Meet Preview: 2023 Tennessee State ES/MS State Championships

Finish. You hear that word plenty of times among coaches of sports like football or basketball or any of the other team sports. They preach that they must finish the game or finish a play or the way to a win is to learn how to finish. That has never been an issue with cross country. Whether it be the first person to finish the race. Or maybe the one just passing ahead of your top competition. Or maybe as the lone runner at the end of the race. Yea, that's not something we have to learn in the sport, it's inherent to what cross country runners do every practice and every race. It is an everyday fundamental part of the sport. Finish! Not a problem for cross-country athletes, we even remind everyone at most races with a sign that says: "FINISH"!

Cross country, especially among younger athletes, has grown almost exponentially in the last ten or so years. And no wonder, when you go to a cross country event, instead of seeing 20 or so players on a field at one time, you get to see hundreds of athletes competing at one time in one event!  You see each individual giving their best and then looking to see how they helped their team. I've always loved the saying... No Benches, No Halftime, No Substitutions... Welcome to Cross Country!! No doubt, one of the purest sports on the planet!

Most programs begin training in the summer heat and finish in the cool of late October. It's late October, so the TN State Elementary and Middle School Cross Country Championships is approaching. That's the mark to the end of the season. This season, at least in some areas of the state, we saw another opponent step into the fray - the weather! The heat this year has been on the warmer side in most parts of the state. But come this Saturday, October 28^th, the competition everyone will be concerned about will be the ones standing with their toes just before the white line painted on the grass. Yep, those standing on the start line are the ones that endured the weather and a whole lot of competition to be able to line up in the State Championship Race. To some, that is a reward in itself - making it to the State level. To some others, it is a chance to make a mark as a young athlete in a sport that doesn't recognize you unless you actually do finish!

Teams from across the state will merge on the Championship course at Shelby Farms in Memphis this year. It's a big change from the Knoxville venue that has hosted the State event since day one! The Memphis folks will definitely embrace the Knoxville Youth Athletics (KYA) group for having the race in their hometown this season.  KYA is still the host of the meet and is just partnering with - in a way - their younger sibling, the Memphis Youth Athletics (MYA) group. And like the athletes running in this championship, that partnership should be powerful.

The State championships will have the Elementary group running the usual one-mile distance and the Middle School group in the two-mile trek. For those that are not familiar with the courses, here is a rundown that may be helpful to you.

Course Preview

The one mile is a single loop. The first ¼ mile starts with the usual wide start and a somewhat slight downhill. Just past the ¼ mile spot, the athletes make an easy right turn and then a sharp left into a rolling up and down area towards the ½ mile spot which is about where you'll take a wide right turn. After that turn, you'll take a left turn and go over a wooden bridge and a quick, but short, drop into a right turn. Now you're in the wooden area of the course. These woods can bring some shade, but depending on the weather, this area can be a bit dusty or muddy. A characteristic not unfamiliar with a lot of cross-country courses.  It is also a fairly winding and meandering part of the course with some slight ups and downs and side hill runs. The end of the woods turns into a straightaway with a bit of an uphill run that does a short S-turn. After the top of the S-turn the course opens up to a downhill straightaway where you will clearly see the finish line... or maybe I should say you'll HEAR the finish line!

The two-mile course for the middle school athletes follows the same beginning as the one mile loop. The change happens as you exit the woods. You'll still be going through the woods and the uphill straightway at the end of the wooden area. It's at the point, instead of going towards the finish line, you'll make a sharp downhill right turn and a quick uphill left turn. After those turns, the course tends to have a sidehill portion but if you run it just right, you can minimize that sloped area. As you go over a somewhat mild hill, you'll start on a downhill area and aim for the trees since you'll be taking a sweeping wide right turn. Right at that turn is the 1 mile mark. People will be lined up along your left side as you run through that area... this could be a loud part of the course since it's a really nice area to catch the athletes as they pass the halfway point. Once around that turn and the mile marker behind you, you'll be going up a long wide winding hill. At the top of that hill, you'll be making a sharp left turn and then an easy right turn that will put you back onto the first loop - that's just before the ¼ mile point from the first lap. From that point, it's the same as the beginning part of the course. Once you exit the woods for the second time, you'll be taking the S-turn towards the finish line and that would be the time to show the spectators your finishing kick!

The teams and individuals competing in the Elementary and Middle School divisions of this State Championship had to qualify within each of their regions - as a team and as individuals. By its own definition, the State Championships have teams from across the state. There are just too many teams and cross country is too unpredictable to make an estimate on who can win this huge race. Could it be Farragut or Hardin Valley from the Knoxville area? What about Station Camp or Liberty Creek. Or maybe a Memphis favorite in Houston or West Collierville will take the top spot. Or maybe one of the smaller private schools could squeak in a podium spot... or even someone new to the championships might come in and surprise everyone!

 Lets take a quick look at some of the top ranked athletes coming out to this State meet Saturday (and remember, this is based off of some rankings that we know - and as you all know, cross-country is unpredictable and you just never know who might pop up in the front at the end of a race!):

Middle School Girls

Top ranked Campbell Asti of Bearden won the KYA Knoxville qualifying meet in a 13:00.64 to get into the State meet and also is currently ranked #1 among middle school athletes scheduled to run in Memphis this year. She has a PR of 11:47.28 and is not used to coming in second this season. Shiloh Mays of Karns who was runner up by about 10 seconds to Campbell is also in the field. Some of the others to watch include Dresden's Hudson McDaniel (12:10), Caitlin Daniels (West Valley, 12:14), Gracie Orton (Columbia Academy, 12:21), a couple of West Collierville standouts with Maya Lang (12:19) and Gabrielle Gulstrom (12:21) and Evangelical's Anderson Cummins (12:29).  

Overall Middle School Girls Rankings

Last Year, Shiloh Mays was the Varsity Elementary Champion and finds herself as one of the top seeded middle school runners in her first season in the division.

Some surprises could also come from a few of the athletes lurking just behind. Consider St. Bernard Academy's Stella Doherty (13:06) and Isabella Baltz (13:34) who could work together and make their way up to the front. A few athletes coming out of the Lafayette Regional, Mercy and Grace Whitt, and Madison Walton could be ones to watch. East Ridge's Kyndal Gilliam (13:41), and Samantha Bobo (13:21) are certainly ones in the mix as well.

This is just a very small list of possible podium contenders and remember that this is cross country, and anything can happen at these races.

As far as the teams' race is concerned, any number of schools could be in the mix. Houston, West Collierville, Station Camp, St. Matthews Catholic, Farragut, Hardin Valley, and a handful of others will be the ones that may just have an edge come Saturday. But remember... it's cross country... it comes down to all five scorers and where the sixth and seventh runner places... so really, I'm not predicting a winner here, just identifying some teams.

Middle School Boys

Evan Van De Griff of Hardin Valley comes into this meet ranked #5 in the overall rankings (10:45.22) for middle school athletes but was the winner in the KYA qualifier in 11:28. Isaac Socha, also of Hardin Valley, is the top ranked middle school athlete with his 10:28 ran in late September. A couple of unattached athletes, Reid and Owen Bannister, come in ranked the #2 and #3 middle schooler in the state with 10:41 and 10:43 respectively. Both should be ones to watch Saturday. Farragut's Chase Temples (10:44), Silas Collins (Episcopal School of Knoxville, 10:56), Gabriel Bullock (Collierville, 10:59), John Baltz (St. Louis Catholic, 11:01), and Farragut's John Williams (11:03) should also be in the mix for podium spots here.

Overall Middle School Boys Rankings

Evan Van De Griff after his runner up finish at this meet last season. 

Could one of the local Memphis guys break out a good race on Saturday and surprise some? Warren Gardner has been pretty prolific in his racing and is close at 11:24 for the 2 miles. You might even consider Michael Serino of University Middle or Gabe Bullock of Collierville among the list of locals that might just feel good on their home course. There will be a very full and very athletic group racing on Saturday and any one of these athletes, or even a dozen more could be standing on top at the end of the day for these middle school racers.

The team race is not one that is easy to make any kind of winners estimate, but Farragut, Houston, and Hardin Valley come to mind as the ones to watch. But really, it's too difficult to estimate considering the amount of strong talent across the board in the middle school divisions.

Elementary Girls

Logan Alsobrook (5:52, West Region Champion), Aimee Hall (Berean Christian, 5:53 and Knoxville Region Champ), Rylee Scott (West Hills, 5:57) and Payton Ray (Rush Strong, 6:00 and Tri-Cities Champ), comin with a 6 or sub 6-minute mile and will be the ones to keep a close eye on in the 1 mile race. Right behind them will be Harper Van Nes (Sequoyah, 6:07), Aubrey Cothron (6:08, Nashville Region Champion), with times close to that six-minute barrier. However, this is cross country and it's a single mile race and so it all might just come down to who feels the best during those few minutes of racing.

A few others to watch will include Olivia Benton (Arlington, 6:34 and West Region Champion), Charlotte Wilkinson (Westminster, 6:34), and possibly Florence Mitchell (Westwood, 7:06). There's also a few girls coming out of the top five in the West region with some experience on the championship course that need to be considered as well. Lausanne's Micah Lewis (6:37), Hadley O'Donnell (St. Louis, 6:51), Rowyn Ducher (Crosswind, 6:58) and Esther Zhang (Farmington, 6:58).

Some of the top Elementary School teams that could be in contention on this championship course include: Cookeville, Mt Juliet, CSTHEA Patriots, West Side, St. Matthew Catholic, Columbia, Hardin Valley, Dogwood, and Dresden. This is a wide open race and so many teams can put together that coveted top 5 athletes to get a spot on the podium.

Elementary Boys

With this being a one-mile race, it really does come down to who is feeling their best when the gun goes off. There isn't a lot of time to strategize through the race and so it does make for a wide-open race. This is going to be a very packed group of Elementary school athletes. Some of those to watch will be West Areheart (Concord Christian, 5:24), Daylen Hampton (Loudon, 5:33), Max Jackson (Rock Hill, 5:34), Siles Mueller (Knoxville Ambassador, 5:44), Eli Simmons (5:46, winner of the Nashville Region) and Logan Alsobrook (5:52). All these guys have sub six-minute times and could be crowding the lead group.

There's always a wild card when it comes to the sport of cross country. That would be the course. Some courses may run slower than others for various reasons. Someone running one course in a specific time could run a different course 30 seconds faster... or slower. Even though the 'distance' is the same, cross country courses have their own characteristics that affects what a runner will do on them.

So... rounding out some of the other athletes that should be in the consideration for that podium spot will be William Gaither running unattached and champion in the Chattanooga region. Looking at the results from the Mid-State region it appears there are several duos that run neck and neck. Rush Strong's Braxton York and Tristan Ray would be a good example of that with times nearly identical.

Top Elementary School Boys teams will likely include Mt. Juliet, Blackman, Normal Park, St. Jude, Jonesboro Middle, St. Matthew Catholic, Scales Elementary, and St. Louis. Who wins, well, we have to race that first to find out!

More information on the TN State Elementary and Middle School State Championships can be found on the Knoxville Youth Athletics web site.  Enjoy the races and see you on the course!

Coach Ted