Jesuit rolls at The Southern Showcase, Brentwood's girls shine
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* Photos By Chris Wells
The return of high school competition on America's fastest 5K course led to elite results -- though not to the extent of what nationals produced last December -- at the Southern Showcase on Saturday as five boys broke 15 minutes and and four girls broke 18 minutes at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Alabama.
Tallahassee Leon's Patrick Koon, on the edge of entering the MileSplit50 this week, won the race with a winning time of 14:43.09, while he was followed by Ravenwood's Miles Ramer (14:49.98) and Dobyns Bennett's Luke Mussard (14:54.30).
Interestingly enough, Koon's performance would land just inside the top 50 performances on the course all-time.
Wando's (SC) Jake Liebert, who opened the year with a U.S. No. 1 time before it was surpassed in the following week, ran his second sub-15 performance of the year and was fourth in 14:54.60, while Scottboro's Evan Hill was fifth in 14:55.33.
Beyond the impressive individual results, though, the Southern Showcase was an opportunity to see how New Orleans Jesuit, ranked No. 4 in the preseason polls, would debut as a team.
The Blue Jays didn't disappoint, scoring 70 points behind five scorers under 15:35 to defeat national MileSplit50 Honorable Mention squad Farragut of Tennessee (150) and MileSplit50 No. 13 ranked Belen Jesuit of Miami (154).
While Jesuit did not have a single athlete under 15 minutes, the team's depth was -- as early indications predicted -- on point. Sophomore Brady Mullen scored a top 10 finish in 15:08.38, while senior Jack DesRoches was 15th (15:17.14) and Leland Crawford was 19th (15:27.04).
Perhaps a fast early pace set a tone, though athletes with experience on the course withstood the deceivingly difficult terrain midway through and then powered through to the fast downhill finish.
Knoxville Catholic's Keegan Smith, among the country's top sophomores, was seventh in 15:07.11, while Cleveland's Owen Clemons, one of the top freshman in 2022, was 10th in 15:09.31 -- though he locked up late down the stretch.
Boys 5k Run
Finals
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NAME YR TEAM MARK H# WIND
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1 Patrick Koon 11 Leon HS 14:43.09 1
2 Miles Ramer 11 Ravenwood High School 14:49.98 1
3 Luke Mussard 11 Dobyns Bennett High School 14:54.30 1
4 Jake Liebert 11 Wando 14:54.60 1
5 Evan Hill 12 Scottsboro HS 14:55.33 1
6 Brendan Gomez 12 Wando 15:04.45 1
7 Keegan Smith 10 Knoxville Catholic High School 15:07.11 1
8 Ethan Edgeworth 11 Cold Springs 15:08.00 1
9 Brady Mullen 10 Jesuit 15:08.38 1
10 Owen Clemons 9 Cleveland High School 15:09.31 1
11 Tommy Latham 10 Marist 15:10.71 1
12 Brody Chapman 12 Brentwood High School 15:12.73 1
13 Trevor Coggin 12 Farragut High School 15:15.01 1
14 Noah Martinson 11 Carrollton High School 15:15.67 1
15 Jack DesRoches 12 Jesuit 15:17.14 1
16 Eric Moore 10 Huntsville HS 15:18.66 1
17 Will Douglas 12 Camden Central High School 15:24.80 1
18 Daniel Winkelman 12 Elgin (Harvest Christian Acade 15:26.49 1
19 Leland Crawford 10 Jesuit 15:27.04 1
20 Joshua Ruiz 11 Belen Jesuit Preparatory Schoo 15:28.05 1
21 Robert Buisson 12 Jesuit 15:28.36 1
22 Jackson Harris 12 Huntsville HS 15:29.44 1
23 Braden Ebbert -- Farragut High School 15:30.07 1
24 Callahan Fielder 10 Brentwood High School 15:30.81 1
25 Joseph Ruiz 11 Belen Jesuit Preparatory Schoo 15:32.35 1
Girls Championship
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Brentwood's girls were ready to roll on Saturday at the Southern Showcase, and they proceeded to do precisely that, taking the girls championship win -- even as temperatures in the mid-morning rose into the 80s -- with 112 points, taking down No. 20 Mountain Brook in the process.
Led by Lydia Cromwell, who was eighth overall in 18:21.76, the Tennessee power took down Alabama's top team, despite Mountain Brook's top runner, Reagan Riley, winning the overall race and the squad having three girls inside the top 25.
Brentwood managed to go 8-11-32-36-50 in a field of 264.
Riley clocked the winning time in 17:16.44 while Nolensville's Claire Stegall -- who led for much of the way -- was second in 17:20.14. Reagan's final 100 meters, according to coaches, secured the victory in the final stages.
Independence's Jaynie Halterman was third in 17:33.56 while Harpeth's Bella Guillamondegui was fourth in 17:38.21 and Dobyns Bennett's Autumn Headrick was fifth in 18:02.84.
Pensacola Christian Academy (FL) was third in the team race with 232 points while Loveland was fourth (237) and Lawrence County was fifth (241).
Girls 5k Run
Finals
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NAME YR TEAM MARK H# WIND
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1 Reagan Riley 12 Mountain Brook HS 17:16.44 1
2 Claire Stegall 10 Nolensville High School 17:20.14 1
3 Jaynie Halterman 11 Independence High School 17:33.56 1
4 Bella Guillamondegui 12 Harpeth Hall School 17:38.21 1
5 Autumn Headrick 12 Dobyns Bennett High School 18:02.84 1
6 Mary Mac Collins 12 Northridge High School 18:07.55 1
7 Hannah Vroon 11 James Island 18:18.22 1
8 Lydia Cromwell 10 Brentwood High School 18:21.76 1
9 Ava McIntosh 12 Huntsville HS 18:25.33 1
10 Cady McPhail 12 Chelsea High School 18:28.71 1
11 Rachel Haws 10 Brentwood High School 18:29.02 1
12 Savannah Williams 12 Lawrence County HS 18:30.08 1
13 Emma Brooke Levering 10 Homewood HS 18:30.19 1
14 Carmel Yonas 12 South Forsyth High School 18:32.47 1
15 Katie Mae Coan 9 Lawrence County HS 18:35.53 1
16 Abi Cobb 10 Liberty Creek High School 18:38.66 1
17 RaeAnne Tutton 11 Pensacola Christian Academy 18:39.00 1
18 Jaimee Tutton 9 Pensacola Christian Academy 18:39.03 1
19 Meriel Rowland 11 Hutchison School 18:40.85 1
20 Taylor Williams 12 Lawrence County HS 18:44.97 1
21 Virginia Averyt 12 Mountain Brook HS 18:45.41 1
22 Larkin Johnson 9 Centennial High School 18:47.14 1
23 Zoe Marsh 11 Houston High School 18:47.33 1
24 Lucy Benton 11 Mountain Brook HS 18:48.71 1
25 Annamaria Bacchetta 10 Harpeth Hall School 18:51.31 1
The Scoop:
Page 1: Highlights from the increasingly elite Southern Showcase
Page 2: North Allegheny's girls shake off loss and follow with Boardman Invitational win
Page 3: Hilliard Davidson's girls make huge statement at MSU Spartan Invitational
Page 6: Sanchez, Frankenberg earn individual wins at Lovejoy
Page 7: Cade Miracle, Ciara O'Shea Earn Trinity/Valkyrie Wins