Bale N Trail Original Coverage: Georgia's Brickell Gets by Arroyo

Bale N Trail Original
Chad Germany

On-Site Coverage

Meet Summary

BY CHAD GERMANY

Considered by many to be the best runner in the state of Florida, Andres Arroyo boasts a personal best time of 14:59, a state championship, and wins in three out of four races this year. Josh Brickell is the seventh best runner in the nation. His personal best is 14:41. It’s only mid-October, but with these two going head-to-head, Bail N Trail had the feel of a post season invitational.
 
As the sun was rising and the runners were settling into their boxes for the boys’ varsity race, I began to listen to some chatter amongst the fans. “Have you heard of this runner from Georgia?” “What about the kid from Colonial?” I think everyone knew that we were about to witness something special.
 
The pack of runners made a short loop around the baseball field, and by then, Brickell and Arroyo had already found their way to the front. Close behind were Austin Speague from St. Pius X and a group of Colonial runners. The two leaders made quick work of the first mile (4:53) and were still neck-and-neck at mile two. For every short lead Brickell took, Arroyo matched him with a quick surge of his own. It wasn’t until late that Brickell took comfortable lead before ultimately winning in 15:11. Arroyo came in second with a season best of 15:18, while Austin Speague wasn’t too far behind with a 15:21. In the team standings, Colonial won with a score of 78, followed by St. Pius X and Mandarin.
 
While the girls’ race was not nearly as dramatic, it featured a considerable amount of star power. Allie Buchalski of Johns Creek (GA) recently dipped under 18 minutes (17:58), while Bolles freshman Mackenzie Wilson is on an absolute tear. As the runners passed the mile mark, Buchalski had a 10-meter lead that she would not give up the rest of the way. She came through the finish first, looking rather poised, in a time of 18:28. Wilson came through 10 seconds later, with Ocala Vanguard’s Elizabeth Mulford behind. Not only would Buchalski and Wilson finish first and second, but their respective school, Johns Creek and Bolles, took the top two spots in the team standings.
 
The boys’ junior varsity race was highlighted by a 29 second win for Colonial’s Joel Ortiz, while the Mandarin boys junior varsity team remained undefeated on the season. On the girls’ side, 8th grader Lily Arnold won in a time of 21:04, while Peachtree Ridge showed its immense depth by winning both the girls varsity and junior varsity races.
 

Elite Performances

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