Southern Showcase tough test for AC cross country teams
The Anderson County High School cross country program had some of its top runners competing in the Southern Showcase on Saturday in Huntsville, Alabama.
First-year Head Coach Mollie Longmire said she was not particularly pleased with her teams’ results in the championship.
The Lady Mavericks had two athletes in the championship race.
Junior Ava Moody finished third with a time of 18:23.07. Rebekah Berg placed 211th, completing the course in 23:16.44.
“I ran that course in college, and it is a tough course,” Longmire said.
“Ava did a good job and she did what she needed to do. She got off to a fast start. If you don’t get off to a fast start, you can get boxed in. That’s what happened to our guys. They got boxed in and were playing catch-up the whole time.”
In the boys’ race, Vance Laster was the Mavericks’ top finisher, coming in 89th with a time of 16:59.57. John Cutler finished 152nd (17:53.98), and Avian Laster was 252nd (19:28.16). Franklin Downs came in 258th (21:23.35).
Longmire, while not making excuses for her team, said the wet course was a factor.
“It was wet,” she said. “We ran on Saturday, and it rained all day the day before. The first two races were fine, but after that, the course was a mess. It affected the race, but I wish we would’ve competed better. I didn’t expect us to win, but I hoped for a better performance.”
In the blue race for girls, Emma Owens finished 359th with a time of 28:13.57. In the crimson race (boys), Anderson County’s Zander Vo placed 237th with a time of 20:54.10.
Anderson County will compete at the Cherokee Invitational on Saturday.