosh Meghan Yagle seventh in 24:17, Choctaw sophomore Amanda George eighth in 24:21, and Choctaw senior Sofia Louah ninth in 24:46. After putting seven runners in the top ten, the Indians had a near-perfect score of 21 points and first place in a field of seven teams. Led by Bennett, the Rutherford girls were second with 60 points. Third-place North Bay Haven scored 83 points behind the thirteenth-place, 26:05 performance of sophomore Abby Gregory.


Girls' Team Standings, 2018 Rutherford Ram Run

1. Choctawhatchee, 21
2. Rutherford, 60
3. North Bay Haven, 83
4. Wewahitchka, 110
5. Marianna, 146
6. Blountstown, 159
7. Bay, 163

Top Ten Girls, 2018 Rutherford Ram Run

1. 20:44.39, Deanna Bottino (Choctawhatchee) 9
2. 22:14.39, Lauren Locke (Marianna) 12
3. 22:15.65, Chloe Fernander (Choctawhatchee) 9
4. 22:29.37, Dannika Kilgore (Choctawhatchee) 9
5. 23:51.71, Darby Bennett (Rutherford) 12
6. 24:00.50, Alison Boyle (Choctawhatchee) 10
7. 24:16.59, Meghan Yagle (Choctawhatchee) 9
8. 24:20.32, Amanda George (Choctawhatchee) 10
9. 24:45.42, Sofia Louah (Choctawhatchee) 12
10. 25:19.49, Kathryn Underhill (Mosley) 12

Were you impressed when Deanna Bottino won the girls' race by over 300 meters? Then you'd have been stunned when Xander Peacock won the boys' race by more than 400 meters. If the race had been run on a regulation outdoor track, Peacock would have lapped the field and then some. After finishing, the Blountstown Tiger junior had time to take a drink and change his shoes before the next runners arrived, three athletes in Choctawhatchee green--sophomore Francesco Paone (2nd, 18:33), sophomore Christian Sterman (3rd, 18:46), and senior David Santarosa (4th, 18:48).


North Bay Haven frosh Kaden Passey was fifth in 18:58, followed by the Choctawhatchee's fourth and fifth scorers--frosh runners William Armbruster (6th, 19:07) and Gregory Soloviev (7th, 19:12). With that, Choctawhatchee had a mathematically unbeatable 22 points and the boys' team title. Peacock's Blountstown Tigers were second with 54 points, and North Bay Haven edged Mosley for third, 91 to 96.


Boys' Team Standings, 2018 Rutherford Ram Run

1. Choctawhatchee, 22
2. Blountstown, 54
3. North Bay Haven, 91
4. Mosley, 96
5. Bay, 137
6. Rutherford, 149
7. Wewahitchka, 189

Top Ten Boys, 2018 Rutherford Ram Run

1. 16:58.37, Xander Peacock (Blountstown) 11
2. 18:32.87, Francesco Paone (Choctawhatchee) 10
3. 18:45.62, Christian Sterman (Choctawhatchee) 10
4. 18:47.62, David Santarosa (Choctawhatchee) 12
5. 18:57.24, Kaden Passey (North Bay Haven) 9
6. 19:06.32, William Armbruster (Choctawhatchee) 9
7. 19:11.34, Gregory Soloviev (Choctawhatchee) 9
8. 19:18.10, Enrique Nandho (Blountstown) 12
9. 19:30.45, Saul Puente (Blountstown) 11
10. 19:35.09, Hunter Chase (Mosley) 11

Rutherford Ram Run Team Champions, 2011 - 2018
Date	Boys	Girls
24 September 2011	Mosley, 51 points	South Walton, 46 points
22 September 2012	Marianna, 39	Arnold, 33
21 September 2013	Mosley, 66	Crestview, 32
4 October 2014	Fort Walton Beach, 26	Fort Walton Beach, 31
26 September 2015	Cottondale, 78	Mosley, 54
17 September 2016	Fort Walton Beach, 53	Fort Walton Beach, 58
16 September 2017	South Walton, 30	South Walton, 35
29 September 2018	Choctawhatchee, 22	Choctawhatchee, 21

Rutherford Ram Run Individual Champions, 2011 - 2018
Date	Boys	Girls
24 September 2011	17:34, Jacob Leuze (South Walton) 12	20:11, Mikayla Hodges (Arnold) 11
22 September 2012	16:44, Hunter Potts (Graceville) 12	20:11, Michaela Ashley (Arnold) 9
21 September 2013	17:08, Sean White (Choctawhatchee) 11	20:38, Shelby Lindsay (Choctawhatchee) 9
4 October 2014	16:23, Trey LaNasa (Fort Walton Beach) 12	19:23, Maddie Fulmer (South Walton) 11
26 September 2015	17:08, Ethan Mines (Mosley) 12	20:26, Michaela Ashley (Arnold) 12
17 September 2016	17:33, Alix Gennette (Rutherford) 12	20:04, Haleigh Martin (Wakulla) 12
16 September 2017	17:10, Connor Norton (South Walton) 12	20:02, Makennah Mills (Northview) 12
29 September 2018	16:59, Xander Peacock (Blountstown) 11	20:45, Deanna Bottino (Choctawhatchee) 9

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Rutherford Ram Run, courtesy of Miles & Minutes, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vQA96q47IHFXrA6TwU-DvaP4UD89QB20NBKW3wbW1wB-l5WrFpQAFCTePI_FF5udPqX4kVzq3qiKniH/pubhtml
  
  
• Bay County's 2018 High School Cross-Country Season
  
  • Buccaneer Bash
    
  • Bay Invitational
    
  • Dolphin Dash https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/dolphin-dash-2018.html
    
  • Ram Run https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2018/09/ram-xc-run-2018.html
    
  
  
• 2017 story, “Norton and Mills star at the Ram Run, but South Walton sweeps team honors”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/ram-xc-run-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “Fort Walton Beach sweeps team honors at the Ram Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/ram-xc-run-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “Ethan Mines and Michaela Ashley were the fastest of the flock at the Ram Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/10/ram-xc-run-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “LaNasa and Fulmer romp at the Ram Run”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/10/ram-xc-run-2014.html
  
  
• Find the next animal-themed cross-country run on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2339

Xander Peacock and Jazzmyne Degolyer win at Blountstown

When twelve schools, twenty teams, and 184 athletes showed up in Blountstown, Florida's Sam Atkins Park for a high school cross-country meet, you'd think it would have a snappier name than "The Blountstown Home Meet." Couldn't it have been called the Calhoun County Classic? Or the Tiger Trot? The River City Invitational?


Blountstown High certainly earned part of the name in the boys' race. The Blountstown Tigers took the team title in that race, putting four runners in the top ten and scoring 28 points, while Tiger junior Xander Peacock won the 5K in 17:04. Scoring 32 points, Port Saint Joe had the top girls' team, and Altha School eighth-grader Jazzmyne Degolyer was first in the girls' 5K at 23:00.


Competition opened that Wednesday afternoon, 26 September 2018, with the boys' 5K. It wasn't much of a race, thanks to Xander Peacock. The Blountstown ace finished the five-kilometer event more than half a kilometer ahead of the next runner, covering the course in a winning 17:04. Zack McFarland, a Port Saint Joe junior, took second in 19:07. Behind McFarland, North Bay Haven frosh Kaden Passey edged Blountstown senior Enrique Nandho for third, 19:41 to 19:46.


Blountstown next three scorers were juniors Saul Puente (5th, 20:03) and Dartanion Hope (9th, 20:58), and sophomore Elier Pais (11th, 21:17), giving the Tigers 28 points and first place in the field of ten teams. Passey's North Bay Haven team took second with 59 points. Led by junior Grady Escobar (1th, 21:13), Franklin County was third with 71 points.


Boys' Team Standings

1. Blountstown, 28
2. North Bay Haven, 59
3. Franklin County, 71
4. Port Saint Joe, 139
5. Altha, 169
6. Sneads, 172
7. Malone, 186
8. Marianna, 186
9. Bay, 227
10. Graceville, 251

Top Ten Athletes, High School Boys' 5K

1. 17:04, Xander Peacock (Blountstown) 11
2. 19:07, Zack McFarland (Port Saint Joe) 11
3. 19:41, Kaden Passey (North Bay Haven) 9
4. 19:46, Enrique Nandho (Blountstown) 12
5. 20:03, Saul Puente (Blountstown) 11
6. 20:36, Jonathan Reyes (Chipley) 9
7. 20:47, Ricky Forbes (Port Saint Joe) 9
8. 20:48, Seth Pietrowski (North Bay Haven) 11
9. 20:58, Dartanion Hope (Blountstown) 11
10. 21:13, Grady Escobar (Franklin County) 11

The girls' 5K followed the boys' race. Jazzmyne Degolyer wasn't as dominating as Xander Peacock had been, but she still won the girls' race by 60 meters with her 23:00. Port Saint Joe runners took the next three places, with sophomore Autumn Kotelman second in 23:17, frosh Zoe Gerlach third in 23:36, and frosh Madelyn Gortermoller fourth in 24:17.


Port Saint Joe frosh Lexis Fountain also cracked the top ten, placing tenth in 26:56. Port Saint Joe junior Jade Cothran was thirteenth in 27:24, completing her team's winning score of 32 points. Sophomore Abby Gregory placed fifth in 25:28, the first of three runners from her school in the top ten, leading her team to second place with 45 points. Led by Degolyer, Altha was third with 129 points.


Girls' Team Standings

1. Port Saint Joe, 32
2. North Bay Haven, 45
3. Altha, 129
4. Bay, 150
5. Sneads, 159
6. Franklin County, 170
7. Graceville, 172
8. Blountstown, 176
9. Cottondale, 199
10. Marianna, 208

Top Ten Athletes, High School Girls' 5K

1. 23:00, Jazzmyne Degolyer (Altha) 8
2. 23:17, Autumn Kotelman (Port Saint Joe) 10
3. 23:36, Zoe Gerlach (Port Saint Joe) 9
4. 24:17, Madelyn Gortermoller (Port Saint Joe) 9
5. 25:28, Abby Gregory (North Bay Haven) 10
6. 25:29, Diana Compean (Cottondale) 10
7. 25:44, Taylor Reese Howell (Sneads) 9
8. 26:14, Madeleine Wilson (North Bay Haven) 9
9. 26:29, Olivia Dunbar (North Bay Haven) 9
10. 26:56, Lexis Fountain (Port Saint Joe) 9

Blountstown Home Meet winners
Girls
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
9 October 2013	Blountstown, 30 points	22:22, Valerie Sampson (Cottondale)
26 September 2018	Port Saint Joe, 32	23:00, Jazzmyne Degolyer (Altha) 8
Boys
Date	Team Champ	Individual Champ
9 October 2013	Blountstown, 32 points	17:48, Thomas Howell (Blountstown)
26 September 2018	Blountstown, 28	17:04, Xander Peacock (Blountstown) 11

Links

• Complete results of the 2018 Blountstown Home Meet, via Miles and Minutes, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vT6kjDc8EOqx4wgS2oSp1gp8A99B-ZxpJbJlwPgPF3vREq4OQ3iLY38-Ue2wAM2zvtECMfnIYpCuJDd/pubhtml
  
  
• Find an upcoming race in Blountstown or elsewhere in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2335

Kambry Smith and Xander Peacock make a big splash at the Dolphin Dash

The tenth annual Dolphin Dash Cross-Country Meet was hosted by Mosley High, a Bay County school. The other Bay County high schools--Arnold, Bay, North Bay Haven, and Rutherford--were all there. Mosley held the event on Saturday morning, 15 September 2018, at the Lynn Haven Sports Complex, which is in Bay County. Nevertheless, it was two Okaloosa County schools, Fort Walton Beach and Niceville, that dominated the competition. Fort Walton Beach edged Niceville for the top spot in the girls' race, 30 to 34. In the boys' 5K it was Niceville that came out ahead of Fort Walton Beach, 30 to 48. Fort Walton Beach had the individual winner of the girls' 5K, sophomore Kambry Smith, who ran 20:16. It wasn't all about Okaloosa County, though. Blountstown High's ace, junior Xander Peacock, won the boys' race in 17:13.


Fort Walton Beach didn't just have the first runner in the girls' 5K, the Vikings had the first two runners in the girls' 5K, with sophomore Jensen Shonk finishing runner-up in 21:33. Baker junior Maya Espinosa was third in 21:41, adding three points to Fort Walton Beach's score and five points to Niceville's score.


Fort Walton Beach had two more scorers in the top ten--sophomore Colby Orcutt (6th, 22:05) and junior Victoria Orcutt (9th, 22:51). However, all five of Niceville's scorers placed in the top ten--junior Erin Converse (4th, 21:44), senior Jayda Brooks (5th, 21:48), senior Hannah Farley (7th, 22:20), senior Erin Wilcox (8th, 22:45), and sophomore Ellie Segars (10th, 23:07). Niceville's sixth runner, senior Nichole Blake, also finished ahead of the fifth Viking scorer, placing eleventh in 23:25. But sophomore Anna Davis added the final points to Fort Walton Beach's total, coming in twelfth in 24:02. After Davis finished, the Fort Walton Beach girls had 30 points and the team trophy. Niceville was a close second with 34 points. Led by Espinosa, the Baker girls scored 90 points to place third in the twelve-team field.


Team Standings, High School Girls, 2018 Dolphin Dash

1. Fort Walton Beach, 30
2. Niceville, 34
3. Baker Senior, 90
4. Port Saint Joe, 153
5. North Bay Haven, 162
6. Rocky Bayou Christian, 165
7. Rutherford, 202
8. Arnold, 224
9. Bay, 230
10. Wewahitchka, 269
11. Paxton, 289
12. Blountstown, 290

Top Ten High School Girls, 2018 Dolphin Dash

1. 20:15.84, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 10
2. 21:33.27, Jensen Shonk (Fort Walton Beach) 10
3. 21:40.78, Maya Espinosa (Baker Senior) 11
4. 21:43.19, Erin Converse (Niceville) 11
5. 21:47.49, Jayda Brooks (Niceville) 12
6. 22:04.99, Colby Orcutt (Fort Walton Beach) 10
7. 22:19.18, Hannah Farley (Niceville) 12
8. 22:44.04, Erin Wilcox (Niceville) 12
9. 22:50.95, Victoria Orcutt (Fort Walton Beach) 11
10. 23:06.50, Ellie Segars (Niceville) 10

The boys' race followed. Xander Peacock of Blountstown had already outrun all of the Fort Walton Beach and Niceville athletes earlier in the season at the Big Bend Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida on 1 September 2018. He did it again at the Dolphin Dash, winning the race in 17:13 and finishing 70 meters ahead of the next runner. Niceville sophomore Todd Wendel took second in 17:27, and Niceville senior Gabriel Bohler was third in 17:34.


The Niceville boys had two more top ten performances, with junior Dane Dickerson sixth in 18:06 and junior Jake Dever eighth in 18:16. Niceville senior Mattias Hird finished up the scoring for the Eagles, placing eleventh in 18:28. After Hird, the Niceville had 30 points and stood first among twelve teams. Led by the fifth place, 17:45 finish of sophomore Austin Vandyne, Fort Walton Beach was second in the team standings with 48 points. Arnold, led by senior Mason Bennett (4th, 17:40) edged Blountstown for third, 126 to 130. Hosts Mosley were a close fifth with 136 points.


Team Standings, High School Boys, 2018 Dolphin Dash

1. Niceville, 30
2. Fort Walton Beach, 48
3. Arnold, 126
4. Blountstown, 130
5. Mosley, 136
6. North Bay Haven, 155
7. Paxton, 160
8. Rocky Bayou Christian, 223
9. Bay, 233
10. Baker Senior, 294
11. Rutherford, 315
12. Wewahitchka, 369

Top Ten High School Boys, 2018 Dolphin Dash

1. 17:12.99, Xander Peacock (Blountstown) 11
2. 17:26.99, Todd Wendel (Niceville) 10
3. 17:33.06, Gabriel Bohler (Niceville) 12
4. 17:39.24, Mason Bennett (Arnold) 12
5. 17:44.95, Austin Vandyne (Fort Walton Beach) 10
6. 18:05.79, Dane Dickerson (Niceville) 11
7. 18:06.48, Brandon I Meza (Fort Walton Beach) 12
8. 18:15.05, Jake Dever (Niceville) 11
9. 18:22.66, Chris Flores (Fort Walton Beach) 10
10. 18:23.14, Bilal Mohamad (Arnold) 12

Individual champs, Mosley Dolphin Dash, 2009 - 2018
Date	Boys	Girls
17 October 2009	16:35, Gabe Holguin (Bay)	21:22, Sydney Newsom (Mosley)
16 October 2010	16:55, Dieumy Duclos (Godby)	21:08, Bria Upshur (West Florida Tech)
15 October 2011	16:45, Stan Linton (Wakulla)	20:08, Mikayla Hodges (Arnold)
13 October 2012	16:34, Charles Shackelford (Fort Walton Beach)	18:54, Emma Rudman (Fort Walton Beach)
28 September 2013	16:36, Connor Daughton (Maclay)	19:09, Madison Harris (Wakulla)
10 September 2014	16:13, Trey LaNasa (Fort Walton Beach)	19:42, Emma Rudman (Fort Walton Beach)
5 September 2015	17:15, Ethan Mines (Mosley)	19:23, Claire Crist (Niceville)
24 September 2016	17:11, Alix Gennette	21:00, Zeana Guirey (Rutherford)
30 September 2017	18:03, Noah Lleva (Choctawhatchee) 12	20:33, Marisa Ashley (Arnold) 9
15 September 2018	17:13, Xander Peacock (Blountstown) 11	20:16, Kambry Smith (Fort Walton Beach) 10

Team champs, Mosley Dolphin Dash, 2009 - 2018
Date	Boys	Girls
17 October 2009	Arnold, 43 points	Mosley, 15 points
16 October 2010	Arnold, 65	West Florida Tech, 18
15 October 2011	Crestview, 67	Wakulla, 51
13 October 2012	Fort Walton Beach, 15	Fort Walton Beach, 22
28 September 2013	Maclay, 44	Crestview, 60
10 September 2014	Fort Walton Beach, 23	Fort Walton Beach, 33
5 September 2015	Niceville, 32	Niceville, 18
24 September 2016	Fort Walton Beach, 20	Fort Walton Beach, 30
30 September 2017	Choctawhatchee, 33	Port Saint Joe, 47
15 September 2018	Niceville, 30	Fort Walton Beach, 30

Links

• Complete results of Mosley's 2018 Dolphin Dash, courtesy of Miles and Minutes, LLC
  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSqv6PerhkXlGUcRcEYunXr6rJJTg1wUrUZi0hRrmvpVS1ENPHCp4EaQnxE_6cs67Fcm9Cey_Q6G5FU/pubhtml
  
  
• Bay County's 2018 High School Cross-Country Season
  
  • Buccaneer Bash
    
  • Bay Invitational
    
  • Dolphin Dash
    
  • Ram Run [ Coming 29 September 2018 ]
    
  
  
• 2017 story, “Ashley and Lleva take home wins from the Dolphin Dash”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2017/09/dolphin-dash-2017.html
  
  
• 2016 story, “A Fort Walton Beach kind of day at the Dolphin Dash”
  https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2016/09/dolphin-dash-2016.html
  
  
• 2015 story, “A big morning for Niceville at the Dolphin Dash”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2015/09/dolphin-dash-2015.html
  
  
• 2014 story, “LaNasa and Rudman lead a Fort Walton Beach sweep at the Dolphin Dash”
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2014/09/dolphin-dash-2014.html
  
  
• Find a future opportunity to race with aquatic mammals on the Trouble Afoot! racing calendar
  http://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
  
  

#2336