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From Staff Reports

 

CARROLLTON, GA – Both the Furlow Charter (FC) and Schley County (SCHS) boys’ and girls’ cross country teams turned in high marks at the GHSA Class A Division 2 state meet in Carrollton, GA on Friday, November 4.

The FC Lady Falcons finished in fifth place as a team and the SCHS Lady Wildcats finished in 17^th. Atlanta Classical Academy won the girls’ team state championship and Chattahoochee County was the state runner–up.

In boys’ action, the FC Falcons finished in ninth place out of 25 teams, while the Wildcats finished in 21^st place. Atkinson County won the boys’ team state championship and Georgia Military College finished as the state runner-up.

Individually, FC freshman Elizabeth Arizmendi finished in 13^th place out of 117 competitors in the girls’ race with a time of 25:32.75. Arizmendi’s FC teammate, junior Maria Kilheffer, finished 29^th out of 117 competitors in a time of 27:15.41.

The first SCHS Lady Wildcat to cross the finish line was sophomore Emily Wilder. Wilder finished 32^nd out of 117 runners in a time of 27:32.51. Freshman Isidora Catron of Wilcox County won the girls’ individual state title in a time of 23:04.03 and sophomore Geisha Smith of Seminole County finished as the girls’ state runner-up as she finished in a time of 23:22.45.

FC junior Syruis Zhang was the next local athlete to cross the finish line and she finished in 47^th place in a time of 29:22.83. Her FC teammate, sophomore Addison Drinnon, finished in 56^th place in a time of 30:04.95. FC freshman Karen Perez-Juarez finished two spots behind Drinnon in a time of 30:15.07 and her FC teammate, junior Jacklyn Chen, finished in 74^th place in a time of 31:49.00.

Here is a list of other FC and SCHS female runners who turned in strong performances in the state meet:

 

• Brandi Ardon-Juarez (Soph. FC 32:14.34)
• Kaleigh Johnson (Soph. SCHS 32:39.83)
• Abby Kirkland (Soph. SCHS 32:53.37)
• Kaylee Taylor (Jr. SCHS 35:05.27)
• Madison Hilliard (Fr. SCHS 38:30.04)
• Sarah Renfroe (Jr. SCHS 38:52.67)

 

In boys’ action, the FC Falcons finished in ninth place as a team, while the Wildcats finished the state meet in 21^st place. Atkinson County won the boys’ team state championship and Georgia Military College finished as the state runner-up.

From an individual standpoint, FC freshman Ian Biedermann turned in the best finish of any of the local male runners. Biedermann finished the state meet in 30^th place out of 164 competitors in a time of 20:55.90. Junior Diego Pryor of Aquinas won the individual boys’ state championship with a time of 18:36.00 and sophomore Joe Meier of Georgia Military College was the boys’ state runner-up (18:48.50).

FC senior Edwin Gonzalez finished 44^th out of 164 competitors in a time of 21:27.20 and his FC freshman teammate, Ibis Gonzalez, finished two spots back in 46^th place in a time of 21:29.10.

FC senior Juan Alejo was the next local runner to cross the finish line. Alejo finished in 59^th place in a time of 22:17.40. Alejo’s FC teammate and fellow senior, Edmund Chen, finished 78^th out of 164 runners in a time of 23:07.10. FC senior Dustin Arizmendi finished four spots behind Chen as he crossed the finish line in a time of 23:20.50.

The first Schley County male athlete to cross the finish line in the boys’ state meet was junior Hudson Barker. Barker finished 86^th out of 164 competitors in a time of 23:38.50. Barker’s SCHS teammate, freshman Markus Sowell, finished in 95^th place in a time of 24:05.30.

The next FC runner to cross was senior Jordan Brown, who finished in 100^th place in a time of 24:21.20. After Brown, the next local runner to cross was SCHS freshman Declan Ekkel, who finished the race in a time of 25:57.60.

Other FC and SCHS runners who turned in strong performances in the boys’ state meet are listed as follows:

 

• London Lee (Soph. SCHS 27:16.30)
• Tra Thomas (Soph. SCHS 27:43.20)
• Kyler Walton (Jr. SCHS 28:48.50)