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(Includes photos from all 8 races)

 

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Varsity Recap

 

Championship Boys

 

After the initial surge off the line, Justin Swink (West Forsyth) and Tommy Schotzinger (Cardinal Gibbons)

made it to the fenceline ahead of the main pack of runners.

Top NCHSAA returner Mohammed Abushouk (Cary) was lurking right behind them.

 

 

At the mile mark, the lead pack included Steven Phillips and Schotzinger (Cardinal Gibbons),

Jeremy Gower (West Johnston), Abushouk and Abel Tecle (Cary), and Josh Crawford (South View). 

 

 

Madden Souder and Parth Shah (Ardrey Kell) were trailing them,

and then came Zach Nifong (Laney) and Carl Walton Jr (Northwest Guilford).

 

 

 

Phillip Hall (Terry Sanford) was leading a chase pack that contained the 3, 4, and 5 runners for both

Ardrey Kell and Cardinal Gibbons, meaning that the team race was still a toss-up at that point.

 

 

 

Video of runners approaching the two-mile mark (I missed the leaders):

 

 

Souder completed his rise to the front with a strong finish, holding off Crawford for the individual title.

Gower split up Cardinal Gibbons teammates Phillips and Schotzinger to round out the top 5.

 

 

 

Abushouk, Walton, and Tecle battled down the long final stretch, with Bakri prevailing.

 

 

Shah beat Nick Tyrey (Cardinal Gibbons) to the line, but Gibbons had three in the top 10 and took the team title.

Ardrey Kell finished in a strong second, solidly ahead of third-place Cary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Championship Girls

 

As the mass of runners approached the narrow fence opening, Ardrey Kell's Kaitlyn Kramer and Sydney Foreman

were joined by Madelin Talbert (South Mecklenburg) in an all-Southeast Charlotte front three.

Shelby Howell (New Hanover) was tucked in right behind them, and then the rest of the field followed them through the fence.

 

 

 

After 1 mile, Erica Amatori (Green Hope) and Howell were in the lead.

Foreman and Kramer ran right on their heels to make a four-girl lead pack.

 

 

The chase pack, about 10 meters back, contained three more Green Hope runners:

Maura McDonnell, Lauren Colberg, and Sarah Alexander.

Talbert, Grace Morken (Carrboro), Kathryn Hayes (West Forsyth),

Lauren Pollard (West Johnston), and Blake Dodge (West Carteret) were right in the mix.

 

 

 

 

Jessica Rossabi (Green Hope) was trailing at this point, but she would move up.

 

 

As the leaders approached the two-mile mark, Amatori had opened up a bit on Foreman,

with McDonnell and Colberg still close behind them.

Howell had dropped to fifth and appeared to be struggling, while a loose five-girl pack chased her.

 

 

Amatori pulled away over the final mile, winning in a strong 18:33.

Foreman was the only runner still within range, as the two of them had really stretched out from the field.

 

 

 

McDonnell, Colberg, and Alexander finished 3-4-6 to seal Green Hope's domination.

Dodge was right in the middle of them with a strong 5th place finish to start her season.

Esther Fisher had moved WAY up over the last two miles to get into 7th place.

 

 

 

 

 

Kramer and Morken waged war down the final straight, with Kaitlyn edging Grace at the line.

Rossabi completed her strong rise through the field, giving Green Hope 5 in the top 10.

 

 

 

 

Carrboro had come back strong from a bit of a rough start to take second as a team, edging Ardrey Kell by 8 points.

Senior Frankie Perone and mini-stud freshmen Maysa Araba and Helen Morken had all finished in the top 16.