The course at Timberlake, which is a combination of clay and wooded trails and some small hills, was a familiar one to all the runners. It was a chilly, windy morning, but luckily the rain held off during the event. Earlier showers left the course damp, but not too muddy. The only rough area runners commented on was around the two mile mark where conditions were somewhat slippery. Participating teams included Baker High School, Choctaw High School, Crestview High School, Fort Walton Beach High School, Niceville High School, and Rocky Bayou School. Unfortunately, this is another course where spectators can only watch the start and the finish. Anxious parents and coaches lined up along the finish area waiting for the first sightings of their runners.
Holly Stanton, from Fort Walton Beach High School, was the first girls varsity runner to be seen coming over the last hill. "I thought we went out really fast for the first mile," Holly commented, "but ended up doing okay because I surged and made the second mile a little bit faster. The third mile was a killer because Laura Nelson (Niceville High School) came up at the turn. It was just like last year, we were battling out, but this time I was able to keep it up." And keep it up she did. She took the lead after the first mile and kept that lead across the finish line, taking the county title. Iolani Scanlan, also from Fort Walton Beach, finished in second, and Laura Nelson took third. Fort Walton Beach secured the County Championship title with Niceville High School taking the runner up position with a second place team win.
Fort Walton Beach High School would see another Championship winner as boys varsity runner Matt Bevil crossed the finish line first. "It was fun. It was a familiar course," Matt stated after his run. "It was good to race against teammates and other friends in the county." This was not a PR for Matt, but he stated he is saving that for State. Closely on Matt's heals was Jacob Gourlie from Crestview High School taking second and right behind him was Luc Lawerence from Fort Walton Beach, securing a third place finish. Fort Walton Beach High School would again take the County Championship team win with Niceville holding the runner up spot in Second.
JV teams also had their moment as this event offered an official JV meet. The Fort Walton Beach JV girls really shined as they provided the top three finishers: Briana DeGennaro, Jessie Niemiec, and Kathryn Russell. Briana took the lead right before the two mile mark. She crossed the line with her best time of the season. She commented, "I felt good, pretty confident." Fort Walton Beach also was awarded the County Championship title, with Niceville High School taking another second place team win.
The boy JV race was almost a repeat of the girls race. Brandon Murphy secured the Championship title, crossing the finish line first. "I felt pretty good," Brandon stated. "The temperature was good for me. I like running in colder weather." Brandon's time was about three seconds off a PR. In second place was Danny Cooper from Niceville High School and Fort Walton Beach's Tim Bulger finished in third. Fort Walton Beach took home a fourth County Championship title with Niceville taking the second place JV boys win.
"Who could ask for anything better?" Fort Walton Beach High School coach Lissette Moller-Fields commented of her team's performance after winning the County Championship title for both the Varsity boys and girls as well as the JV boys and girls races. "And with the top four individuals, that sweeps the board. I think over the years we have done progressively better. We've been runner up for several years, but it was just our time, it was meant to be."
Note: Official times and team scores were not available at the time this article was published.
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