Photo: Cullman High School Varsity Girls and Boys
CULLMAN – Oliver Woodard Stadium took on a different look than normal Saturday morning with the Cullman High School Bearcat 2-mile cross country run.
The event featured 14 schools from north and central Alabama, competing in a fast-paced 2-mile course, different than the normal 3.1 miles for high school and junior high cross country contestants.
Cullman gained top honors in the varsity division with Arab being the best in the two runs in the junior high category.
A mere second was the difference in the varsity race with Cullman's Joey Franklin getting past teammate Eli Wilhite. Franklin won the 2-mile with a time of 10:36.90, edging Wilhite who had a finish of 10.37.27.
Jackson Tucker took fifth place for the Bearcats with a time of 11:04.47, followed by Dylan Warner with 11:08.94 for sixth place. Will Thompson rounded out the scoring for the winning Bearcats with a 12th place run of 11:30.06.
Cullman collected 23 points in the event, finishing well ahead of runner-up Brewer who had 54 points. Hartselle was third, Fairview fourth, Arab fifth and Falkville in sixth place.
Holly Pond's Jacob Drane compiled the fourth fastest time at 11:03.28 with the best finish from Fairview coming by Cody Fallin in seventh place at 11:12.31.
Freshman Quinton Chambers, who ran well earlier in the week at the Brooks Invitational, was 18th at 11:52.41. Jacob Guthrie earned a 20th place finish with a time of 12:03.42, Will Butler coming home in 30th position at 12:29.94.
The day began with the varsity girls under mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 70s. Arab runner Alex Murray had a strong effort to claim the title with a time of 12:48.90.
Then it was a team effort by the Cullman Lady Bearcats. Rachael Collins finished second at 13:34.74, Della Kelly was third at 13:37.81, Alexandria Holt seventh at 13:43.90, Mattie Green 10th at 14:06.05 and Kendall Adkison 12th with a time of 14:20.18.
The Lady Bearcats beat out Arab with 34 points to 47 for the Lady Knights from team results. Hartselle came in third with 79 while Fairview was fourth with 82, Brewer in fifth place and Holly Pond sixth.
Alex McDonald grabbed the fifth position as she led Fairview with a time of 13:39.67. Emma Gardner ran a time of 14:25.17 for 13th place, Tiffany Lodge 17th at 14:47.17, Kennedy Chambers 21st at 15:22.59 and August Stancil 29th with a finish of 15:45.32.
Holly Pond's best time was Katie Burnham in 26th place at 15:38.89.
Eighth grader Camilla Chambers of Holly Pond ran in the junior high division Saturday and worked her way to first place, coming in with a time of 13:41.79. Chambers was fourth last week in the varsity division of the Pepsi Invitational at Lawrence County's Alexander Park.
Olivia Craft from Cullman finished second at 15:03,79 with Arab's Ainsley Heatherington third at 15:05,97 and Bonnie Klan fourth at 15:06.31. That propelled Arab to the team title as they scored 35 points to edge Cullman with a runner-up position of 38 points.
Holly Pond was third overall followed by McAdory Middle School and Echols Middle School in fifth place.
Peyton Perry gave Cullman a good run with a sixth place finish of 15:29.66, teammate Jennifer Aviles was seventh at 15:29.89, Brianna Lodge of Fairview placed eighth at 15:39.06.
A close run for the junior high boys was between Arab's Ches Grishom and Vinemont runner Will Rhodes, Grishom got to the finish line first with a time of 12:14.16, with Rhodes the runner-up at 12:30.74.
Zackery Reynolds of Holly Pond took home third at 12:30.83 with Arab's Matthew Kensing fourth at 12:41.25, Conner Lowery and Parker Sellers of Holly Pond fifth and sixth fastest at 12:46.53 and 12:46.81.
Peyton Bailey of Fairview gained an eighth place finish with a time of 13:01.44.
Arab scored 27 points in the run to win the title, Holly Pond claimed second with 36 points, followed by Cullman a distant third at 97, Hartselle in fourth, McAdory Middle fifth and Addison sixth overall.
Cullman's next assignment on the cross country schedule will have the Bearcats and Lady Bearcats in the Chickasaw Trails next Saturday (Sept. 10) at the Jesse Owens Course in Oakville of Lawrence County.
Fairview will host the Fairview Invitational Sept. 17 then join most of the local schools in the 12th Annual Kudzu Run at Cold Springs High School Sept. 24.
Copyright 2016 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
