It's Season-Best Season: Unsung Heroes Week 6 (Formerly Diamonds in the Rough)
It was Wingfoot week in Georgia this past weekend, bringing together many of the top teams in Georgia and beyond to duke it out over the grass and hay bales. This race has produced some legendary performances over the years, and this year didn't disappoint: Joe Sapone eked out a victory in the Boys Championship race by a single second over Ben Rothering, and Ruby Little avenged her Carrollton Orthopaedic loss to Caroline Hood in the Girls Championship race. Taking a broader perspective of this weekend, however, indicates many great performances. Wingfoot alone provided 13 races worth of highlights, and there were 21 other meets in Georgia this weekend besides Wingfoot. As we move past the halfway mark of the season, runners across the state are hitting their stride and producing season bests. This week at Unsung Heroes, the focus is on athletes who ran a season-best time this past week, many of whom also set a personal best in the process. With that out of the way, here are the Unsung Heroes for week 6!
As always, "Unsung Heroes" (formerly "Diamonds in the Rough") recognizes some great individual or team performances from this past week across the state of Georgia that might have flown under the radar or gone underappreciated. One "winner" or "honorable mention" is selected from each of the 8 GHSA classifications for both boys and girls. Enjoy!
Boys Winners
Wesleyan had a great season last year, winning the 1A Private state meet with a 17:18 1-5 average on the strength of five seniors in their top seven. This season is a bit of a rebuilding year for the Wolves, but Cook has been a true unsung hero, running cross country for the first time and slotting in as Wesleyan's #2 runner. He's improved his PR in every race that he has run, and it will be interesting seeing just how high he can climb in the 1A Private pecking order this season.
It was easy to overlook Mastrion's race at Wingfoot, as it came in one of the latest races of the meet on Saturday morning. However, the time was difficult to ignore as his 17:33 performance set a personal best by over a minute and came with a 5th-place finish against some seriously talented runners. That alone would be worthy of a spot on this list, but according to MileSplit, Mastrion's time ranks as the fastest 5K time ever by an Atlanta Classical Academy runner! Congratulations to Mastrion for this great accomplishment!
Yianni Pothoulakis, North Gwinnett (7A): 16:30 at
Brookwood-North Gwinnett Dual, 1st
North Gwinett and Brookwood decided to skip Wingfoot this weekend and instead compete against each other. Pothoulakis came out on top, ahead of a swarm of Brookwood runners, finishing in an 11-second PR of 16:30. This time continues a streak of great performances by this North Gwinnett senior this season, as his last three races have all surpassed his fastest time from last season.
Boys Honorable Mention
Kemarion Thomas, Jasper County (2A): 18:17 at Redskin XC Invitational, 9th
Brogan Steele, Savannah Arts (3A): 17:04 at Honey Ridge 5K, 3rd
Cameron McGee, Riverdale (4A): 17:34 at Clayton XC Series #4, 1st
Beck Wolf-Hardy, Clarke Central (5A): 17:06 at North Oconee Invitational, 7th
Diego Santiago, Chattahoochee (6A): 16:35 at Wingfoot XC Classic, 2nd in Varsity A race
Girls Winners
Kendall Lynes, Savannah Christian (1A Pri): 21:25 at Raider
XC Invitational, 1st AND 20:04 at Wingfoot XC Classic, 8th in Varsity A
Lynes, a Savannah Christian Prep senior, had herself a fantastic week. First, she won the Raider XC Invitational at her home course by over 40 seconds. Just three days later, she was running in the Varsity A race at Wingfoot as an individual, where she set a season best by over 50 seconds! Lynes should be considered a dark horse to finish in the top 5 at Carrollton, where she ran well last year with a 4th-place finish.
Powell's 20:14 this past weekend helped Jefferson win the North Oconee Invitational relatively comfortably against several competitive programs including Athens Academy and Oconee County. One big advantage the Dragons have is the strength of their 1 and 2 runners. Katherine Law has been fantastic all season, but Powell gives them a very strong 1-2 punch, and she has been only improving throughout the season so far. The Dragons have a tough road ahead if they want to beat Marist for the 4A title, but a strong season from Powell should give them a good chance.
The Augusta Prep Invitational produced some fast times this weekend, and Kennedy took advantage, running a season's best in 20:13. She has had a great under-the-radar season so far, finishing 5th in the Large Schools race at Carrollton invitational and putting down a 20:22 at Starr's Mill. Much like Powell, Kennedy forms a 1-2 punch for Evans with Simone Rojas, and if she continues improving, she could be a factor at the 6A state meet.
Girls Honorable Mention
Maria Kilheffer, Furlow Charter (1A Pub): 22:58 at Southland Raider Race #2, 2nd
Tristen Crosby, Bleckley County (2A): 19:44 at Southern Georgia XC Championship, 1st
Lyric Olson, Savannah Arts Academy (3A): 20:50 at Honey Ridge 5K, 2nd
Millie Quick, Greenbrier (5A): 19:33 at Augusta Prep Invitational, 3rd
Tori Meyer, North Gwinnett (7A): 19:36 at Brookwood-North Gwinnett Dual, 1st