The 1A Division 2 boys race had a WILD finish...

The 2023 GHSA State championships are unfortunately over. But since we just can't get enough of amazing XC races, let's take the week to recap what happened at the meet. Also, don't forget to check out the state meet hub for full coverage of the meet including results, photos, and videos. Or go back to the preview articles to see just how accurate (or inaccurate) the predictions were:

State Meet Hub

Division 1 Boys

The boys team race was predicted to be a good one and they did not disappoint. As expected, the battle was on early between Whitefield Academy and Paideia. Whitefield had the front runners and Paideia had their pack. The race was close early and it could have gone either way at this point. But as the race dragged on it became apparent that this thing was going to come down to the 5th runner. And for a while, Whitefield looked to be in trouble. I don't know if Ryan Walker was expected to be their 5th man or not coming into the day, but as the headed away from the starting area towards the playground he appeared to be fading backwards and Whitefield was struggling as Paideia had their entire pack up. But strange things happen at Carrollton, and we will never know what exactly happened in the woods to make things change, but Walker came off separation slope like a man on a mission. Must have been good coaching. Because not only did he make back up the places he appeared to lose, he was also able to power past Paideia's 5th runner to secure the win for Whitefield, their 2nd school title in 3 years. Paideia had a very strong showing though, and their 1-4 runners certainly did enough to keep it close against a team that had stronger front runners. But ultimately they couldn't quite seal the deal with their 5th and had to settle for runner up this year. The battle for the remaining podium spots was very close as the three teams were separated by only 21 points. Ultimately Darlington, led by Hayes Parsa, proved to be too much for the others as they had the stronger 3rd, 4th, and 5th runners to take 3rd. And Bleckley County did just enough to take home the final trophy thanks to a strong performance by their ace and a 2-5 that were able to match or better Armuchee at every spot. 

Individually this thing was supposed to be a four person race and that's exactly what happened. Though the Whitefield runner who ended up as their top guy wasn't quite the one I expected. But the pack of four ran basically the entire first two miles together and it ended up being a war of attrition. It didn't appear as if any one runner was doing more or less work, they all just kind of ran at their pace. And one by one the pack whittled down until on the final hill it was just Caleb Darsey and Haris Flynn battling it out for the win. I thought Flynn had it at this point since he has the experience racing the 400. But I was wrong as Darsey showed his strength and powered down the final hill, showing that winning at Carrollton is not about the one who has the most raw speed and more about the ones who have the strength to be able to run their fastest in the end if they have to. Riley Hugues powered home in 3rd and almost caught Flynn for 2nd in what was probably his best race of the year. Ben Owens ran admirably again this year but had to settle for 4th place while Andrew Rothwell had to settle for 5th. The good news about this race? All four of the top four will come back next year. The bad news? We won't get to see them all race each other again. But this was a great race and highly entertaining for the fans. 

Division 1 Girls

This race went more or less the way it was supposed to go. But what impressed me the most with it was the way Bleckley County ran this thing. With the exception of Gibbs who blasted it from the gun, all of the Bleckley girls moved up throughout the race. The first time I saw them as they approached the main hill on the first loop heading towards the mile I actually wasn't even sure if they were winning the race. They certainly could have been as I wasn't yet tracking the 5th runners for teams, but if they were it wasn't a big lead and everybody seemed to be in the race. But by the halfway it became obvious they were moving up and by the time they reached the last hill, there was no doubt who was winning the race. Bleckley was patient with this strategy and it paid off with a very solid showing in the final result. So once I established that Bleckley had the race in hand my attention turned to the battle for state runner up. And that was a thriller as Athens Christian and Paideia were having a back and forth battle. There were times when I thought each was getting ready to pull away form the other but the race was tight the whole way. It was one of those days that even as we counted their 2-5 runners coming up the final hill, it was impossible to know who pulled it out. It turned out to be exactly as close as I thought as ACS ended up with 2nd by only two points. The battle for the final podium spot was a close one, but Armuchee was able to pull it out over Mt Vernon and Barrow Arts thanks primarily to having the low stick in Kimple.

The individual race was better than I think most people expected and that's because Marissa Kimple doesn't get enough credit, having been in the shadow of her teammate and now the shadow of Ella Gibbs. This race was actually winnable for Kimple, because while Gibbs led with a gap from start to finish, her pace did fade on the 2nd loop. This is not to take a shot at Gibbs who has already accomplished more than most runners could ever dream of, but to remind everybody that you have to respect the course in Carrollton, especially if it's warmer. Gibbs went out about 20 seconds faster through the first loop than the race before her but the winning time ended up being slower. Even one of the best runners in the state will fade on this course if she goes out too fast. Fortunately she had enough of a cushion that she was able to hold on for the win with Kimple in runner up. Ruby Gordon ran a very strong race to finish 3rd and was actually moving up on Kimple on the 2nd loop with Alishia Cook following her almost the whole way. And Lily Farrell did an excellent job of moving up the whole race to finish in 5th. 

Division 2 Boys

Was this the most intense team race of the day? Maybe it was if you want the finish video... which led to a DQ that knocked Aquinas off the podium. In fact, it almost cost them the win as they lost 31 points and Atlanta Classical Academy gained 4. Atlanta Classical still would have wound up as your champion, but it would have been even closer. Coaches had to be sweating this one out the entire race. Our best dressed defending champions Atkinson County ended up in 2nd place this year while Lake Oconee Academy and Georgia Military Prep ended up in 3rd and 4th respectively. Individually Julian council took the win despite a big kick from Guy Mastrion to take a very close 2nd. Jack Kalmanowicz would end up in 3rd after the collision and DQ while Atlanta Classical put two more guys in the top 5 in Drew Heiskell and Clegg Cousar to help give them the big early lead. 

On the girls side Atlanta Classical defended their title this year with only 5 runners finishing the race. If that was intentional, it was a very bold strategy. Wilcox County was runner up with Furlow Charter in 3rd as Lake Oconee Academy barely held of Georgia Military Prep for the final podium spot. Individually Averi Lowen proved to be too much for anybody to handle in her first state meet. Flora Tyler was able to still cap off her strong season with a runner up finish though as she held off Isidora Catron. Kenzie Dykes took 4th and Geisha Smith held on for 5th this year.