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The 13th annual Nike/Fleet Feet Coach Wood Invitational looks to be as competitive as ever. With 62 schools and over 3,000 runners participating, it should be quite a scene in Gainesville on Saturday. The meet is named after former South Gwinnett Coach Rick Wood, who now teaches at Grayson High School but no longer coaches. Coach Wood was recently named as a Gwinnett County Cross Country Hall of Fame nominee, and he will be inducted at the All County banquet in December. During his 15 years at South, his passion for motivating others and inspiring them to even greater heights made him an obvious choice to have a meet named after him. The fact that the meet has become an unofficial All Class State Meet makes it even more fitting!
Championship Boys
Top teams: Marietta, Milton, Marist, St. Pius, Brookwood, Mill Creek, Peachtree Ridge
Marietta is the clear favorite, with their 5th man running 16:06 at the Adidas meet in Cary. The real drama will be for the 2nd and 3rd place trophies. Brookwood won the Gwinnett County Meet, Starrs Mill, and placed 2nd at FSU, Milton won Fulton, Furman, Wingfoot, and the Big Peach Ekiden, Marist won Double Dip and finished 3rd at FSU, Mill Creek won Stage Races and Battle of Atlanta, St. Pius won Carrollton, and Peachtree Ridge won Berry. Look for a tight finish as the 4th and 5th runners from these schools try to navigate the masses to help their team's trophy chances.
Top individuals: Carlos Torres, Marietta; Jack Bluth, Milton; Frank Pittman, Marist; Sam Costa, Mill Creek; Zach Isreal, Brookwood; Andrew Singh, Walton; Jake Shewbert, Flowery Branch, Colton Page, Allatoona, Nate Reichard, Peachtree Ridge
Carlos Torres leads top ranked Marietta and looks to be a contender for the individual crown as well-he enters with victories at Cobb and Carrollton. He will be joined by a stacked field that features many boys who have run sub 16 this season. Sam Costa was the Gwinnett Champ and ran 15:30 at FSU and was followed by Frank Pittman in 15:36. Jack Bluth won Early Bird, Fulton, and Wingfoot. Zach Israel ran 15:44 at FSU and Reichard was 15:53. Andrew Singh was 2nd at Berry, Jake Shewbert was 3rd at Battle of Atlanta, Colton Page won at Berry and was 2nd at Cobb. Whoever emerges victorious will have to vanquish many worthy opponents.
Varsity Gold Boys
Top teams: North Hall, Lakeside Dekalb, Cherokee, Winder, Mountain View
The Gold race looks to be extremely competitive, with 4A power North Hall (2nd at Mountain) heading up the candidates for trophies. Looking to also leave with hardware are 6A schools Lakeside Dekalb (3rd at Aubrae Gunderson), Cherokee, and Mountain View (9th at Wingfoot), as well as 5A's Winder (6th at Aubrae Gunderson).
Top individuals: Corson Teasley, North Hall; Andrew Kent and Davis Stockwell, Lakeside Dekalb; Tyler Barber, Mountain View; Gerardo Suarez, Johnson; Taylor Scarborough, Cherokee; Ryan Gebelein, Heritage Catoosa, Derek Wood, Hillgrove
Andrew Kent has had quite a season, going 16:01 at Aubrae Gunderson and 15:36 at Asics. Suarez has also broken 16, going 15:57 at the Mountain Invitational. Teasley was a step ahead of Suarez at Mountain, going 15:55. Scarborough ran 16:11 at Providence and Gebelin ran 16:18 at Warpth. These boys plus a few surprises should make up a challenging lead pack.
Varsity Cardinal Boys
Top teams: Jefferson, Hiram, Norcross, Northgate, Dunwoody
The Cardinal race has 17 teams duking it out for the 3 coveted trophies, with every place vital for each team. On paper Jefferson appears to be an early favorite (5th at Lambert River Run), but they should not count out Hiram (16th at Wingfoot), Norcross (4th at Darlington), Northgate (12th at Asics), and Dunwoody. Many other teams will want to play the part of the spoiler-it should be interesting to see if any underdogs grab the spotlight in this race.
Top individuals: Axel Avalos, Central Gwinnett; Hayden Hasberger, Sherman Dewey, Northgate; Will Hatchett, Habersham; Jackson Reilley, Norcross; Trevor Robinson, East Paulding
Axel Avalos proved he can run fast in a competitive meet, with his 16:46 at the Gwinnett County Meet. Hasberger ran a quick 16:29 at Asics and Hatchett also ran 16:29, but at Eagle. Reilley put up a 17:06 at Gwinnett, Dewey ran 17:07 at Asics, and Robinson a 17:09 at Asics. It will be interesting to see if Avalos wins convincingly or if others that have run quicker courses step up to challenge him.
Championship Girls
Top teams: Mill Creek, Northview, South Forsyth, Marist, Milton, Lovett, Harrison, Brookwood
This should be a race for the ages, as many teams that hope to be on the podium at Carrollton clash for supremacy. Mill Creek won NEGA, Berry, Gwinnett County, and placed 3rd at FSU. After not running full strength for much of the season, Northview won Wingfoot and Asics. However, South Forsyth was a very close 2nd at Asics and would love to close the gap. Not to be overlooked are 6A's Milton (3rd at Wingfoot), Harrison (2nd at Furman, Cobb Champs), and Brookwood, and 2A's Lovett (3rd at Westover without Tripodi). Finishing in the top 8 of this race will be no small feat!
Top individuals: Lindsey Billings, Northview; Savannah Carnahan, Kaylee Dupont, South Forsyth ; Camryn and Hannah Petit, Mill Creek; Riley Burr, Milton; Lauren Flynt, Brookwood; Serena Tripodi, Haley Hooper, Lovett; Josie Wirtz, Marist, Nely Gomez, Grayson
Lindsey Billings was the clear favorite for a 3rd individual State XC crown….until last weekend when she was bested by Savannah Carnahan at Asics. Billings will surely be out for redemption, but the rest of the field is impressive as well. Camryn Petit won the Gwinnett County Meet, while sister Hannah ran 18:27 at FSU. Lauren Flynt was 3rd at Gwinnett. Tripodi went 18:39 in the sloppy conditions at Wingfoot, while teammate Hooper went 18:21 at Westover. Burr ran 18:42 at Knights Crossing and most recently 19:55 at Furman. Anyone who finishes in the top 10 individually certainly will have earned it!
Varsity Gold Girls
Top team: Winder, Heritage Catoosa, Marietta, Dacula, Tupelo, Lakeside Dekalb, Cherokee
Winder (5th at Mountain) and Heritage Catoosa look to battle in this race, with 6A schools Marietta (4th at Cobb) and Dacula (10th at Asics) also looking for a trophy. Tupelo (Mississippi)will be looking to represent their state well, and Lakeside Dekalb (2nd at Aubrae Gunderson) and Cherokee hope to also make things difficult for the other Varsity Gold teams.
Top individuals: Corrie Smith, Morgan Mihalis, Lakeside Dekalb; Daniela Rodriguez, Kenedi Rodney, Dacula; Gabrielle Gusmerotti, Norcross; Elizabeth Rice, Kennesaw Mountain
Another talented field comprises this race, as Smith leads the charge with her 18:54 at Asics. Following close behind her were Rodney (19:01) and Rodriguez (19:06). Also running sub 20 this season are Rice at Warpath (19:40), Mihalis at Asics (19:44), and Gusmerotti at Berry (19:53).
Varsity Cardinal Girls:
Top teams: Chestatee, Johnson, Lassiter, East Paulding, Collins Hill, Galloway
Chestatee (8th at Mountain) hopes to come away with the top prize in this race, but Johnson (10th at Mountain) won't make it easy. 6A teams Lassiter and Collins Hill hope to be in the trophy hunt, along with East Paulding and Galloway.
Top individuals: Marcela Martinez, Hiram; Abigail Cliché, Chestatee; Evelin Avitia, Johnson; Caroline McArthur, Oconee; Anna Dent, Collins Hill; Madison Allie, Locust Grove
Allie comes in with the fastest PR, having run 20:26 at Starrs Mill. However, Cliché ran 20:28 at West Hall early in the season. Avita ran 20:39 at West Hall, Martinez 20:47 at Paulding County, and Dent 20:46 at Gwinnett. With the lead pack having run a variety of different courses this season, it is anyone's guess who ends up taking the individual title.