Hawks XC pack powers to second
Hardin Valley surges to second
The Hawks took runner-up team finishes in both the boys’ and girls’ races. The boys placed second overall with 65 points, tightly grouping their top five within 33 seconds of one another. Senior Aiden Rufi (sixth, 16 minutes, 17.68 seconds) paced the Hawks, followed closely by Stephen Bell (11th, 16:35.24), Isaac Socha (13th, 16:40.04), Will Allen (19th, 16:49.99) and Brody VanMeter (20th, 16:51.48). Their pack running produced a 16:38 average.
Hardin Valley’s girls, meanwhile, scored 40 points to take second, powered by a top-three sweep of Alexandra Vesser (second, 18:26.08) and Rachel Benson (third, 18:46.52). Ava Woodyatt (ninth, 19:38.71), Zarah Enbom (12th, 19:53.92) and Ava Berkheimer (17th, 20:13.17) rounded out the scoring as the Lady Hawks averaged 19:23.
Farragut boys find leader in Shagan
Farragut’s boys, who placed 14th in the team standings with 330 points, were led by junior Sam Shagan, who broke into the top 10 with a 10th-place finish in 16:25.99 — one of the top individual performances by an area runner. Senior Corom Hlebasko added a strong run with a 22nd-place finish in 16:52.99, showing the Admirals’ front end can compete with the region’s best.
Behind them, the Admirals leaned on developing depth as Paxton Pitts (127th, 20:39.00), Evan Grossman (158th, 21:59.75) and Pierce Ward (162nd, 22:14.24) completed the scoring lineup. Farragut’s five-man average was 19:38, and the Admirals closed with a five-minute, 48-second spread between their first and fifth runners.
Lady Admirals build depth
On the girls’ side, Farragut placed 11th as a team with 303 points. Senior Caroline Faugot led the way with a 57th-place finish in 22:58.67. The Lady Admirals showed balance in their pack running, with Macy Alberding (75th, 24:16.69), Jaina Hereford (79th, 24:27.92) and Kelly Saya (81st, 24:37.43), all finishing within 21 seconds of one another.
Freshman Mackenzie Muckenfuss (103rd, 26:07.18) rounded out the scoring five, while Savannah Sweers-Dunn (120th, 27:54.93) and Evelyn Holmes (134th, 29:42.45) provided additional depth. Farragut’s average was 24:29 with a three-minute, eight-second spread among its top five.
Bearden highlights
Bearden’s girls finished ninth with 259 points, highlighted by junior Brielle Pickett’s 27th-place effort in 20:53.92. The Lady Bulldogs also counted points from Afton Cruze (48th, 22:36.43), Saibh O’Neill (70th, 23:50.45), Mia Smalley (77th, 24:20.18) and Riley Dixon (110th, 26:54.44).
For the Bearden boys, Alexander Montpelier clocked 18:50.74 for 77th to lead the team.
