Youth XC teams see notable ends
Each program performed well to end the season at the state meet.
For FIS, the JV girls team won with 11 of the top 30 medals going to Farragut runners, including Dawson Jones taking third overall. Varsity girls took third place in the state, and Aubrey Martin medaled for FIS with an All-State performance of 23rd place with a time of 6:26.70.
On the FMS front, the boys varsity came up just short of a state title, finishing second to Houston while competing against teams from all three classes — single-A, double-A and triple-A. The girls
varsity finished 19th, hampered by some injuries and key absences, with the girls JV coming in third with three medals and a fifth-place finish by Turner Sherrod. The boys JV put forth an equally inspiring performance with a first-place result from Nolan
Allen, who led a group that “showed that most of these runners could be on almost any varsity team in the state,” head coach Kevin McDonnell said.
Going back to the boys
varsity race, McDonnell said the group “set their sights on winning the state title and trained every practice with this on their mind.
“Going into the race, we set the bar higher than we’ve ever done before and every runner exceeded their target. However, the Houston team from Memphis had a slightly better day. Overall, I’m very proud of how the boys all handled defeat. Instead of being upset, they all said at the banquet that they feel their progress they made both physically and mentally outweighed any trophy.”
For McDonnell, those lessons for all his eighth-graders proved their growth in the race of life, too.
“I was so proud of them because they mentioned in their speeches how they were disappointed but so proud and excited for how well
they did,” he said. “They didn’t let second place deter them and mentioned they did everything they could — all the
hard work. We coached them to be better and stronger
kids, and they talked a lot about that. We won the
game of life on that, and they learned some really great
lessons.”
The FIS team took several lessons from this season, too, as multiple junior varsity runners got to experience the feeling of leading the pack.
“That was a pretty awesome opportunity for some of our kids who provide some depth, and they dominated the race,” head coach Jeff Martin said. “It was cool to see a good-sized pack of Farragut runners in the front.”
He added that almost every runner in the varsity race delivered a personal-best time, finishing off the year with a bang.
While McDonnell wrapped up his seventh year with FMS, this did mark the final season for Martin leading the Farragut Intermediate squad.
“I’m actually handing off FIS head coaching duties, so I’m going up to the middle school program with my daughter,” Martin said. “My message to those kids was to not take no for an answer going into that last race and to run determined to meet or exceed their goals, and they did exactly that. They built that resiliency, strength and confidence throughout the season, and it paid off on Saturday. And we had a great time doing it. Despite what felt like immense pressure, especially for kids that age, they’re all laughing and smiling so it was mission accomplished. It’s a program I’m proud of in terms of what we’ve developed, and I’m confident that Farragut Intermediate will be force to be reckoned with for years to come.”
