Landmark Girls Take Team Title, Auburn Boys Roll Over Ga Squads

(Contributions by Don Livingston)


Top teams in Georgia and Alabama gathered down in Peachtree city for the AT&T Starrs mill XC meet In one of the deepest field in the last couple of years.  The deep fields continued through every race including the JV, freshman and middle school races. Distance star Drew Hunter, was a huge hit with hundreds of runners getting autographs from Drew on everything from race numbers, school singlets to their iPhones!

Sophia West ran very confidently, winning her 2nd straight meet going 18:19 (photo by Ben Ennis)

In the girls varsity race there were 20 girls under 20 minutes with Georgia gals sweeping the top 5 positions. Sophia West of Paideia, seems to have found herself, as she won her 2nd large invitational in a row clocking a swift 18:19pr. Kaylee Haake of Union Grove was individual runnerup in 18:30 leading the Wolverines to a strong 3rd place team effort.


Kaylee Haake (L) holds off Sarah Foreman of Landmark for 2nd place (photo by Ben Ennis)

Landmark Christian dominated the Georgia teams, led by Sarah Foreman was the first Landmark girl to score, taking 3rd in 18:42 with team mate Nicole Fegans tagging along a step back at 18:42. Brynne Sumner of Woodstock rounded out the top 5 posting a 18:47. Auburn (AL) girls were a close 2nd behind Landmark led by Harper McGowan's 6th place finish of 18:57. 


Varsity Girls Top 10 finishers (photo by Ben Ennis)

Sophia West receives her medal from Drew Hunter (photo by Ben Ennis)


Ben Garner from Opelika leads the pack (photo by Ben Ennis)

Boys varsity race saw 20 under 16:47, as Opelika's Ben Garner taking the overall win in 15:46. Darr Smith (who ran unattached in MS) made a huge splash in HS competition, as the Johnson Ferry runner had a sizzling 15:48 to capture runnerup honors. Auburn's boys placed 3 in the top 7 and won the boys team race by 28 points, led by the duo of Jack Rogers (3rd-15:50) and Joshua Escoe (4th-15:53) Rounding out the top 5 Georgians were: Nick Cooke of Etowah (15:53), Deonte Lee of Ola (16:15), Harry Harp of Whitewater (16:18) and Austin Bailey from Woodstock (16:20)


Garner holds off a very game Darr Smith down the homestretch for the win (photo by Ben Ennis)

Top 3 Georgia Boys squads were Woodstock 2nd,  placing 4th led by Austin Bailey's 9th place effort at 16:20, Union Grove 3rd, led by Walker Inman (10th) and Matt Seitz (11th) both in 16:22, while Hillgrove placed 4th led by Chase Korzenok (12th- 16:23)

 

Drew Hunter hangs out with the top 10 Boys finishers (photo by Ben Ennis)

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