Photo: Glencoe High’s Katie Giles nears the finish line of the Wildcat Fall Classic 5K last Saturday (Oct. 17) at White Plains. Giles took first place in the girls Class 1A-3A race.
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Two local runners took first place and several others posted top 10 finishes at three recent 5K events.
At the Wildcat Fall Classic in Anniston on Oct. 17, Glencoe’s Katie Giles won the girls 1A-3A race out of 83 competitors with a time of 20:07.88. It was the fifth victory of the season for Giles, who currently is ranked third in Class 3A girls.
Glencoe’s Allie Jo Amos took seventh place at 22:59.29, followed by Hokes Bluff’s Elizabeth Edge (23:44.48) and Kiera Johnson (24:06.75) in 14th and 18th place, respectively, and Glencoe’s Elizabeth Harrison (24:10.54) in 19th place.
Hokes Bluff’s Sam Green was runner-up in the 94-field boys 1A-3A race with a time of 17:44.52. Also taking top 10 spots were Westbrook Christian’s Asher Curp in fourth place at 18:12.21 and Hokes Bluff’s Harrison Millander in seventh at 18:47.13. Hokes Bluff’s Bryer Morrison (19:26.62) and Ethan Johnson (19:45.57) came in 15th and 18th, respectively, while Westbrook’s Jackson Martin finished 19th (19:48.09). The Eagles and Warriors finished in third and fourth place with respective average times of 19:11.26 and 20:26.34.
In the girls 4A-7A race with 92 participants, Ashville’s Taylor Knight was the area’s lone top 10 finisher at sixth place (22:39.09). Teammates Meghan McCarthy (12th, 23:15.49), Callie Stewart (14th, 23:28.04) and Emma Drinkard (15th, 23:32.93) helped the Lady Bulldogs take second place overall with an average time of 23:30.33. In boys 5A-7A, Ashville’s Joe Stevens finished ninth out of 135 runners, clocking in at 18:20.45.
At the St. Bernard Oktoberfest Invitational in Cullman on Oct 17, Southside finished runner-up in Class 5A-7A boys with an average time of 17:48.23. The Panthers had three top 10 performers out of a field of 121 runners, with Ryan Maudsley leading the way in sixth place with a time of 17:20.84. Jackson Griggs (17:25.68) and Will Anglea (17:27.78) followed in ninth and 10th place, respectively, while Gadsden City’s Tanner Rice came in 17th at 17:50.75.
Southside’s Camryn Davis finished ninth out of 93 runners in 5A-7A girls at 20:53.53. Sardis; Barit Snead (21:33.05) and Southside’s Zoie Menk (21:44.74) came in 18th and 20th, respectively.
On Oct. 15 at the Titan Trail Challenge at Noccalula Falls Park, Gadsden City’s Tanner Rice won the boys 5K with a time of 19:14.05. He was followed by teammates Mithun Rameshkumar (third, 20:53.46), Jacob Alino (sixth, 21:27.24) and Dhruv Patel (seventh, 21:43.16) and Gaston’s Brock Bagley (eighth, 22:49.04). On the girls’ side, Gadsden City’s Hannah Griffith finished third at 28:31).