Region 7 AAAA (NW GA) has more high schools than any other region, 17. So, on the basis of numbers alone one might suppose that a couple of pretty good cross country teams would be staying home on state day from this region. Things worked out on the boys side, in my opinion. While only about 15 points separated first from fourth, 60 points separated fourth from fifth. The boys teams representing 7 AAAA at state Saturday are Dalton, Allatoona (a one point decision between those two), Woodland and Hillgrove.
But five girls teams were competitive in the rain to qualify for Carrollton. I'm a Hillgrove parent, so I can tell this story only from that particular team's perspective.
Hillgrove girls, coaches, and parents are not hopeful going into this meet. Woodland, Allatoona, Dalton and Rome had all been ranked ahead of Hillgrove most, but not all, of the season. Our first runner, Maurissa Lester, has a strained hamstring in the last week before region. Our former third runner, Jennifer Dennis, is out for the season with a sore hip. Our current third runner, freshman Christy Powell is our one consistent bright spot, getting a string of personal bests late in the season. Our fourth, Katie McIntyre, has been coming on lately as well. But our current fifth runner, Marisa Beczkalo, missed 3 weeks of the middle of the season with a bruised foot and is not quite back up to speed yet. Anna Davis, team captain and one of two four-year seniors on the team is currently our sixth runner. Anna ran close with my daughter, Lydia McAliley, their freshman year. Together the two of them led on the XC courses a brand new high school team that had no identity yet. Sophomore and junior year growth and other struggles challenged both runners, but plagued Anna harder as she became Hillgrove's third, fourth, sometimes fifth runner. This year, while doing a tremendous job as team captain, she dropped to eighth in midseason. Now, at the end of her career lining up sixth, Anna prefers competing in the rain, and she has a duck's day to play on Saturday. She is determined to help the team.
The girls' race is delayed in a vain attempt to wait out the rain. Once underway, our front two runners are not in the top ten where they needed to be to have a chance at catching Rome. Meanwhile, Sydney Champagne, Rome's front runner, is up among the top six the whole way. At the halfway our front three girls are carrying 60 points, far too many for a fourth place team finish. At the 2.25 mile, however, they carry only 50, and our coach says for the first time, "Maybe we have a shot." Four, five, and six are moving up through the second half of the race as well, but my clipboard is in the car on account of the rain and I'm out of fingers and toes, so I don't know. Coach Allen and I position ourselves 50 yards in front of the finish to count Hillgrove and Rome team points and this is what we saw:
Sydney Champagne, running a solid race, is struggling 75 yards out to finish. Three runners from Dalton, Allatoona and Woodland who had shadowed her the whole way, now made their moves and all pass her. Without those three points on Rome's side of the ledger, Hillgrove would have had no chance at a state berth. Still, Sydney, a fine runner, gets sixth place and an individual state berth. Rome's 2nd runner finished 10th. Our front three come in 11th, 13th, and 24th (freshman Christy Powell doing another PR as well as moving up 6 spots in the second half of the race), but Rome's third runner is 21st, I think. Rome has a 11 point lead after both teams finish three runners, 37-48. All seven Hillgrove varsity have been moving up the second half of the race, making the point counting difficult for the coach and myself, who are both exciteable, adrenalin-driven people. Katie McIntyre, our fourth, finishes strong in 30th. I no longer remember where Rome's fourth finished, maybe 33rd or 34th? Then Marisa Beczkalo, our fifth, after struggling with her injured foot in the middle of the season and nausea in the middle of this race, soundly beats her Early Bird time for the first time and finishes 36th. That's five for Hillgrove. Where's Rome's fifth?
Instead, here comes Anna, finishing within a few seconds of her season's best at ASICS, taking 38th place and putting another point on Rome's score. Rome's fifth runner finishes around 44th. Coach and I are all out of fingers and toes and can't be sure, but think Hillgrove has a five point victory. We were off by only four. Final score is Hillgrove 114, Rome 115.
Every girl gave all the effort she had, most performed at season-best levels or better, and the outcome was decided and then re-decided multiple times in the last 75 yards of the race. Rome's girls did well and pride should be mixed with their disappointment. This year Region 7 AAAA is one more region that should have five girls' teams at state.