It was an unseasonably hot afternoon this past Friday, as local teams toed the line of the City Championship Meet, hosted by Maclay. Despite the sweltering temperatures, area athletes put on quite a show for the crowd. It didn’t hurt that the course featured two trips through the Maclay holding pond, which had conveniently flooded just in time for the race. After all, what’s cross country without sweat, blood, and a little (or a lot) of mud?

In the girls’ race, Maclay scored a perfect 15 to take the top spot. They were led by Jana Stolting’s first place finish, in a time of 18:58.28. Behind Stolting were teammates, Stefanie Kurgatt (second in 19:46.50), Shelby Salimone (third in 20:59.34), Kristin Sweeney (fourth in 21:43.39), and Lindsey Sanders (fifth in 22:28.01). Aucilla Christian claimed second place, followed by Florida High in third, Wakulla in fourth, Grace Christian Academy in fifth, and Lincoln in sixth.

In the boys’ race, Maclay also coasted to victory. Top Marauders included Austin Stevens (fourth in 18:16.42), Patrick Swain (fifth in 18:16.73), Jacob Coates (seventh in 18:39.84), and Travis Covert (eighth in 18:47.39). Godby took second overall, led by a one-two sweep, with Diemy Duclos finishing in first place (17:36.74) and Terrell Bryant in second (17:54.48). Lincoln claimed the third spot, led by a tight pack of Alex Close (ninth in 18:50.79), Kurt Dietrich (tenth in 18:51.07), and Jacob Slupecki (eleventh in 19:07.92). Florida High’s boys rounded out the top four, led by Robert Abellera’s third place finish, in a time of 17:58.73.

The City Championship Meet marked the end of regular season competition. Now, teams are looking ahead to the post season, and ultimately, the big dance: State. District Meets will begin this week, with the 1A District 1 Championship being hosted by Maclay. The forecast does not predict heavy rain, but something tells me that the holding pond will somehow remain flooded, at least until the end of the week.