The 2016 cross country season either came to a close or set the stage for Saturday’s (November 4) state meet in Carrollton for our local programs.
Here’s a recap of how all the North Georgia teams of interest fared in their respective region championship meets (ordered from highest to lowest classification):
Habersham Central
The Raiders will be represented at the state meet for the first time since 2011 (individual or team) after placing third in the region championship meet. Senior Will Hatchett came in fifth place individually. The girls didn’t qualify, but senior Kate Holbrook had a 13th place finish overall.
White County
White County’s girls (3rd) and boys (4th) both made state, with sophomore Jaelen Alexander finishing 6th for the girls and Tristin Bertie 7th for the Warriors.
Stephens County
The Stephens County teams both finished 5th, with Raelyn Sanders (26th) and Troy Broska (29th) the top performers for their respective teams.
Dawson County
Dawson made a straight sweep for the boys and girls, with both grabbing individual region titles also with Frankie Muldoon and Jacob Poston taking the top spots. Marley Hamby also finished 2nd for the girls.
Union County
Union’s boys (4th) and girls (3rd) both qualified for state, with Lance Underwood (4th) and Zoe Sanchez (6th) leading the way.
Lumpkin County
Lumpkin boys (6th) and girls (5th) didn’t make state, as their top runners Estaban Ramirez (11th) and Britty Payne (14th) had a solid showing.
Banks County
The Banks County boys made it back-to-back region titles, led by Samuel Davidson’s 2nd place finish. The girls advanced to state with a runner-up finish, led by junior Allison Smith (6th).
Rabun County
Rabun sophomore Guy Gober led the Wildcats to a region runner-up finish with a top finish, while the Rabun girls captured the title and were led by individual region title winner Georgia Stockton, also a sophomore.
Towns County
Towns County girls continued their dominance with another area title. This one was a tie with Commerce, but Towns won the tie-breaker. Hannah Whitehead was the runner-up. The Indians group, headed by senior Tyler Grimsley (16th), finished fourth, earning a spot at state.
Commerce
Commerce’ Kate Massey took the top spot for the girls individually, helping the team tie for first. Commerce boys were third, paced by Jose Verde’s 7th-place finish. and Towns boys were 4th.
Tallulah Falls
The boys finished sixth as a team, with sophomore Aaron Hughes and freshman Chris Geiger crossing the line with a 10th- and 11th-place finish. The TFS girls’ team posted an 8th-place finish overall, led by junior Perry Gresham.
