Wet conditions don't dappen spirits in Ga

Clarkston boys defend; Marietta dominates 6A; Lindsay Billings rolls

By Mary Albl for DyeStat

Saturday’s conditions at the Georgia State Cross Country Championships in Carrrollton were not ideal with mud and wet running surfaces. But the theme of the day was perseverance.

In the boys 5A race, Clarkston High was the story of the meet again. The Angoras won their first ever state title a year ago, as they made headlines as the underfunded and culturally diverse squad. 

With a different team and many underclassmen, the goal for Clarkston was a top-five finish on Saturday, according to head coach Wesley Etienne. But going with the theme of the meet, Clarkston battled through the conditions and executed its racing plan to perfection. Led by Suheib Mohamed’s fifth place finish, Clarkston placed five runners in the top 40 to score 90 points and win back-to-back state titles. 

“It’s amazing,” Etienne said Saturday evening. 

The runner-up was Forsyth Central (128).

Individually in the 5A boys race, Jake Shewbert of Flowery Branch won the title on the 5,000-meter course in 16:49.83.

In the girls 5A race, Dunwoody was able to defend its title, as Samantha Cameron won the race in 20:26.01. Dunwoody placed three runners in the top 10 to score70 points. 

In the 6A race, Marietta senior Carlos Torres, used a hard-fought effort down the stretch to win in 16:06.61.

Teammate Hayden Tullos was second and Marietta -- one of the top teams in the Southeast region -- won the title with 27 points, claiming four of the top six spots.

In the 6A girls battle, it was all Lindsay Billings. The Northview senior easily cruised to her third state title, winning in 18:10.73. She won by nearly 45 seconds. 

The team title went to Mill Creek, who beat out South Forsyth 85-93.

The 4A championships belonged to the Marist boys and girls. In the boys race, Marist was led by Frank Pittman’s first-place finish in 17:08.92. Marist held off St. Pius 69-76 to win.

On the girls side, Marist won easily, scoring 37 points and placing five runners in the top 15. 

In the 3A race, Chase Kennedy of East Jackson was the top finisher (17:07.73). Blessed Trinity won the team title, finishing with 49 points.

In the girls 3A race, East Jackson's Sue Ann Morales won in 19:51.03. Westminster finished with 31 points winning the team championship.

In 2A, Carl Ellis Corley of Bleckley County ran 17:50.67 for the win.  He helped guide his team to a narrow victory over Pace Academy (42-51). 

In the girls race, Lovelett’s Serena Tripodi (19:50.74) captured first place as Lovelett placed six runners in the top 10 to score 254 points and easily win the team championship. 

The 1A boys public title went to Drew Charter (42), while Blake Bargeron of Telfair County won in 18:27.28. In the 1A public girls race, Hannah Whitehead of Towns County led her team to the title as she won with 22:08.21.

The 1A boys private school race Griffin McCauley of Paideia won with a time of 17:24.85. 

Landmark Christian swept the team titles. The boys scored 59 points and put five in the top 20. The girls scored 40 points. 

Anna Marian Block of Athens Academy won the individual title in 19:09.97.