Wingfoot XC Classic Set To Test Quality Teams In Georgia

Reprinted With Permission From the Atlanta Track Club

BOYS PREVIEW

With defending champion Brentwood Academy not traveling down to Georgia, this year's Wingfoot XC Classic will see a new squad hoist the Boys Championship team trophy. Some teams that have been staples in Wingfoot XC Classics past will look to return to the podium, while other squads will look to make a debut in the top three. Will the title stay in Georgia? Or head to another state for the second consecutive year? Read on to get set for the race this Friday night.

Top Contenders

Last fall, South Forsyth's boys team battled their way to a spot on the podium with a third-place finish en route to winning the Wingfoot Cup after an equally impressive performance by their female counterparts. Heading into the meet, the War Eagles are ranked second in the All-Class rankings and are poised to leap to the top of the Wingfoot podium in 2019. Led by Brennan Bower, South Forsyth has started the season with a victory at the Covered Bridge Invitational and a runner-up finish at the Battle of Atlanta - now, they head to a meet where they've historically performed very well poised to take the top spot.

But they'll face stiff competition from the team ranked above them in the All-Class rankings - the Hoyas of Harrison High - who will look to secure a first-ever appearance on the Wingfoot podium. Spearheaded by junior Sully Shelton, a speedster with a 4:10 mile PR, Harrison will rely on Shelton to stake them out to a low score at the top as their means of vying for the title. He'll be followed closely by Noah Connelly and Kaden McVey, but will need a strong performance from their fourth and fifth runners to take the win.

A team with an entirely different approach to how they might win this race is the squad from Pace Academy, featuring a group whose top five may be no more than 30 seconds apart. The Academy is paced by sophomore twins Edward and George Blaha, who went 2-3 at the Saucony XC Kickoff Classic at the start of the season to lead the squad to a victory with just 34 points. Although none of the team's runners look like contenders for an individual title, Pace will look to follow the model set last year by Pope High School: Keep the spread small, and use the size of the field to their advantage in keeping their points low.

Crossing state lines and looking to become the second straight non-Georgia team to win the meet, Auburn  ventures in from Alabama for this meet riding a major wave after knocking off a number of top Georgia teams at the Panther Invitational. Like Pace, Auburn will look to profit off a strong, tight pack in order to propel toward victory. Out front is junior Stewart Brown, who has a season's best of 16:08 thus far and will look to keep pace with a strong pack up front.

Chase Pack

The defending 6A state champions from Cambridge will be a force to be reckoned with at this meet as well. Not only will Wingfoot mark an opportunity for the always-strong Bears squad to race some top competition, they'll get a crack at their rivals frrom Harrison, making for an early preview of the race for the 6A title later this fall.

Finally, Parkview High made a late splash when it joined the contention list when they took second to Gwinnett at the Gwinnett County Championships last weekend. Paired with strong performances earlier this year at the Earl Hawk Invitational and the Carrolton Ortho Invitational, the Panthers will be looking to keep their early-season momentum rolling. Look out for senior Tristan Autry, who finished fourth in the county championships, to try and lead this team to the podium.

GIRLS PREVIEW

With a stacked pack of individuals out in front, the Championship Girls race at the Wingfoot XC Classic promises to be a thrilling tie in which teams are scrapping for every point possible. Will a local team take the title? Will Marietta be able to somehow defend its crown? These questions will be answered Friday night, but for now get set with a preview of the teams vying for supremacy.

The Contenders

Earlier this fall, the Lady Tigers from Auburn AL came onto Georgian soil and laid down a thoroughly dominant display while taking victory at the Starr's Mill Panther Invite. Led by senior Samantha Rogers, this team has rolled through the early part of its schedule after returning four of its top five from their 2018 state championship squad. With a tight pack and Rogers out in front, they will be hard for the local contenders to defeat this Friday.

But another team from out of state might have something to say about that, as Brentwood come into this race from Tennessee riding an undefeated start to the season. After picking up wins at the Voyles Classic and the Chickasaw Trails Invitational, Brentwood is a clear favorite for a spot on the podium. They're led from the front by a freshman, Brooke Tyll, who has been followed closely by juniors Kaitlyn Vanderkolk and Eden Middelsdorf, creating a tight grouping at the front. With no seniors in the top seven, this team will undoubtedly threaten for future titles - but can the young team put it together now and claim victory?

Marist School will likely be the top Georgian team to try and keep that from happening, as the War Eagles come into this race fresh off an impressive victory at the Warpath Invitational. There, they averaged 19:08 en route to beating St. Pius X by 72 points - they'll need a similarly speedy showing this Friday in order for the always-impressive program to take a win in Cartersville.

The Chase Pack

With their first county title, the Hillgrove Hawks have announced themselves this season as a top contender for the 7A State Championship. Led by senior Grace Ellsworth, this squad scored an impressive win over Marietta and Harrison that puts them in prime position to eke out a podium spot at Wingfoot. Their third through fifth runners will be the key, however: if they can keep their spread low, the team should be able to have success in the deep field this Friday.

The same issue is at the core of South Forsyth's opportunity to snag a repeat spot on the podium at Wingfoot. The War Eagles are stable out front with Madelynne Cadeau at the helm, but their next four runners can struggle at times to stay together. Thus far they've cruised through victories at the Battle of Atlanta and Covered Bridge, but their second through fifth runners will determine if they can do it again.

Finally, out for some redemption will be the ladies of St. Pius X. After a drubbing at the hands of Marist at Warpath, this squad will look to avenge that loss and knock the Eagles out of the top three. All of the ladies in the top five for the Golden Lions have run under 20:00, and they put together an impressive win in Alabama at the Mobile Challenge of Champions. With a tight pack spread by less than 60 seconds, the rolling hills and flat straights of Wingfoot could give this team a great opportunity to pull a surprise under the lights.