Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
Three local high school juniors were recently selected to participate in the AHSAA North-South All-Star cross country race in July at Montgomery’s Gateway Park.
Glencoe’s Katie Giles (pictured above) was named to the girls team, while Southside’s Jackson Griggs and Ashville’s Joe Stevens made the boys squad.
Giles won the Class 3A state championship in 2020 as a sophomore. She placed 11th out of 155 runners. Stevens won the Class 4A state cross country title last November, while Griggs finished ninth out of 248 runners in Class 6A. All three runners won their respective county cross country meets this past season.
Joining Giles on the North girls’ roster are Brenda Aranda of Hatton, Anahi Barboza of Fort Payne, Sophia Knox of Hewitt-Trussville, Elise Picard of Indian Springs, Reagan Riley and Clark Stewart of Mountain Brook and Olivia Marsh, Savannah Williams and Taylor Williams
of Lawrence County. Joining Stevens and Griggs on the boys’ team are Jack Bradford of Athens Bible, Michael Clark and Clayton Collins of Mountain Brook, Carson Godwin of Lawrence County, Jackson Howse of Randolph, Will Jordan of Vestavia Hills, Cayden Nelson of Pleasant Valley and Tristan Teer of Hewitt-Trussville.