The 4 Runners Only Cross Country Carnival is always difficult to predict, as nobody really knows who will run what until the runners toe the line. Run your full top 7 all out? Run your full top 7 but hold them back? Pull some key runners? Drop your top 9th- and 10th-graders down for the Frosh/Soph race or keep them with the varsity? So many variables, so the outcomes are always a surprise.
(All photos courtesy of Jeff Sides)
Championship Boys
After the initial loop around the far field, the boys returned to the starting area with a lead pack of seven.
Jonathan Bivens (Weddington), Steve Mulherin (NCSSM), Steven Phillips (Cardinal Gibbons), and Jimmy Hollingsworth (Northern Guilford) were out front.
Tucked behind were Mark Blackmon (West Charlotte) and AJ Tucker (Cedar Ridge).
The lead group strung out a bit as they moved past the crowds and then headed downhill toward the lower part of the course.
By the two-mile mark, Mulherin and Blackmon had pulled away from the rest.
Behind them, Mason Boyles (Ashley) had climbed throughout the middle mile, as had Jacob Sears (Panther Creek).
Blackmon was biding his time, and he turned on the jets over the 500m inner loop to the finish.
The West Charlotte senior, formerly at Word of God and Fort Mill (SC), finished in 15:27.90, just missing the course record.
Boyles surged past a struggling Mulherin with about 200 to go, and Sears went by on the final straight.
All four went under 15:40, while Phillips closed in 15:42 for 5th place.
Though seeming a little flat, Cardinal Gibbons took away a 28-point win over a Weddington team that also looked a bit off.
Invitational Boys
Zach Milsaps (Elkin) took the early lead, while the chase pack was led by Drew Buckley and Alec Lane of Marvin Ridge.
Anthony Hughes (Ledford) and Joshua Wilhoit (Southwestern Randolph) also had strong positions 800m into the race.
At the two-mile mark, it was down to a three-man lead pack, with Milsaps still pacing Buckley and Lane.
Hughes led the second group, and was battling Jason Barber (West Stokes), German Perez (North Lincoln), and Sam Williams (Bishop McGuinness).
Buckley got past Milsaps on the final inner loop to take the win, with Lane finishing third.
Hughes broke away from the second group with a strong finish to close out fourth, while Barber rounded out the top 5.
Close behind, Perez led two more North Lincoln runners into the top 10 to kick off their team win.
Frosh/Soph Boys
The 4 Runners Only Cross Country Carnival is always difficult to predict, as nobody really knows who will run what until the runners toe the line. Run your full top 7 all out? Run your full top 7 but hold them back? Pull some key runners? Drop your top 9th- and 10th-graders down for the Frosh/Soph race or keep them with the varsity? So many variables, so the outcomes are always a surprise.