GOING TO the state cross country meet has grown into something of a fall tradition for the Lady Panthers. This year’s team wasn’t going to break from that convention.
Jackson County placed three girls in the top 10 at region to finish third in 8-AAA and send it back to state for a fifth-straight year.
For senior Sydney Baird, that means she’ll complete her high school career having never missed out on state.
“It’s really exciting because we’ve gotten to go all four years,” said Baird, who finished 25th at state last year. “It’s a great bonding experience for our team. It’s a lot of fun.”
The state meet is this Saturday in Carrollton.
Baird led Jackson County at region with a fourth-place finish, running a 20:25.
Maddie Newton and Monica Jimenez both found their way into the top 10 with times of 21:11 and 21:40 respectively. Newton finished eighth and Jiminez was 10th as the Lady Panthers locked up another trip to state.
“I’m very proud of that streak continuing — five in a row,” said Jackson County coach Joseph Brubaker, whose team finished at no. 5 in Class AA last year before moving up to Class AAA this year.
Emily Doeding ran a 22:19 to finish 22nd and Nikki Fowler rounded out the scoring with 24th-place finish and a time of 22:36. Others running were Allison Freeman (29th, 23:27) and Kourtney Axelberg (33rd, 23:45).
“I was very pleased with how we ran,” said Brubaker, who noted there were five personal-best times on the day. “Everybody is trying to peak at the right time.”
North Oconee won the 8-AAA title easily with four runners in the top five.
The more competitive race was for second place with Oconee County (66 points) barely edging out Jackson County.
“Obviously, it was a little bittersweet because we were three spots away from getting second,” Brubaker said.
Finishing third didn’t sit too well with the Lady Panthers.
“A lot of us were really mad at the end of the race once we found out that they got ahead of us,” Baird said. “We felt like we could have ran better. But, in the end, we still made it to state. That was our goal in the end.”
Finishing behind Jackson County were East Jackson (101), Hart County (131), Elbert County (157) and Morgan County (186).
Brubaker was impressed with the efforts of several on his team. He pointed out that Doeding continues to improve as the freshman ran a personal-best 22:19.
“Emily at the no. 4 has been slashing her times down the past month,” Brubaker said.
The coach said Jiminez’s time at the no. 3 spot was “solid,” while praising the consistency of the team’s top two runners.
“Sydney and Maddie holding down that 1-2 spot all year was a huge constant for us,” Brubaker said.
Brubaker said he’s excited to be taking the team — which has a few new faces — back to Carrollton.
Jackson County will face some stiff competition from private schools, as well as public schools like North Oconee and North Hall, but the goal is to finish in the top 10 of Class AAA.
“We would all think that a top 10 finish would be something to be proud of,” he said.
And perhaps try to make amends for that third-place finish at region.
“I know we’re trying to beat Oconee definitely,” Baird said.
BOYS MAKE MORE STRIDES
Jackson County capped off an improved season on the cross country trail with a seventh-place finish at region.
J.T. Wood led the Panthers with a 17:29, a personal-best for Wood and the best time in recent years for the school. He finished 16th overall.
“J.T. really stepped up to another level of competition, which is awesome,” Brubaker said. “At region, to run with those guys, I’m extremely impressed.”
Rounding out the scoring were Trevin Sweat (40th, 19:14), Anthony Allen (43rd, 19:24), Dusty Haralson (44th, 19:29) and Bryce Hughes (47th, 19:37). Also running were Jacob Dearman (49th, 20:00) and Zack Sears (50th, 20:15).
“The guys — another step forward,” Brubaker said. “I think this should make them want to work even harder. We need more guys (running) 18:30 or better.”
Brubaker points out that just one of the top eight runners for Jackson County is a senior. So the bulk of this group returns next year. Brubaker said a commitment to off season training is essential for this group.
“It should be pretty easy to push that,” Brubaker said. “This group is pretty motivated.”
