Highlights (all photos by CoachSides unless otherwise indicated)
Providence Day teammates Ben Huffman and Nick Linder went 1-2 in the Boys Championship race, with Huffman destroying the competition en route to a 15:14 time, excellent for the twisty and somewhat hilly Hagan Stone course. Linder outkicked Alec Jones (South County VA) and Collin Vilen (Chapel Hill) to earn the second-place trophy.
In the Girls Championship, Sara Platek (Ragsdale) continued her climb up the state rankings, holding off Rebekah Greengrass (Panther Creek) after a back-and-forth duel through the twisting wooded paths of Hagan Stone Park. Platek's time of 17:55.66 makes her the first 4A girl 18 this fall (Greengrass is now #2 in that ranking, only 0.5 seconds back).
R.J. Reynolds placed three in the top 12 and had a 49-second 1-5 split in taking the Boys Championship race. Providence Day ended up in second place, only two points ahead of Chapel Hill, in a battle of two teams with 3A state title aspirations (one in the NCISAA, and the other in the NCHSAA).
Green Hope's girls continued to roll, and Elly Henes is showing signs of becoming a legitimate individual threat, running 18:18 for fourth place in this meet. Reagan, getting closer to full strength after missing two of their top 5 last weekend, was able to hold off Hidden Valley (VA) for second place.
Stephen Whitehead (Northern Nash) broke 16:30 to win the Boys Invitational over Jacob Collins (Polk County) and Jon Knight (Northern Guilford), who both ran 16:36. Knight led his team to the Invitational title, defeating 3A rival East Rowan 98-159.
Maddie Ringenbach (Ravenscroft) continued to impress, winning the Girls Invitational race in 19:16. Her closest competition was NCISAA foe Jennifer Stephenson (Village Christian), who was 25 seconds behind. Ringenbach did not just take home the individual title, she powered her Ravens teammates to the team title, outscoring Northern Guilford 71-104.
Blake Dodge (West Carteret) made her first appearance of the season - thankfully, her first race had not been delayed due to injury, just a string of scheduling conflicts. She made the most of her debut, forcing the pace early and then pulling away in the third mile to run 18:52, a quick time for the legit 5K course that is covered in soft, grassy ground the whole way. Teammate Emme Fisher clocked 19:28 for second place, 20 seconds slower than at Beeson Park last week (so factor that into Blake's time, too). South Central's Chloe Cox rounded out the top three, running 19:34.
West Carteret's girls placed their top five in the top 10 overall, all of them under 20:27, to easily win the team title over Middle Creek and Hoggard. A quick glance at the updated 3A team scores shows that this puts the Patriots right into the thick of the 3A title hunt.
Jack Cawley (Middle Creek) took command of the boys race just after the first mile, and he was able to extend his lead gradually over the rest of the race. His time of 16:19 was close to a PR, an excellent showing on a course that is far from blazing fast. Jordan Tyson (South Central) won a duel for second place, running 16:48 to Hunter Newman's (West Carteret) 16:54.
The boys' team scores were much closer than the girls', but the winner was the same: West Carteret earned the sweep, scoring 70 to oulast Middle Creek (73), Topsail (89), and New Bern (95).
Girls MileSplit Elite Gold and Silver Performances
Patrick Sheehan (Lake Norman) continued his success this season, winning easily in 16:15, 35 seconds ahead of the second-place runner. Sheehan almost led his team to the championship, but Lake Norman was edged out by Spring Valley (SC) by 9 points.
In a three-way battle of freshman girls, Holly Bailey (Lake Norman) took the individual win in 19:52, trailed by Claudia Cannon (Spring Valley SC) and Melissa Zammitti (Lake Norman), who had the unusual time of 19:60 (I'm assuming that means 20:00, but it looks better with a 19 on the front of it). With three girls in the top six, all of them freshmen, Lake Norman took the win and also looked like a team with a bright future.
Nick Snell (Garner) finished 53rd, a mere 40.2 seconds shy of his all-time PR.
Peter Hetzel (Grace Academy) continued to make his case for inclusion in the discussion of the state's best runners, as he posted an impressive (mostly solo) 15:41, winning by 33 seconds.
Charlotte Catholic brought home both the boys' and girls' team titles against a very small field.
Highlights (all photos by CoachSides unless otherwise indicated)
Providence Day teammates Ben Huffman and Nick Linder went 1-2 in the Boys Championship race, with Huffman destroying the competition en route to a 15:14 time, excellent for the twisty and somewhat hilly Hagan Stone course. Linder outkicked Alec Jones (South County VA) and Collin Vilen (Chapel Hill) to earn the second-place trophy.
