1A Boys
Individual
This race
got out extremely fast, with all of the contenders within sight of the lead as
they exited the starting loop. At the mile mark, however, Lucas Brown (Queens
Grant) mad an aggressive move and had more than ten seconds over a pack that
included Jake Baugher (Community School of Davidson), Drew Zink (Lincoln
Charter), Aaron Rovnak (Franklin Academy), Caleb Potter (Polk County) and Brent
Surratt (South Davidson).
Zink and
Potter had their eyes on Brown however. Over the course of the second mile, they
gnawed away at the lead. By the time they got out of the woods, the three
runners were shoulder to shoulder rolling into the final loop.
Coming down
the homestretch, the most exciting finish in recent state meet history began to
unfold. Zink, considered to be one of the favorites to win it, was in a dead
lock with Potter, who had never strayed from the top five during the race. The
two runners went back and forth, with neither able to get more than a few
inches before the other pulled even.
Neither
made any separation as they hurtled towards the finish line shoulder to
shoulder. At the line, the officials made no call as it was impossible to
determine a winner by eye. After a suspenseful few minutes, Potter got the word
that he had just edged Zink to pick up the state title by seven hundredths of a
second. Behind them, Rovnak was able to
catch Brown in the homestretch to round out the top three, while Brown just
held off Surratt, who finished fifth. Timers were able to verify Potter's win through a camera determining he was across the line first.
Team
Whatever
disappointment Zink felt after being edged out at the line couldn't have lasted
long. With Potter being an individual competitor, Zink still secured the single
point, and it was quickly evident that Lincoln Charter had locked down the team
win with all five boys in the top 15.
The second
spot was much more tightly contested. Rovnak gave Franklin Academy an important
two points, and Jeddy Waldon finished eighth to give them two in the top 10.
But Bishop McGuinness managed to get three guys in between Franklin Academy's
two and three, and had a four and five that both edged out Franklin Academy's
five. With thirty runners in, both schools had all five across the line and
were tied at 85.
Franklin
Academy's sixth man finished in the 39th spot, securing the tiebreaker and
earning them second place. Bishop finished third with a comfortable buffer over
the rest of the field.
1A Girls
Individual
Coming out
of the first loop, freshman Lauren Tolbert (Highland Tech) was running
confidently at the front of the pack. A step behind her was Abigail Hemric
(North Stokes) and Caitlyn Burkett (Franklin Academy).
Those three
looked strong at the mile, as Hemric began to pull away a bit and the field
strung out. By the two mile, Hemric had thrown down the hammer and built a
massive lead. Tolbert led the chase pack and was joined by Amy Rosie
Scott-Benson (Voyager), with Victoria Swepson (Research Triangle) not far
behind after surging over the second mile. Burkett trailed behind.
While
Hemric didn't give up ground en route to a big 16-second victory, the three
behind her all kicked it in to gear behind her. Scott-Benson was able to kick
in for second, while Tolbert was able to put space on the rest of the field to
pick up a top three finish as only a freshman. Burkett was able to make up
ground and find an extra gear as she motored home in fourth place, with Swepson
not far behind to round out the top five.
Team Battle
After taking out individual
qualifiers, Franklin Academy was able to put three of their runners in the top
six, led by Burkett. Through three runners each, Research Triangle also looked
impressive with three single digit scorers, while Voyager Academy picked up the
single point from Benson-Scott who was joined by teammate Ashley Rogers in the
top 15. Voyager was able to bring home all five within the top 25, but Franklin
Academy's overall strength was too much to overcome as they placed five in the
top 20.
Research Triangle fell to third,
but was able to hold off Thomas Jefferson Classical, who in turn held of
Highland Tech by three points.
Franklin Academy girls battled a ton of injury this year and were still able to pull of their third straight NCHSAA 1A team title. Defending individual champion Caitlyn Burkett has hardly run this year and was able to pull off a 4th place finish for her team. Another athlete on the team was in a walking boot before and after the race. Despite being injured she wanted to do this for her team.
