Seventeen varsity teams crowded around the awards area after the 3A District 1 meet, all waiting to find out they were one of the top eight that would move on to Regionals next week or if their season was over. The top 15 finishers would also advance as individuals.
At the start line, runners were doing their usual team huddles and cheers getting pumped up for their race. From the side lines they appeared to be relaxed, but in deep concentration. One has to wonder if this race weighs more heavily on their minds.
Then.... "Runners set."....Bang! Shotgun start, and off they go. The course is set at the Osceola Golf Course in Pensacola. It is a combination of small hills and flat grassy areas, and was familiar to most the day's runners.
The girls race would see an early lead by Lilly Williams from Chiles High School (Tallahassee). She led the way from about halfway through the first lap around the golf course and maintained the lead to cross the finish #1 with a time of 18:32.6. "It was fun," Lilly stated after the race. "The course was okay, kind of bumpy." Lilly stated that going into the race she just wanted to get a good time. Her goal is to be under the 17:00 mark by the end of the season. Not too far behind Lilly was her teammate, Carly Thomas who finished 2nd with 18:38.8. Okaloosa county champ Holly Stanton, placed 3rd with a finish time of 19:10.6.
Chiles had 5 girls in the top 15 helping give them the 1st place trophy with 24 points. Fort Walton Beach High School took second with 43 points, also having 5 girls among the top 15. Niceville High School was 3rd with 98 points. Freshman runner Marsel Mosley was their first runner across the line in 7th place with 19:38.5. There was a team tie between Pine Forest and Choctawhatchee High Schools, both teams having 218 points. Pine Forest's 6th place runner Laporshia Gould (26:50.1) secured the 7th place spot for them with Choctawhatchee taking 8th. Lauren Day (20:21.6) from Crestview High School will participate as an individual. She placed 14th. Crestview High School was just 2 points behind 8th place with 220 points taking 9th place as a team.
The boys race would see a few lead changes. Runners from Washington, Pine Forest, Leon, Navarre and Fort Walton Beach High Schools were in the lead pack about the halfway point around the 1st lap. Taking the lead down the first big hill was Luc Lawrence from Fort Walton Beach, followed closely by Matt Mizereck from Leon. Matt Mizereck would take over the lead in the second lap and cross the finish in 1st place with a time of 16:07.9. "I felt pretty confident," Matt stated after the race. Matt said his strategy going into the next couple of weeks as he prepares for state, is to take it a little easier, but not too much. Peter Frick from Washington High School was second with 16:16.7 and in third was Will Stanford also from Leon running a 1620.03. Luc Lawrence (16:34.6) finished 1st for Fort Walton Beach taking 6th place.
The big team tie for the boys was for 8th and 9th place. Chris Okelley, finishing 6th for his team with a time of 18:38.5, would give Lincoln High School the points it needed to take 8th and secure the final spot for Regionals. Crestview High School would take 9th place, both teams having 250 points. Crestview will however, send an individual runner. Jacob Gourlic finished 9th place running a 16:46.06. Fransisco Mena (16:44.3)from Mosley High School also earned an individual spot at Regionals, crossing the finish in 8th place. The overall team win goes to Leon with 59 points and in second place was Washington High School with 81 points. Fort Walton Beach was not far behind with 87 points, securing 3rd place.
The open race also deserves a brief mention. This was the last race of the season for many JV runners and although it was not an official race for them, participants were still looking for individual PR's. Alex Godfrey from Fort Walton Beach High School crossed the finish line 1st running in the low 17's. Brandon Murphy, also from Fort Walton Beach, finished second.
Results | Photo Album (over 1000 photos)
Seventeen varsity teams crowded around the awards area after the 3A District 1 meet, all waiting to find out they were one of the top eight that would move on to Regionals next week or if their season was over. The top 15 finishers would also advance as individuals.
At the start line, runners were doing their usual team huddles and cheers getting pumped up for their race. From the side lines they appeared to be relaxed, but in deep concentration. One has to wonder if this race weighs more heavily on their minds.