There was a great turnout down in Carrollton, with many parents, runners and alumni all showing up to cheer on our state runners. The early morning races started out with temperatures down around 40, so I was grateful of the late start times for 7A, with beautiful sunny skies and low 50’s making for great racing conditions.  

The Guys

It was odd seeing Nate Verska lined up without his South teammates alongside him, but there was nothing odd about seeing him move to the lead pack as the race got underway. Well, let me correct that, as the lead pack was actually the chase pack since two runners from Archer went out like they were being chased by a bobcat and by the first loop around the school had a sizable lead on the field. And despite the 4:48 first mile those two ran, by the end of the first lap the pack was very close to reeling them in, with Nate still sitting comfortably in the front pack. The second lap belonged to Denmark’s Ethan Ashley, as he put on a move that no one could match and left no doubt about the winner, cruising to a 24-second victory. Nate had a great race, completing the course 15 seconds faster than last year and claiming 5th place overall. Congrats Nate on all-state honors and a fantastic season!

The Girls

The pre-meet 7A rankings had South listed as 5th and a pre-race virtual meet showed them as 7th, so we knew it would take their best race of the season for South to steal one of those top 4 podium spots. Nerves were high as the gun went off and then...they fired the gun again and called them all back to start over! (Side bar, I’ve been to 6 state XC meets and this is the 2nd time I’ve seen them restart the girl’s race - what’s up with that?).

Anyway, they got a clean start the second time and off everyone went. Carmel and Izzy, and Caroline, for that matter, got out well and were up near the leaders as they made their way around the school.  Coming out of that first loop, there were a few runners spread out up front, with Carmel lurking around 5th, much like last year. Izzy was sitting just outside the top 10 and Caroline was hanging around 20th. Molly was executing her race strategy and hanging right with Janisha, though both were sitting outside the top 100.  

By the end of the first lap, Samantha McGarity of Harrison had taken the lead and opened a bit of a gap, with Carmel and a few others sitting about 10 seconds off the lead. Izzy had picked up several spots, Caroline had slipped a few more and Janisha was moving her way up, with Molly in tow.  

McGarity was the only runner that had run pretty close to the same time as Carmel coming into this race, so she was not the one that you wanted to see in the lead heading out for the second lap. And by the time they came around the school, it was clear that she had made her move and was not looking back. Carmel was second as they headed out toward the woods and Izzy was battling for 5th. Caroline was hanging on with Janisha closing the gap and a very determined-looking Molly on her shoulder.  

No surprise at the finish, as Samantha McGarity cruised to an easy 40-second win; even more impressive when you realize the sophomore knocked almost 2 minutes off her time here last year. Carmel looked drained as she headed toward the final uphill clinging to 2nd, with Parkview’s Emma Geaney closing on her, but Carmel rallied and managed to hold her off over the final 200 meters to secure second place. While I’m sure Carmel was disappointed with that finish, the truth is this was a remarkable performance. I didn’t mention it earlier, but Carmel wasn’t even at school most of last week, laying in bed with a temperature north of 103 degrees. So her even managing, with one day of practice under her belt, to get on the line and have that kind of finish speaks to how much grit she really has. No reason to hang your head over this one Carmel.

Back to the race, Izzy continued her battle, but in the end landed 6th, improving 3 spots over last year, while Caroline wound up 60th. Janisha had pulled away from Molly a bit as they headed up the final hill, but Molly went crazy on the down hill and into the finish, passing everyone in her sights, including Janisha right at the line as Molly took 77th and Janisha 78th. I hadn’t mentioned Emily Barnes or Pragna Veravelli, but both also had good races, with both projected to finish in the low 200’s, but Emily actually landing in 156th and Pragna 161st.  

So where did that leave South in the team race? The front 3 spots were a battle, with just 21 points separating first through third, with the finish order Marietta, Harrison & Hillgrove. The earlier mentioned virtual meet had South scoring 248 points, but South well outperformed that projection, as they wound up with 215 points. Alas, it was still not quite enough to land on the podium, with Milton’s 198 points taking 4th and Lambert’s 109 points putting them in 5th, with South in the 6th spot.  

This ends a pretty remarkable streak for the South ladies, as they had finished on the podium in the state meet every year since 2014. But it also continues a streak, as South has put at least one girl in the top 10 of this meet every year since 2013. And I don’t think that streak is going to end anytime soon.  

For the ladies, the future remains bright, as all 12 from the state team return next year. But the competition looks fierce as well.  On the individual side, there were only 5 seniors that finished in the top 20 spots at State. On the team side, champ Marietta returns their top 5, as does runner-up Harrison, with Hillgrove returning 5 of their top 6, the same as Lambert. So it looks like the 7A females are going to be very tough for the next few years.

But don’t get discouraged. South is close. Of the teams that finished ahead of South, only Hillgrove had their top 5 ladies break 20 minutes. Why is that important? Because Caroline and Janisha both had season’s bests in the low 20’s and Molly actually broke 20 last year, so the prospect of South’s top 5 all breaking 20 next year is very real.  

For the guys, the loss of Nate Verska will be tough, that’s for sure. But this is a young team and if they keep putting in the work and steadily improving, things should look up. In the region, Denmark will graduate their top 3, while West loses their top 2 and 4 of the top 7. So a healthy Ben Bergey and continued progress from the rest should see them back at state a year from now.

But before we close for the season, don’t forget this Tuesday (Nov. 9) is our cross country banquet. Come out to the Forsyth Conference Center (3410 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Cumming GA 30041); doors open at 5:30 and dinner will start at 6:00 p.m. with awards and recognition ceremony immediately following.  

Thanks for another great cross country season.  I'll see you next fall!