Cross Country Districts: George Jenkins Boys and Lake Region Girls Prevail
Thu. November 03, 2011 at 11:00 p.m. | By B.J. Pitzen
From left to right, Emily Nabong from Lake Region, Hannah Schroeder from Sebring, Jessica Ortiz from Lake Region and Taylor Tubbs from Sebring were running very tight together at the halfway point during the Class 3A-7 District Girls Cross Country Meet at Tenoroc. (Photo by SCOTT WHEELER | THE LEDGER)
Hornets’ Perez Prevails While Eagles and Thunder Roll in Class 3A Meet
By B.J. PITZEN
LEDGER CORRESPONDENT
LAKELAND | Jose Perez ran well ahead of the pack in the FHSAA’s Class 3A, District 7 cross-country meet Thursday afternoon to claim 1st place out of 69 runners. The Hornets’ senior ran the 5K course at Tenoroc with 16:41.57 to advance to the regional championship.
“Mark (Mutz, the top runner at LCS) wasn’t here but I had a good pace all around and felt good in the race,” Perez, who plans to run for a college next season, said. “Whenever you lose to someone like that (Mutz), you just want to get better in practice.”
The top 13 runners overall advanced to the regional championship if they were not on one of the four boys’ qualifying teams. Winter Haven’s Jakub Siemaszko, who hails from Poland, finished 2nd overall with a time of 17:24.50.
“It was a fun race,” Siemaszko said. “I’ve run here (at Tenoroc) three times so that helped me out.”
George Jenkins’ Landon Schneider claimed 3rd place overall with 17:26.13 to help the Eagles, who had 56 points, win the meet and advance to the regional event.
“It was hot and miserable but the whole team prevailed,” Schneider said. “We struggled a little team wise but we kept it together.”
Jenkins’ John Trussell finished 6th, Ryan Codd placed 9th, Daniel Wolf came in 18th and Connor Gilliard had a 20th place showing.
Sebring came in 2nd overall with 78 points, Winter Haven had 83 points to finish 3rd and Lake Gibson came in fourth with 89 points to get the last boys’ team spot.
Lake Region, led by seniors Jessica Ortiz and Emily Nabong, took the girls’ district title for the fourth year-in-a row Thursday with 34 points. Ortiz ran 21:15.55 for a 2nd place individually out of 57 girls. Nabong went neck-and-neck with Sebring’s Hannah Schroeder in the last 100 meters only to come in .16 seconds behind at the finish line subsequently falling into the ropes designating the end. Thunder coach George Whitmire, who is in his 16th season at the Lake Region helm, told his top-two runners to stay with the two best Sebring girls (Taylor Tubbs and Hannah Schroeder, who finished 1st and 3rd respectively) throughout the race. All four girls were bunched up in a pack as they ran around the track at the 10:30 mark midway through the race.
“Today I told the girls (Ortiz and Nabong) to let the Sebring girls lead but when they all went out too slow, we had the change the strategy,” Whitmire, who has been coaching high school cross country for 23 seasons, said. “They (Whitmire’s runners) ran well.”
Ortiz and Nabong, who wanted to finish their Thunder careers with a perfect record at Districts, were motivated to win by running 4.5 miles each practice.
“Knowing that we’ve won it (districts) three years in a row is good motivation to do it all four years,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz and Nabong have led Lake Region all season and plan to continue striving in the postseason like those who have come before them.
“We just do what every senior has done before us,” Nabong said. “We’ve been talking about winning districts all year.”
The Thunder’s Leah Jostes came in 7th, Christina Guevara placed 10th and Julie Shierling finished 15th.
The Eagles, who were led by a 6th place finish from Katie Pantoja, squeaked out 2nd place in the team event 21 points behind Lake Region. Tubbs, who was 5.75 ahead of Ortiz, helped the Blue Streaks finish 3rd and advance with 60 points.
Class 2A, District 8
LAKELAND | Vernon Bobb, who finished 4th overall out of 49 placers with 18:39.14, led Frostproof in the Class 2A, District 8 meet at Tenoroc to a third-place finish and a team-total of 71 points. Bobb, who runs five to eight miles each practice, relies on the competitive experience of Bulldogs’ coach Josh Wood.
“I knew the guys had a good chance of going with the research and what not that I did,” Wood, who ran cross country and track for Warner University and graduated in 2010, said. “When you see the kids do well, it’s very rewarding when they do a personal best or advance.”
All of Frostproof’s five counters placed in the top 20 as Marcelino Galarza came in 10th place just 1:12.92 behind Bobb. Jose Martinez finished 18th as his two teammates Estevan Rivera and Robert Aguilar finished right behind him in 19th and 20th positions respectively.
Lake Wales’ Isaac Rigel finished 3rd individually to advance to the regional meet.
“I was so hot out there,” Rigel said. “It was a good race overall and I’m more than happy (to advance).”
Lake Placid’s Dalton Shelton won the individual race with 17:22.96 and the Green Dragons’ Bryany Reyes finished 8th overall to qualify. Gulf won with 42 points and Ridgewood came in 2nd with 70 points overall to also make it to the regional meet.
Lake Wales’ Kami Richmond placed 12th overall to position herself into the next round while Frostproof’s Abigail Rodriguez and Angelica Ramirez ran toe-to-toe towards the finish line, which gave spectators a show. Rodriguez, the senior who said adrenaline helped her at the end, edged her 8th grade teammate by .20 seconds as both runners helped the Bulldogs place third with 95 points to gain a spot in the district meet.
Gulf, led by Kari Grippo’s time of 18:45.69 and 1st place individual finish, won the team event placing all five counters in the top nine individually finishing with a team-sum of 25 points. Lake Placid’s Alexandria Coyne was sandwiched in between two Gulf runners to come in 3rd place overall. Ridgewood finished with 50 points to come in 2nd.
Class 1A, District 9
LARGO | Lakeland Christian (LCS) juniors Mark Mutz and Mallory White won the Class 1A, District 9 boys’ and girls’ cross country meets with times of 16:33.86 and 20:01.36 at Taylor Park in Largo. Mutz and White have individually won three meets in a row including the Jim Ryun Invitational, the Polk County Championships and the district meet Thursday.
McKeel won the boys’ team title with 38 points while Lakeland Christian had 82 points and a third-place finish. Clearwater Central Catholic was between the two Polk County teams in 2nd place with 54 points.
The Wildcats, led by Casey Brady who finished 3rd overall, averaged a 5:34.4 mile to finish 14.41 seconds behind All Saints’ Ra Bemman, who came in at 17:04.52. Leif Henrikson came in fifth with 17:49.02 while Duncan Lippincott and Dustin White placed 9th and 10th for McKeel. Dakota Jones had 18:36.71 to claim 13th place overall for the Wildcats. McKeel’s coach Justin Smith was pleased with the Wildcat’s performance.
“We went to a lot of big meets this season so that prepared us for districts,” Smith said. “They were able to put it together and shine today.”
Jerod Fuller ran 17:57.57 for the Vikings and Kurt Reinsch helped his team’s cause with a 16th place showing. Brandon Starling and Reece Batterton came in at 30th and 32nd place for LCS.
Santa Fe’s Jack McHugh came in 12th place to advance to the regional meet.
The Vikings’ Rebecca “Spookie”Eaves, who ran with her teammate and friend until a half-mile was left, placed 2nd individually 18.17 seconds behind White. Hannah Warren completed the course in 21:37.51 to finish in 7th while Jessica Fuller, Breanna Skladanek and Mary Lanzino came in a row 9th through 11th to help LCS win the team title.
“Districts was easier this year with the dry and good weather,” White said. “I ran for God’s glory and this is Spookie’s last year so our team was ready for the challenge. I’m looking for a P.R. (personal record) at regionals because there’s definitely more competition there, so that’s exciting.”
McKeel’s Hannah Lippincott finished 4th to help the Wildcats to a third place finish just two points behind Clearwater Central Catholic’s 54 point total. Jessi Clayton came in 6th place, Ashton Henrikson had a 13th place finish, Macy Gullifer finished 15th and Shelby Bridges claimed 16th overall.
“The times our girls ran I thought were exceptional,” Smith said.
Santa Fe’s Kelly Jackson came in 12th place to advance to regionals.
Class 3A, District 7 Cross Country Meet
At Tenoroc High School
Thursday’s Results
Boys – Top 4 Teams Advance
1. George Jenkins (GJ), 56; 2. Sebring (SB), 78; 3. Winter Haven (WH), 83; 4. Lake Gibson (LG), 89; 5. Lakeland (LHS), 122; 6. Lake Region (LR), 149; 7. Haines City (HC), 152; 8. Kathleen (KHS), 166; 9. Bartow (B), 214; 10. Auburndale (AB), 277.
Boys – Top 13 Individuals Advance
1. Jose Perez (HC), 16:41.57; 2. Jakub Siemaszko (WH), 17:24.50; 3. Landon Schneider (GJ), 17:26.13; 4. Chad Kirkman (LHS), 17:29.66; 5. Jonathan Hulzebos (LHS), 17:58.43; 6. John Trussell (GJ), 18:05.52; 7. Brandon Bauer (LG), 18:08.04; 8. Evan Wilburn (SB), 18:09.78; 9. Ryan Codd (GJ), 18:14.86; 10. Luke Kendall (WH), 18:16.55; 11. Eric Foster (SB), 18:17.93; 12. Cody Rizer (LR), 18:21.15; 13. Oswaldo Zapata (HC), 18:24.27.
Girls – Top 3 Teams Advance
1. Lake Region (LR), 34; 2. George Jenkins (GJ), 55; 3. Sebring (SB), 60; 4. Lakeland (LHS), 74; 5. Auburndale (AB), 156; 6. Bartow (B), 175.
Girls – Top 13 Individuals Advance
1. Taylor Tubbs (SB), 21:09.80; 2. Jessica Ortiz (LR), 21:15.55; 3. Hannah Schroeder (SB), 21:24.76; 4. Emily Nabong (LR), 21:24.92; 5. Phoebe Ferguson (LHS), 22:04.24; 6. Katie Pantoja (GJ), 22:24.54; 7. Leah Jostes (LR), 22:24.73; 8. Erin Ginn (GJ), 22:34.56; 9. Brittany Stewart (HC), 22:46.09; 10. Christina Guevara (LR), 22:56.39; 11. Ashley Linderman (KHS), 23:01.29; 12. Caroline Madden (LHS), 23:07.04; 13. Kaitlin Jones (LG), 23:18.71.
Class 2A, District 8 Cross Country Meet
At Tenoroc High School
Thursday’s Results
Boys – Top 3 Teams Advance
1. Gulf (GLF), 42; 2. Ridgewood (RGW), 70; 3. Frostproof (FP), 71; 4. Lake Placid (LP), 107; 5. Avon Park (AP), 112; 6. Lake Wales (LW), 123; 7. Tenoroc (T), 199; 8. Mulberry (MB), 217.
Boys – Top 13 Individuals Advance
1. Dalton Shelton (LP), 17:22.96; 2. Nick Buliga (GLF), 17:53.99; 3. Isaac Rigel (LW), 18:06; 4. Vernon Bobb (FP), 18:39.14; 5. John Eckles (RGW), 18:43.57; 6. Wesley Best (GLF), 19:03.40; 7. Dexter Grenier (AP), 19:07.50; 8. Bryany Reyes (LP), 19:09.62; 9. Domenic Crisafulli (GLF), 19:17.54; 10. Marcelino Galarza (FP), 19:18.92; 11. Fred Fenn (RGW), 19:24.46; 12. Dustin Demattia (GLF), 19:31.80; 13. Robby Jessup (GLF), 19:38.10.
Girls – Top 3 Teams Advance
1. Gulf (GLF), 17; 2. Ridgewood (RGW), 50; 3. Frostproof (FP), 95; 4. Lake Wales (LW), 100; 5. Avon Park (AP), 129; 6. Mulberry (MB), 147.
Girls – Top 13 Individuals Advance
1. Kari Grippo (GLF), 18:45.69; 2. Mia Savino (GLF), 21:23.50; 3. Alexandria Coyne (LP), 21:33.69; 4. Katie Buckman (GLF), 21:49.13; 5. Samantha Martinez (RGW), 21:53.27; 6. Renee Patnode (GLF), 21:59.77; 7. Judith Young (GLF), 22:11.19; 8. Kassi Johnson (RGW), 22:15.45; 9. Rachael Patnode (GLF), 22:34.71; 10. Ashley Rodriguez (RGW), 22:53.88; 11. Eliza Godza (GLF), 23:01.31; 12. Kami Richmond (LW), 23:19.62; 13. Abigail Rodriguez (FP), 24:15.44.
Class 1A, District 9 Cross Country Meet
At Taylor Park (Largo)
Boys – Top 3 Teams Advance
1. McKeel (MK), 38; 2. Clearwater Central Catholic (CCC), 54; 3. Lakeland Christian (LCS), 82; 4. All Saints Academy (ASA), 94; 5. Santa Fe Catholic (SFC), 113; 6. Sonrise Christian School (SCS), 129.
Boys – Top 13 Individuals
1. Mark Mutz (LCS), 16:33.86; 2. Ra Bemman (ASA), 17:04.52; 3. Casey Brady (MK), 17:18.93; 4. Saul Ramirez (CCC), 17:24.55; 5. Leif Henrikson (MK), 17:49.02; 6. Matt Adan (CCC), 17:50.36; 7. Jerod Fuller (LCS), 17:57.57; 8. Duncan Lippincott (MK), 17:58.38; 9. Dustin White (MK), 18:05.08; 10. Billy Englert (CCC), 18:10.87; 11. Chris Kieler (CCC), 18:18.21; 12. Jack McHugh (SFC), 18:25.23; 13. Dakota Jones (MK), 18:36.71.
Girls - Top 3 Teams Advance
1. Lakeland Christian (LCS), 29; 2. Clearwater Central Catholic (CCC), 52; 3. McKeel (MK), 54; 4. Santa Fe (SF), 100.
Top 13 Individuals Advance
1. Mallory White (LCS), 20:01.36; 2. Rebecca Eaves (LCS), 20:19.53; 3. Hanna Weilinski (CCC), 20:55.47; 4. Hannah Lippincott (MK), 21:04.39; 5. Katie Englert (CCC), 21:13.84; 6. Jessi Clayton (MK), 21:24.18; 7. Hannah Warren (LCS), 21:37.51; 8. Saphara Harrell (CCC), 21:45.96; 9. Jessica Fuller (LCS), 22:11.84; 10. Breanna Skladanek (LCS), 22:19.71; 11. Mary Lanzino (LCS), 22:41.87; 12. Kelly Jackson (SF), 23:05.80; 13. Ashton Henrikson (MK), 23:15.
