It was an outstanding weekend for the boys and girls cross country teams at the Jesse Owens Classic on Saturday, Oct. 3.
Both the varsity and junior varsity boys teams placed third in their respective races. The boys were led by Andy Smith (16:03), who is rounding into top form after suffering some nagging injuries. Hunter Poole (16:23) followed closely, as did Sean Conboy, who ran an impressive personal best of 16:32. Freshman Will Stone once again had a PR with a time of 16:37 while Azariah Kipchumba rounded out the point scoring with a time of 16:46. The boys finished just behind Tennessee’s Maryville High School and 7A’s No. 1 team, Auburn.
In the Boys Red Division, Pierce Jackson finished first with Fulton Williams following in second.
“With both boys running low 17s, it is comforting to know that we have some depth in what promises to be a close race between Homewood and Opelika later in the season,” coach Lars Porter said.
The Homewood High girls placed eighth in their division. They ran “some of the most impressive times we have ever seen at this point in the year,” Porter said. Hannah Brooke Gibbons (20:46), Caroline Smith (20:52), and Virginia Givhan (20:53) each broke 21 minutes for the first time this season. Just on their heels was freshman Audren Nabors with a time of 21:03.
“Take these four girls and add to the mix seventh-grader Victoria Thompson (20:35) and eighth-grader Celie Jackson (20:39), and the team looks really strong for state,” Porter said.
The section meets are Nov. 5-7 with the state championships at Moulton on Nov. 14.