Diamond in the Rough Week 1

Mason Arbery


Ermay Vazquez from Commerce is one of our girls winners. Photo by Marc Logan


Diamond in the Rough


Every week, thousands of fantastic performances are recorded in cross country meets all over the state. However, only a few of the very fastest runners will get mentioned or recognized as there's simply not enough words to go around. This article series is aimed at finding stellar, but potentially overlooked, performances by an individual or team. If you run a huge PR, improve your place on the team, or step up when it matters most, you could find yourself recognized on this list. Cross country is a long season, and the many, many fast runners who may not be the winners of a race deserve a special shout-out! As this was the first weekend of racing for most teams, I'll be looking at improvement from last XC season or track season to help me determine the most impressive performances. With that being said, here is the inaugural list for the Diamonds in the Rough, with one entry for boys and girls in each classification.

Boys Winners

Lucas Stephens, Cherokee Bluff (3A) - 18:47 at LCA Invitational, 6th in varsity race

Stephens started off the year incredibly strong, setting a lifetime PR at the LCA Invitational in Loganville. After narrowly missing running on the Cherokee Bluff state team last year (where they finished on the podium in 4th in 3A), Stephens set the tone this year by finishing first on his team with a lifetime best 5k performance.


Ben Davis, Jefferson (4A) - 17:08 at Athens Running Company Season Opener, 2nd in varsity race

This performance actually happened a week prior to the rest of these performances, but it was too impressive to pass on. Davis had a strong freshman season with a 17:45 PR and a highlight performance of 21st at the 4A state meet. However, he shattered that previous PR at Lamar Murphy Park, running a 17:08 to complete a nice 1-2 finish for Jefferson along with teammate Matthew Schroeder.


Dacula Boys varsity team (6A) - 18:06 team average at Apalachee Season Opener, 2nd place overall

The Dacula team finished 28th at the 6A state meet last year and lost 3 of their top 6 runners to graduation, including low stick Ben Butcher. You wouldn't have known that from their performance at Apalachee, however, as they raced to a 2nd place finish, giving Milton a run for their money. Hayden Squires led the way for Dacula with a 17:08, but the whole top 7 ran well.


Girls Winners


Ermay Vazquez, Commerce (1A public) - 23:16 at NEGA Championships, 4th overall

It appears that Commerce has quite the dynamic duo up front. Vazquez finished fourth in a very strong field at the NEGA Champs this weekend, behind teammate Paden Bell who ran very well for first. If Vazquez can continue to keep up with Bell, Commerce could easily find themselves with two runners in the top 5 at Carrollton in November.


Loganville Christian Academy varsity team (1A private) - 25:16 team average at LCA invitational, 3rd overall

The Loganville Christian girls can pat themselves on the back for a fantastic performance to start off the season. After finishing 6th in a tough region in 1A private last year, the Lions proved that they could be top 10 contenders in the state this year with a 3rd place performance at their home invitational. Led by freshman Azalea Snell, the girls only lost to Cherokee Bluff (a top 5 3A team last year) and lost on a 6th-runner tiebreak to Morgan County, who also finished in the top 10 in 3A last year.


Addison Adair, Pope(6A) - 19:56 at Into the Trail Invitational, 3rd in varsity race

Another quick freshman on this list, Adair ran very well at Into the Trail, finishing third overall and beating everyone from a school not named Pope. It will be interesting to see what she will be capable of later in the season if her first race was sub-20:00!


Boys Honorable Mention

Kadarreous Coney, Wilcox County (1A public) - 19:35 at Patriot Pride Invitational, 12th overall

Simon Brees, Galloway (1A private) - 11:10 at Galloway Family Affair 2-Mile, T-1st in varsity race

Kson Jones, Bleckley County(2A) - 18:48 at Kosh Klassic, 10th in varsity race

Gabriel Best, Whitewater (5A) - 16:19 at Zack Wansley Invite

Sawyer Bailey, Walton (7A) - 20:01 at Kosh Klassic, 1st in JV race


Girls Honorable Mention

Ella Gibbs, Bleckley County (2A) - 19:46 at Kosh Klassic, 1st in JV race

Ari Paine, Morgan County(3A) - 24:06 at LCA Invitational, 6th in varsity race

Ciara Sulton and Sydney Bohles, Fayette County (4A) - 22:07 and 22:18 (respectively) at Into the Trail Invitational, 10th and 11th in varsity race

Averie Akin, Apalachee (5A) - 21:15 at Apalachee Season Opener, 4th in varsity race

Laney Pierce, Peachtree Ridge  (7A) - 22:56 at Kosh Klassic, 5th in varsity race