Girls Preview
Team Contenders:
Bolton High School took the crown last year, but are without three of their top 5 from last year, including last year’s runaway champ Brittney Duboise. This will allow things to shake up again, this year. Cordova has looked strong all season, but so has Arlington. Bartlett wants to get back to the state meet and may have the team to get that done, this year. And the new team to region 7, Dyer County, looks to have a formidable squad that should be in the mix as well. All in all, there is only three spots and as many as 5 teams who may have a shot. We will run 5,000 meters to figure it out.
Bolton enjoyed a solid group for a few years, but graduation happens. Last year’s champions will have to fill some big shoes if they want that title again. Alisha Fitch leads the way for the Wildcats and has a good enough supporting cast to continue their trips to the state meet.
Arlington was last year’s runner up. Though they too have lost key runners to graduation, they returned a few solid runners too. They seemed to have re-loaded just fine with some young talent. Hanna Grace Whitaker plans to lead them to a shot at the title.
Standing in everyone’s way is this year’s Cordova squad. Ashleigh Skinner has made great strides since last year’s campaign. The rest of the Wolves veteran team has seem to as well. Maya Bortters, Gabrielle Hernandez and company will follow closely behind Skinner to make sure they come away with a title this year.
Bartlett walked away disappointed last year, finishing fourth, but look to change their fortunes with a tight pack lead by Carrie Conner. The improved squad has enough experience with this course to run the race they need, to get back to the state meet.
Individual Contenders:
Last year’s individual winner and runner-up are both gone. That leaves the door wide open to crown a new champion. The top returning finisher is Ashleigh Skinner (Cordova) who finished third last year. She has been one of the top runners in the state this year. If the weather allows, there should be no reason why she can’t lower the 5K course record. She may even have a shot at beating the 3 mile course record. If she checks out, then the battle will be for second. That could go a number of different ways. Maya Bortters (Cordova), Alisha Fitch (Bolton), and Ashley Brooks (Craigmont) were not too far off the pace, last year. They look to run their way to the top again this year, however, Gabriell Hernandez (Cordova) Hanah Grace Whitaker (Arlington), and Chelsey Roberson (Dyer Co.) may look to shake up those top 5 standings. Those coveted top 10 spots will guarantee a trip to the meet, regardless of team standing, so look well over 10 runners to have a shot at those spots.
Others to look for:
Ambria Reese Arlington
Kaylin Garrett Cordova
Shelby Clark Cordova
Angela Summerall Craigmont
Amanda Henson Hardin Co.
Boys Preview
Team Contenders:
Last year’s race saw the Cordova Wolves capture their third straight title by dominating the other teams in route to a nearly perfect score of 18, while finishing 60 points ahead of second place Bolton. Unfortunately for the rest of the Region 7 teams, Cordova does not plan on letting up this year. While only returning three runners from last year’s squad, the new runners are just as quick as the last crew. It appears that this year’s race will be for the runner-up spot. The teams fighting for second place, and the third and final qualifying spot, should be Arlington, Bartlett, Bolton, and Brighton. As for the State Meet, who is going and who is staying?
Cordova put their stamp on the latter half of this decade by reeling off three straight titles. Their goal will be to close out the decade with a fourth straight title. This task should not be too tall for the Wolves, as they return seniors William James, Darius O’Neal, and ConTuarius Walker from last year’s championship team. Joining them up front will be Jaymes McCargo, Drew Echols, Justin Pinkston and Cameron Walton. This crew has been winning races all year long, and they don’t plan on messing that up here.
Bolton was last year’s surprise runner-up. After a two-year absence from the state meet, the Wildcats ran their way back to where they felt they belonged. They don’t plan on missing out, again, any time soon. Austin Knoll leads the charge for the Wildcats along with a solid 2-3 punch of Cody Bieber and Eric Truska.
Bartlett went on to state based on a tiebreaker, last year. The Panthers plan on stepping up their efforts to make sure it’s not as close this year. Ryan Wilcox leads his team in their quest to make it 10 straight trips to Nashville, this decade.
Arlington was on the wrong side of the tie breaker, last year, thus not making it to state as a team. Looking to bounce back in a major way, the Tigers plan on make a statement about how fast they really are. Alden Dixon, Brandon Hart, and Matt Huffman look to make life hard on the entire field.
Dyer County is a newcomer to the region. They plan showing the rest of the region that they more than belong. Codi Moore leads a solid group that may leave some of their District 14 counterparts saying, “where did they come from?”
Dark Horses: Brighton and Munford have been steadily improving all season. Brighton’s Daniel Payne and Andrew Hodensmith could be enough of a 1-2 punch to force their team into contention. . Munford’s Matthew Billings is the leader of a tight pack, who if they improve enough on their times, could throw a wrench into other teams’ plans.
Individual Contenders:
Many runners return from last years race, but only one has had a history of handling his business with ease. William James (Cordova) looks for the three-peat. His senior campaign has showed that this should not be an issue as he has competed against and beat many of the top runners in state and out of state. Though he may try to do just what it takes to win, he may have a teammate or two hot on his heals who may look to take the title. Jaymes McCargo and Darius O’Neal have been consistent top runners in the area, and plan on being up front in this race too. All three should be aware of Alden Dixon (Arlington). He has the wheels to make life hard on all of them, and will be looking to do so after an unfortunate outcome last year. Coming on late in the season has been Bolton’s Austin Knoll. He will do his best to spoil everyone’s tactics out there. This race may get more aggressive than it has in the past, and should be a fun one to watch.
Others:
Brandon Hart Arlington
Matt Huffman Arlington
Ryan Wilcox Bartlett
Cody Beiber Bolton
Eric Truska Bolton
Daniel Payne Brighton
Andrew Hodensmith Brighton
Drew Echols Cordova
ConTuarius Walker Cordova
Codi Moore Dyer Co.
Matthew Billings Munford