2013 Atlanta Classic Meet Preview by Coach Ronnie Brown
Girls Team
A nice match-up of the #’s 1 and 2 ranked teams in AAA may be the headliner in the girls team race. St. Pius (#1) got the better of Blessed Trinity (#2) last Saturday in McDonough, but it was close enough to keep things interesting. Roswell and Northview (#9 in 6A) have been on the All-Class Top 10 watch lists this season, with Roswell peaking as high as #7 A/C. Landmark Christian (#5 in A Private) would likely win if we were scoring only two places, but they’ve struggled thus far with their 3-4-5 spots.
Making the trip over from Alabama are Scottsboro and Hartselle High Schools; Scottsboro in particular has a front runner and a solid supporting cast, and could provide a nice test for their Georgia neighbors. Alexander (#2 in 4A) is fresh off their Douglas County win and should be in the mix; likewise Pope (#8 in 5A) is in nice mid-season form.
Other ranked teams include Woodward (5th in AAA), and Chapel Hill (8th in AAA).
Boys Team
Woodward is ranked #3 in AAA and has been a Top-10 All Class Watch-List team all season, even spending a week or two at the very top of the All Class rankings. They were missing #1 Drew Sands at Carrollton, but indications are he’ll be on the starting line Saturday…that would make them the prohibitive favorite if so.
A full strength Roswell (#6 in 6A) would seem to be the only school with a chance at taking down Woodward, but they’ll be missing #1 Drew Kelley (college visit)…nevertheless they do have a very balanced squad and some depth.
On paper, the race for the 3rd place trophy seems to be between Sequoyah (#5 in 5A), Scottsboro (AL), Alexander (#4 in 4A), and Northview (#7 in AAAAA).
Other ranked teams include Carrollton (5th in AAAA), Chapel Hill (6th in AAA) and Landmark Christian (5th in A Private).
St. Pius rests almost all of their varsity this week and runs a mostly JV squad.
Top 10 Girls Seeds
** the Top 10 Girls and Boys seeds will wear bib numbers 1-10 on Saturday
#1 – Kathryn Foreman (Sophomore, Landmark Christian) Undefeated this season in 6 efforts, with 3 big wins at Battle of Atlanta, Carrollton and Bob Blastow (fastest time there from both varsity races)….in summary, no one has made her sweat so far this fall. Perhaps an outside chance at Allie Buchalski’s 2012 course record of 17:58, although that is a very strong record. Defending Class A Private State XC Champion.
#2 – Ashley Kehoe (Sophomore, Pope) 5:20/11:39 last spring; coming off a strong 18:45 on a quick Furman course last weekend. Also posted a sub-20:00 at Berry to start the season.
#3 – Nicole Fegans (Freshman, Landmark Christian) Playing nicely the role of strong wingwoman to her #1 seeded teammate in her freshman campaign, giving Landmark one of the best 1-2 punches in Georgia. 5 solid sub-20:00 performances thus far, and a whole bunch of 2nd place finishes.
#4 – Lindsay Billings (Sophomore, Northview) Fresh off a win at Fulton County last weekend. 20:30 on that tough course is a VERY solid effort. Only two races under her belt thus far this year, but she seems ready to go low.
#5 – Rachel VanAmburgh (Sophomore, Roswell) Three nice efforts this year, with a 19:33 at Warpath the fastest. Her 20:52 on the Milton course -- 2nd only to Billings at Fulton Co. -- might be a better effort though.
#6 – Karsyn Whitehead (Freshman, Scottsboro (AL)) Tough to handicap the Alabama courses, but she’s had 3 solid showings highlighted by a 19:39 at her home Scottsboro Invite. Nice 8th grade season last year so this is not her first rodeo. Odds are good she’ll take some hardware back across the state line.
#7 – Sunshine Flamer (Junior, Roswell) Cracked the 20 minute mark at Warpath two weeks ago, then followed with a solid effort at Fulton Co. Leads a Roswell squad that is watch list Top 10 AAAAAA.
#8 – Rebecca Entrekin (Junior, St. Pius) Seemed to have a big breakthrough this past weekend at Battle of Atlanta, going sub-20 on a not-so-fast course. Leads a nice 1-2 punch with her teammate at #9.
#9 – Margaret Crawford (Senior, St. Pius) Oh, so close to dipping into the 19:00’s….this could be the week with cool temperatures projected. She and teammate Entrekin have flip-flopped the St. Pius #1 spot all season long.
#10 – Olivia Terwilliger (Freshman, Kell) Stock is trending upwards with a 20:07 at Warpath recently. Also finished ahead of some pretty strong competition at UGA with a 6th place finish and a 21:20.
Top 10 Boys Seeds
#1 – Logan Poteet (Junior, Kell) 4:28/9:32 in the spring; seems to have reached another level with a win and a 15:39 at Warpath. Strong 2nd to Kenan Farmer at UGA. Adds meaning to the phrase “run like kell”.
#2 - Drew Sands (Junior, Woodward Academy) Opened with a nice 15:56 at Early Bird behind Thurston and Navarro of Marist. Has raced sparingly this season with a 17:23 at Double Dip his most recent effort. 1:59 in the spring at the 800 distance so probably best to stay clear of him with 200 to go.
#3 – Joseph Ferrugia (Senior, St. Pius) Should be rested after two weeks off and a limited racing schedule thus far. A 16:12 at Berry showed he was here to play, and he’s a very solid #2 on a very solid St. Pius squad. Not out of the question that he’ll be up front pushing the pace on Saturday.
#4 – Christopher Costa (Senior, Sequoyah) His last two outings have seen strong 16:24s. PR’d last spring with 4:39/10:00, but seems to have upped the ante in his senior campaign.
#5 – Conner Dalrymple (Senior, Union Grove) Has posted 3 quick times between 16:27-16:29 already this season, and four Top 10 finishes. PR’d with a 9:52 last May in Jefferson, and also ran 4:37.
#6 – Josh Salter (Senior, Northview) Recent 3rd at Fulton County, almost breaking 18:00 on that tough track. Posted a quick 16:26 at Warpath for a top 10 finish. 4:26/9:43 in the spring.
#7 – Spencer Geerlings (Senior, Landmark Christian) Top 10 finish last week at Battle of Atlanta, and ran 16:24 on the fast Nike Panther Invite course. Ran an 18:30 here last year but seems a good bet to shave at least a minute off that time on Saturday.
#8 – Brandon Tardif (Junior, Roswell) Has been on teammate Drew Kelley’s(see note below) heels all season, finishing just a step behind last Saturday at Fulton County. Spring PRs of 4:46/10:08, but he’s become a much better runner than that over the summer. His experience in the steeplechase over the summer should also help him navigate the infamous Atlanta Classic hay bale jumps.
#9 – River Holifield (Senior, Woodward Academy) Opened strong with a top 10 finish at Early Bird (16:32), then posted a 7th place finish at Double Dip with a 17:28 on a much tougher course. PRs on the oval of 4:30 and 9:41.
#10 – Frank Crippen-Ginsburg (Freshman, Woodward Academy) And then there’s the freshman. Already a contributor to a very strong Woodward team, he broke 5 minutes in the 16 as an 8th grader last spring. Opened this season with a 16:36 at Early Bird. Certified super-frosh.
** Note: Roswell’s Drew Kelley is out this weekend with a college visit.