Plant girls pleased with second place

TALLAHASSEE 11/17/2012 -- Photos from the 2012 FHSAA state cross country championships in Tallahassee. For hi-res copies of any photo from the gallery, please contact Ron Kolwak of the Tampa Tribune at (813) 259-8223 or email reprints@tampatrib.com. All photos by BILL WARD/The Tampa Tribune.

TALLAHASSEE --

When you're a coach who has guided 10 teams to state titles, second place may seem like a bit of a letdown. But after his girls squad finished second at Saturday's Class 4A state cross country championships at Apalachee Regional Park, Plant's Roy Harrison was all smiles.

After all the ailments and setbacks they suffered this fall, the Panthers had managed to turn in Hillsborough County's best team showing at the first state finals ever held in the state's capital by taking second to Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas.

Sure, Harrison and his runners had hoped to make it three state crowns in a row. But when you're facing one of the state's best squads in all classes and, just a month ago, wondering if you could even reach the state finals, the runners-up trophy is a pretty darn good thing, too.