The high school cross country season is underway for Leon County schools. On Aug. 21, Bolles High School hosted the Cecil Field Summer Classic Cross Country Meet at Cecil Field Golf Course in Jacksonville, Florida and the Dueling Summits Cross Country Meet was held on Aug. 22 at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park in Tallahassee.
Cecil Field Summer Classic
Boys
The boys’ cross country teams from Chiles, Maclay and Florida High competed in the Elite Boys 5000 Meter Run, with Chiles finishing 14th as a team, followed by Maclay in 16th. Florida High also had a runner compete individually.
Chiles was led by Jonathan Kiros, who finished ninth overall with a time of 15:47. Jack Nottingham followed in 67th at 16:52, while Emerson Gandy finished 109th in 17:26. Noah Olson placed 138th at 17:44 and Camp Andrews rounded out the Timberwolves’ five scoring runners in 182nd with a time of 18:17. Chiles finished 14th in the team standings with 446 points and an average time of 17:13.
Chiles also had five additional runners finish outside the team’s scoring five. Lowell Mick placed 237th in 18:54, followed by Nick Butte in 250th at 19:05. Liam Wheeler finished 280th in 19:26, Levi Pearson placed 298th in 19:53, and Jack Getman finished 300th at 19:57.
Maclay finished 16th as a team with 488 points and an average time of 17:24. David Barton led the Marauders individually, placing 24th overall in 16:15. Gavin McVay was next in 93rd at 17:15, followed by Beau May in 128th at 17:36. Will Cintron finished 144th in 17:50, while Logan Phipps completed the scoring five in 167th at 18:06.
Maclay also had four additional runners finish the race. Ben Lawson placed 252nd with a time of 19:07, while Benton Belcher finished 313th at 20:30. Luke Jackson placed 326th in 21:26, and Reed Theriot finished 328th with a time of 21:34.
Florida High was represented by Lawson Phillips, who finished 60th overall with a time of 16:50. Phillips was the only Florida High runner listed in the individual results, and the school did not appear in the team standings.
Girls
The girls’ cross country teams from Chiles, Maclay and Florida High competed in the Elite Girls 5000 Meter Run, with Chiles posting the strongest team finish of the three schools. The Timberwolves placed second overall with 154 points, while Maclay finished 37th with 785 points and Florida High placed 40th with 980 points.
Chiles was led by Emma-Claire Tanenbaum, who finished sixth overall with a time of 18:48. Kaia Ables followed in 11th at 18:59, while Charlotte Sikes placed 41st in 20:04. Chloe Elizabeth Molen finished 46th with a time of 20:16, and Madeline Brockmeier rounded out the Timberwolves’ five scoring runners in 67th at 20:40. Chiles finished second in the team standings with 154 points and an average time of 19:45, just two points behind first-place Niceville.
Chiles also had five additional runners finish outside the scoring five. Savannah Stanley placed 89th in 21:18, followed by Katherine Baker in 123rd at 21:44. Haley Heitmeyer finished 176th in 22:35, Alexis Auter placed 188th at 22:46, and Harper McKee finished 267th with a time of 24:31.
Maclay finished 37th overall with 785 points and an average time of 22:32. Lilly Bell led the Marauders, placing 119th with a time of 21:42. Madison McVay followed in 136th at 21:55, while Ava Wenleder finished 148th in 22:08. Marguerite Miller placed 222nd at 23:28, and Abigail Stephens finished 223rd in 23:30 to complete Maclay’s scoring five.
Maclay also had two additional runners finish the race. Mckenzie McVay placed 235th with a time of 23:47, while Mary Price finished 286th at 25:23.
Florida High finished 40th in the team standings with 980 points and an average time of 23:45. Vera Vanlandingham led the Seminoles, finishing 122nd overall in 21:44. Maie Moody followed in 200th at 23:01, while Leah Boutwell placed 214th in 23:16. Blakely Newlin finished 271st with a time of 24:41, and Elin Quisenberry completed the scoring five in 300th at 26:04.
Florida High also had four additional runners finish outside the scoring five. Linnea Whittington placed 305th at 26:18, followed by Stella Quisenberry in 311th at 26:41. Shelby Tucker finished 313th in 26:48, and Emma Boutwell placed 332nd with a time of 28:29.
Dueling Summits
Maclay hosted the Dueling Summits cross country meet Saturday morning, Aug. 22, at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, drawing programs from across the Big Bend and South Georgia for an early-season 5K test. In the girls’ varsity race, Bainbridge’s Anniston Willis ran away with the individual title, crossing in 20:43.0 — more than a minute ahead of the field. Fort Walton Beach captured the team championship with 19 points behind a tightly packed front five, led by freshman Mia Jucha, who finished second overall in 21:45.8. Four more Vikings — Charlotte Ibsen, Delilah Jucha, Brooklynne Sansom, and Leilani Lichlyter — all placed inside the top 10. Leon was the top local squad, taking runner-up with 50 points, paced by senior Tatum Hendon’s third-place finish with a time of 22:11.0. Rickards’ Darci Bohling (22:19.8) and Miyoko Inouye (22:54.0) finished fourth and fifth to round out a strong Leon County presence.
The boys’ race belonged to Leon from the opening stride. Freshman Isaiah Renn won the individual crown with a time of 17:09.8, and the Lions swept the podium as juniors Carson Weiss (17:30.3) and Asher McGrew (17:45.4) followed him across the line. That 1-2-3 finish carried Leon to the team title with 30 points, while Fort Walton Beach placed second with 57. Thomas County Central’s Holten Dennard broke up the local dominance with a fourth-place 17:50.0, and Godby’s Erick Garcia turned in a strong 18:06.2 placing seventh.
The meet offered an encouraging first look at two of the Panhandle’s deeper programs, as Fort Walton Beach’s girls and Leon’s boys both flashed the kind of pack strength that tends to pay dividends in November. For the host area, Leon’s sweep of the boys’ podium and runner-up girls finish underscored what could be a breakout season for the Lions, while several other Leon County schools — Rickards, Godby, and Community Christian — logged solid opening efforts ahead of the regular-season schedule.
Be the first to leave a comment on this article.