Dragons, Lady Dragons show grit on Johnson U course

September 18, 2024 by Ken Lay

Just two full weeks into their 2024 season, the Clinton High School cross country teams faced one of their toughest tests, and Coach Tim Kumes couldn’t have been happier.

Both the Dragons and Lady Dragons performed well at the Johnson University meet on Saturday morning in East Knox County.

The course at Johnson was mostly hilly terrain, but the teams handled the challenge.

Cooper Bostrom was the top finisher for the Dragons, navigating the course and finishing 42nd overall with a time of 20 minutes, 49.97 seconds.

Caleb Holt finished 72nd with a time of 22:24.71, followed by Lucas Gates in 103rd (24:02.97), Max Bostrom in 109th (24:19.47), Tyler Gomez in 131st (27:00.47), and Gideon Follett in 149th (28:52.11).

“Cooper had a great race, and everybody’s times are coming down,” Kumes said. “We talked after the meet, and our parents are really encouraging our kids. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be a top-third team.

“I have great kids, and they’re all working hard,” he said. “This was an extremely tough and hilly course, and the kids had to use their intelligence. They’re starting to understand how to attack the course. Caleb had a great race, and Max and Lucas are really improving.”

The Lady Dragons had two entrants in the Johnson University race. Alli Hollifield finished 33rd (27:19.89), and freshman Eva Allen was 60th (33:22.26).

“Alli had a decent race; I don’t think her time was as good as it was last year, but she showed toughness and grit,” Kumes said. “Eva is a freshman, and she’s learning. It’s a big transition from middle school to high school.

“I couldn’t be happier with the kids for their effort.”

Clinton will return to action Saturday in Knoxville for the Cherokee Invitational.

“That will be a flat, fast course, so when we practice this week, we’ll have to change our mindset,” Kumes said.