Two area boys teams came home from the state cross country championships with runner-up trophies. Hickory Flat finished second in Class 1A and Walnut finished second in Class 2A at the MHSAA meet held Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Choctaw Trails Watson Cross Country Course at Mississippi College in Clinton. Both races covered 5,000 meters.
Walnut junior James McConnell and Hickory Flat sophomore Ryder Paul led the way with top-three individual finishes, and several other Tippah and Benton County runners placed in the top 25.
Hickory Flat Boys Second at State Cross Country Championships
French Camp Academy won the Class 1A boys title with 36 points. Hickory Flat Attendance Center was next with 72, ahead of third-place West Lincoln with 88, according to official MHSAA results.
Ryder Paul placed third overall in 18:20.10, behind only French Camp’s Matthew Simmons (16:34.80) and Ingomar’s Austin Hancock (17:57.50). Hickory Flat’s scoring runners were:
Ryder Paul (sophomore), 3rd, 18:20.10
Sam Rakestraw (sophomore), 10th, 19:13.80
Cade Clayton (sophomore), 16th, 20:13.40
Kaine Hoskins (sophomore), 20th, 20:34.10
Frank Webb (seventh grade), 25th, 20:56.50
Brenden Rowland (28th) and Walker Paul (35th) also ran for the Hickory Flat boys. All five of the team’s scorers were sophomores or younger, so the core of the group can return next fall.
Blue Mountain finished seventh in the 1A boys team standings, led by senior Caleb Galvez in 22nd (20:41.80), freshman Cason Gentry in 27th and junior Garrett Thurmond in 30th. Pine Grove sixth grader Preston Baswell also finished the race, placing 58th.
Walnut’s James McConnell Second in Class 2A
In the Class 2A boys race, Myrtle took the team title with 60 points. Walnut Attendance Center was second with 73, just ahead of New Site (76) and Wesson (85).
McConnell crossed the line second in 17:57.70, trailing only Wesson freshman Dalton Jackson (17:34.90). Two Walnut sophomores finished back to back in the top 10:
James McConnell (junior), 2nd, 17:57.70
Landon Jones (sophomore), 9th, 18:56.80
Jeremiah McAlister (sophomore), 10th, 18:58.40
Walker Bryant (freshman), 21st, 20:13.70
Abdulrahman Quhshi (eighth grade), 36th, 21:14.80
Eighth grader Jackson Meeks (38th) and sophomore Hayden Hopper also ran for the Wildcats.
Girls Results From Hickory Flat, Walnut and Blue Mountain
The Hickory Flat girls placed fifth in the Class 1A team standings. Sophomore Oliva Beth Roberson, as her name appears in the official results, had the area’s best girls finish, sixth overall in 22:28.30. Tupelo Christian won the 1A girls title.
In Class 2A girls, Walnut sophomore Evelin Aguilar placed 13th in 24:15.90, and junior Aubree Carter finished 43rd. Enterprise-Clarke won the team title. Blue Mountain’s Adrianna Bolden placed 27th in the 1A girls race.
Ripley Runs Saturday in Class 4A
The larger classes race Saturday, Oct. 31, on the same Clinton course. Ripley competes in Class 4A, with the girls race set for 2 p.m., the boys race at 2:35 p.m. and the 4A awards at 3:15 p.m., according to the MHSAA schedule.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
