Furlow Charter and Schley County XC boys’ and girls’ teams finish first and second at region meet
Published 11:56 pm Wednesday, October 28, 2020
- The Furlow Charter girls’ XC team won the team championship at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet. From left to right: Syrius Zhang, Jasmine Kilheffer, Maya Wynn, Litzy Lepiz, Talana Holloway, Rebecca White. Photo by Beth Kinney
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From Staff Reports
BUENA VISTA, GA – The boys and girls XC (cross country) teams of Furlow Charter and Schley County turned in extremely strong finishes at the Georgia High School Association (GHSA) XC Region 5-A-Public Meet on Tuesday morning, October 27 at Marion County High School in Buena Vista, GA.
On the girls’ side, Furlow Charter (FC) won the team championship with 19 points and Schley County came in second with 38 team points. In the sport of XC, the object of every team is to score the fewest points possible.
On the boys’ side, the reverse was true, as the Wildcats won the team championship with 19 points, while the Falcons of FC came in second with 40.
The Schley County boys’ XC team poses for a team photo after winning the team championship at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet at Marion County High School.
Photo by Gabe Theiss
As far as individual performances were concerned, SCHS senior David Williams won the boys’ race, finishing the five-kilometer (3.1-mile) course in a time of 17:08.05. Edwin Gonzalez of FC crossed the line in second place in a time of 18:30.57, setting a new FC school record and breaking the old school record, which he previously held.
Aaron Pinckard of SCHS finished in third place just eight seconds behind Gonzalez in a time of 18:38.90. Pinckard was followed by four of his Wildcat teammates; Dustin Howard (19:30.01), Eli Bacon (20:05.64), John Lightner (20:41.44) and Caleb Smith (21:30.08).
Furlow Charter sophomore Edwin Gonzalez finished in second place in the boys’ race at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet. Gonzalez set a new school record by finishing in a time of 18:30.57, beating the school record that he had previously set.
Photo by Beth Kinney
David Lane was the next FC Falcon to cross the finish line. Lane finished in 10th place in a time of 22:25.99. Right behind Lane were his FC teammates; Apollo Huss (23:24.14), Ashton Crowe (24:37.65) and Jordan Brown (24:42.73). FC runners Justin Powe and Cody Arizmendi also turned in strong performances. Powe crossed the finish line in a time of 27:36.74 and Arizmendi finished right behind him in a time of 28:25.24.
Furlow Charter senior Maya Wynn won the individual championship in the girls’ race at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet. Wynn finished a top the standings in a time of 22:28.25.
Photo by Beth Kinney
In girls’ action, FC’s Maya Wynn showed once again why she is the top female runner in the region. Wynn won the race by finishing the five-kilometer (3.1-mile) course in a time of 22:28.25. Her two Lady Falcon teammates, Maria Kilheffer and Litzy Lepiz, finished the race in fourth and fifth place respectively. Kilheffer finished in a time of 24:21.70 and Lepiz finished with a time of 25:53.59.
Schley County sophomore Eli Bacon finished in fifth place with a time of 20:05.64 at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet.
Photo by Gabe Theiss
The first Lady Wildcat to cross the finish line was Grace Hardage. The SCHS senior finished in sixth place in a time of 27:19.49. Her teammate, Lilly Bacon, finished right behind Hardage in a time of 27:38.20. Jasmine Kilheffer of FC followed right behind Hardage and finished in a time of 28:25.83. Other FC and SCHS runners who turned in strong finishes included FC junior Talana Holloway (29:27.36), SCHS junior Kaia MacLennan (31:19.87), FC freshman Syrius Zhang (32:02.75), SCHS freshman Kayla Moyle (32:21.10), SCHS senior Holley Rogers (35:27.75), SCHS junior Sarah Barnhill (36:15.92) and FC senior Rebecca White (38:29.74).
The Schley County girls’ XC team finished in second place in the team standings at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet.
Photo by Gabe Theiss
The top six runners in each race earned an automatic berth into the GHSA Class A-Public State Meet, which will be held on Saturday, November 7, at Carrollton Elementary School in Carrollton, GA. However, being that the FC and SCHS girls and boys teams finished in the top four spots in the team standings, all of the runners who participated in the region meet are automatically eligible to run in the state meet.
The Furlow Charter boys’ XC team poses for a team picture after finishing in second place in the team standings at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet.
L-R: Ashton Crowe, Jordan Brown, Edwin Gonzalez, David Lane, Cody Arizmendi, Apollo Huss, Judson Powe
Photo by Beth Kinney
Six FC Lady Falcons and six Falcons set new PRs (personal best times) for themselves. In addition to Wynn, Maria Kilheffer and Lepiz setting new PRs, Jasmine Kilheffer, Talana Holloway, Syrius Zhang and Rebecca White all set new PRs. On the FC boys’ side, in addition to Gonzalez’s new PR, which is a school record, David Lane, Ashton Crowe, Jordan Brown, Judson Powe and Cody Arizmendi all set new PRs for themselves in the Region 5-A Meet.
Schley County junior Grace Hardage finished in sixth place in the girls’ race at the GHSA Region 5-A Meet. Hardage finished the race in a time of 27:19.49.
Photo by Gabe Theiss
As for the Wildcats and Lady Wildcats, Head Coach Gabe Theiss was extremely pleased with the performances of both his squads. “They (the SCHS girls) ran very well and we’ve had a couple of runners that are battling some knee problems and they actually ran extremely good times, so I was very proud of them” said Theiss. “The boys almost swept. There was one Furlow kid (Gonzalez) who busted us up, but we finished first, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, so they ran extremely well and almost swept the region.” Theiss also mentioned that Williams’s time of 17:08.05 was a new PR for him.
