Coleman Midgett
This meet is interesting as
an opener because it gives you a direct measuring stick from your final meet of
last season, to your first meet of this season considering both state and
Coleman are contested at Sanders Ferry. So what did we find out?
Beech boys won the meet pretty definitively placing all their scorers in the top fifteen. Last season at state their team average was a 17:07. On Saturday it was 16:54 in less than ideal conditions. The Harpeth Hall Girls eked out a victory over the Beech girls squad 70-73 but improved their team average at state last season from 21:05 to 20:17. Both of these squads want to move up the podium at this same course in November and based on this small sample size, look poised to do so.
Ethan Lanning cross first for the Buccaneers on Saturday placing 4th overall in 16:35.
The winner of the boys race we don't have this comparison for because Trace Alexander did not finish the state race last season battling injury. His performance on Saturday though does throw an interesting wrinkle in to the Division II Class A individuals conversation. Between track and cross country, Columbia Academy's Connor Henson claimed every distance title in the division. Last season he won at Sanders Ferry with a solo 16:08. Trace just ran a 16:10 with company. We obviously expect Henson to have improved year over year but we also expect Alexander to do the same from his opener to state. It's hard to see this being a 40 second victory again this season for Henson.