Whiteoak unseats Fairfield to win 2020 SHAC boys cross-country championship
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The Whiteoak Wildcats were the winners and new champions of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference boys division for the first time in nearly a decade, as they won the boys title with a tiebreaker as their sixth runner bested the sixth runner of the defending nine-time champion Fairfield Lions.
Whiteoak and Fairfield each scored 52 points with their Top 5 runners, but the Wildcats sixth-best runner finished in 26th place, while Fairfield’s was 27th place, meaning the Wildcats earned the top spot in the SHAC for 2020.
In third place as a team were the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs with 57 points, as Highland County took the Top 3 spots of the SHAC.
The individual SHAC boys champion was Fairfield senior Cohen Frost with a time of 16:31.
As for the Whiteoak squad, their top finisher was junior Robbie Raines in sixth place with a time of 18:07. The next best runner for Whiteoak was sophomore Wade Evans at 18:23 for ninth place, and in 10th place was freshman Weston Blair at 18:24, giving Whiteoak three runners in the Top 10.
Whiteoak’s fourth-best finisher was sophomore Christian Price in 14th place at 18:42, and in 19th place as the fifth-best Wildcat runner on the day was junior Connor Butler at 19:12.
The sixth-best finisher for Whiteoak — and the finish that broke the tied score — was senior Garrett Miller at 26th overall with a time of 19:43. Whiteoak junior Tristan Helterbrand was 28th place at 19:55, and WHS senior Gabe Sheppard finished with a time of 29:51.
As for the Fairfield Lions, besides Frost, they had another finisher in the Top 5 as senior Blake Haines was fourth place at 17:44. In 11th place was senior Brant Haines with a time of 18:26. Senior Nathan Vidourek earned the 17th-place spot with a time of 19:04, and the 24th-place finisher was sophomore Dalton Hampton at 19:30.
Also for the Lions, freshman Nolan Campbell was 27th overall at 19:47, and the 35th-place finisher was freshman Larkin Friend at 21:11. Fairfield’s Ethan Kiser, a senior, had a finish of 42nd place at 22:01.
Other times for the Lions included senior Orrie Friend (24:20), sophomore Elijah Humphreys (25:04), senior Gavin Cox (25:04), freshman Lucas Craycraft (26:12) and junior Josh Brown (27:12).
The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs had two runners finish in the Top 4, with senior Dawson Osborn in third place (17:19) and sophomore Logan Shope in fourth at 17:43.
The 15th-place finisher was sophomore Trey Pitzer of LCHS at 18:48, and the Mustangs also had sophomore Kayden Fyffe in the 20th spot at 19:17. The 22nd-place finisher was sophomore Ian Waits at 19:27, and in 48th place was freshman Justin Qvick at 23:53.
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In the girls SHAC race, the Fairfield Lady Lions were fifth overall as a team with a score of 100, and in seventh place was Whiteoak at 151. The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs did not field a full team.
Winning the team title was Eastern with a score of 66. The individual champion was Myla Tolle of North Adams.
As for the Lynchburg-Clay runners, they had three girls race in the event with junior Raelynn Ruble finishing fifth place overall with a time of 21:28. Also for LCHS with a 22nd place finish was junior Allie Etienne at 24:27, and in 26th place was senior Sierra Benney at 24:54.
For the Whiteoak girls, their top runner was freshman Claire Ames in sixth place at 22:14. Next was freshman Lydia Carr in 30th place at 25:53, and she was followed by freshman Madison Thompson in 41st place at 27:16. Also for WHS, finishes included freshman Molly McMullen at 28:40 and senior Morgan Evans at 30:01.
Fairfield’s top finisher was junior Emily Price in 15th place at 23:04, and next in 16th place was junior Anna Davis at 23:20. Also in the Top 20 for FHS was junior Makenna Calwell in 18th place at 23:29.
The Lady Lions also had the 25th-place finisher, as junior Nayomie Ludwick had a final time of 24:52, and freshman Gwen Cox was 35th at 26:32. Other times for Fairfield were: senior Jaden Smith (26:46), sophomore Makenzie Miller (27:21), senior Jami Dailey (28:23) and freshman Campbell Friend (31:18).
In the junior high races, eighth grader Landen Eyre of Whiteoak won the boys championship with a time of 10:37. The junior girls race was won by McKenna Shelton of North Adams, also an eighth grader, at 12:34.
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Whiteoak and Fairfield each scored 52 points with their Top 5 runners, but the Wildcats sixth-best runner finished in 26th place, while Fairfield’s was 27th place, meaning the Wildcats earned the top spot in the SHAC for 2020.
In third place as a team were the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs with 57 points, as Highland County took the Top 3 spots of the SHAC.
The individual SHAC boys champion was Fairfield senior Cohen Frost with a time of 16:31.
As for the Whiteoak squad, their top finisher was junior Robbie Raines in sixth place with a time of 18:07. The next best runner for Whiteoak was sophomore Wade Evans at 18:23 for ninth place, and in 10th place was freshman Weston Blair at 18:24, giving Whiteoak three runners in the Top 10.
Whiteoak’s fourth-best finisher was sophomore Christian Price in 14th place at 18:42, and in 19th place as the fifth-best Wildcat runner on the day was junior Connor Butler at 19:12.
The sixth-best finisher for Whiteoak — and the finish that broke the tied score — was senior Garrett Miller at 26th overall with a time of 19:43. Whiteoak junior Tristan Helterbrand was 28th place at 19:55, and WHS senior Gabe Sheppard finished with a time of 29:51.
As for the Fairfield Lions, besides Frost, they had another finisher in the Top 5 as senior Blake Haines was fourth place at 17:44. In 11th place was senior Brant Haines with a time of 18:26. Senior Nathan Vidourek earned the 17th-place spot with a time of 19:04, and the 24th-place finisher was sophomore Dalton Hampton at 19:30.
Also for the Lions, freshman Nolan Campbell was 27th overall at 19:47, and the 35th-place finisher was freshman Larkin Friend at 21:11. Fairfield’s Ethan Kiser, a senior, had a finish of 42nd place at 22:01.
Other times for the Lions included senior Orrie Friend (24:20), sophomore Elijah Humphreys (25:04), senior Gavin Cox (25:04), freshman Lucas Craycraft (26:12) and junior Josh Brown (27:12).
The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs had two runners finish in the Top 4, with senior Dawson Osborn in third place (17:19) and sophomore Logan Shope in fourth at 17:43.
The 15th-place finisher was sophomore Trey Pitzer of LCHS at 18:48, and the Mustangs also had sophomore Kayden Fyffe in the 20th spot at 19:17. The 22nd-place finisher was sophomore Ian Waits at 19:27, and in 48th place was freshman Justin Qvick at 23:53.
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In the girls SHAC race, the Fairfield Lady Lions were fifth overall as a team with a score of 100, and in seventh place was Whiteoak at 151. The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs did not field a full team.
Winning the team title was Eastern with a score of 66. The individual champion was Myla Tolle of North Adams.
As for the Lynchburg-Clay runners, they had three girls race in the event with junior Raelynn Ruble finishing fifth place overall with a time of 21:28. Also for LCHS with a 22nd place finish was junior Allie Etienne at 24:27, and in 26th place was senior Sierra Benney at 24:54.
For the Whiteoak girls, their top runner was freshman Claire Ames in sixth place at 22:14. Next was freshman Lydia Carr in 30th place at 25:53, and she was followed by freshman Madison Thompson in 41st place at 27:16. Also for WHS, finishes included freshman Molly McMullen at 28:40 and senior Morgan Evans at 30:01.
Fairfield’s top finisher was junior Emily Price in 15th place at 23:04, and next in 16th place was junior Anna Davis at 23:20. Also in the Top 20 for FHS was junior Makenna Calwell in 18th place at 23:29.
The Lady Lions also had the 25th-place finisher, as junior Nayomie Ludwick had a final time of 24:52, and freshman Gwen Cox was 35th at 26:32. Other times for Fairfield were: senior Jaden Smith (26:46), sophomore Makenzie Miller (27:21), senior Jami Dailey (28:23) and freshman Campbell Friend (31:18).
In the junior high races, eighth grader Landen Eyre of Whiteoak won the boys championship with a time of 10:37. The junior girls race was won by McKenna Shelton of North Adams, also an eighth grader, at 12:34.
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