Dragons show merit with Cherokee Farms run
Clinton’s Alli Holifield was the first of the Lady Dragons runners to cross the finish line in last Thursday’s Cherokee Farms opener. She completed the two-mile course with a time of 16:05. (photo:Tony Cox )
The race is a preview of the 5K run on the course coming up in two weeks. The Dragons and Lady Dragons will return to Cherokee Farms on Saturday, Sept. 10. “This was a knock-the-dust-off race, and overall, I think the kids were pretty happy with their performance,” Kumes said. “They have a 5K course at that park and we’ll run that course again in two weeks.
“This was a good chance for our kids to knock the rust off because the course was flat and this was a good race to start the season.”
Clinton’s top finisher in the boys race was senior Ethan Ortiz, who came in 31st and posted a time of 12:30. Noah Ortiz came in 55th, finishing the race in 13:33. Noah, Ethan’s younger brother, is a sophomore for the Dragons.
Caleb Holt, a freshman, finished in 57th place (13:40).
The Lady Dragons also had some solid performances last week.
Clinton’s top finisher in the girls race was sophomore Alli Holifield. She finished 66th overall as she crossed the finish line in 16:05.
Senior Juliet Avila (17:12) finished 93rd.
Senior Marissa Winter finished in 97th place, completing the course in 17:44.
Kumes, who will also coach the track and field teams in 2023, said he is looking toward the future for Clinton cross country.
“This will be the first time that I’ve coached track,” he said. “In the past, there has been a disconnect between the two programs.
“We want to put Clinton cross country on the map. We want to make the kids known athletically as well as academically. We’ve started a partnership with (Clinton) Middle School.”
Kumes said that he now has a new assistant coach. Kay West, a teacher in Sevier County, joins the program. She is a former college athlete.
“You’ll see a lot of teams from out of state at the Cherokee Farms Invitational,” Kumes said. “It’s one of the biggest meets.”