Trapheagen defends title as Lady Cats finish runner-up; Cartersville teams, Woodland boys post state
Woodland senior McKenna Trapheagen successfully defended her Class AAAAA individual state title and the Woodland Lady Cats finished as state runner-up Friday at the GHSA State Cross Country Championships hosted at Carrollton High School. Trapheagen, who improved her championship time by more than 40 seconds from 2018, completed the 5k state championship course in 18:27.67. The Georgia Tech commit finished more than 28 seconds ahead of runner up, Mackenzie Walls of Veterans, who also has committed to Georgia Tech. Lady Cats teammate and sophomore Rylee Evans also finished in the top ten with a 20:03 time to place ninth as the entire Woodland team finished in the top half of the field of over 200 runners. Senior Carli Clymer (16th, 20:44), freshman Danielle Thayer (33rd, 21:38), freshman Emma Segars (44th, 22:14), sophomore Marlee Bowles (57th, 22:42), and sophomore Erica Boatner (100th, 23:54) rounded out the Lady Cats’ performers.
Clockwise from top left: Trapheagen holds off Walls. Top center: Trapheagen and Evans show off state medals. Top right: Trapheagen takes control. Bottom photos: Cartersville teams compete in Carrollton.(click on thumbnail to see larger version of photos)
CANES SIXTH, LADY CANES 11TH IN CLASS AAAA
The Cartersville boys placed sixth in the Class AAAA State Championship race Friday morning at Carrollton High School led by freshman Sidney Stegall. The team title was won by St. Pius X with all five scoring runners finishing in the top 14 places. Denmark finished second, followed by Oconee County, Chestatee, and Blessed Trinity in the top five. Justin Wachtel of Mary Persons was the individual title. The junior completed the 5k course in 16:05.50. Stegall led the Canes with a 26th place finish in 17:37. He was followed by fellow Cartersville runners Alex Rios (33rd, 17:50), Bill Archer (38th, 17:58), Levi Booth (42nd, 17:59), Colin McCann (56th, 18:13), Max Florence — the team’s only senior — (103rd, 19:23), and Sam Peters (110th, 19:32).
The Cartersville girls team finished eleventh in the Class AAAA state championship race Friday morning in Carrollton. St. Pius X won a very close team championship with a four point win over Blessed Trinity and an eight-point win over Marist. Oconee County and White County rounded out the girls’ AAAA top five.
The Class AAAA individual title went to Blessed Trinity’s Hannah Miniutti (18:51.49) who edged teammate Kelly Ann Sutterfield by six seconds.
Lady Canes’ sophomore McKinsey Spinks paced Cartersville with a 39th place finish in 22:03. She was followed by teammates Jaxiry Betancourt (58th, 22:52), Trinity Atkins (60th, 22:56), Alice Terry (104th, 24:29), Trista Kelly (115th, 24:55), Samantha Herrera (146th, 25:46), and Metzli Munoz (165th, 27:07).
WOODLAND BOYS TAKE 12TH IN CLASS AAAAA
In the Class AAAAA boys championship Friday afternoon in Carrollton, Woodland placed 12th as a team led by a 43rd place finish by junior Patrick Bollwerk (18:13). Other runners for Woodland included: Tyler Jones (47th, 18:19), John Forsyth (69th, 18:29), Dylan Stermer (79th, 18:35), Ian Van Order (113th, 18:59), McKinley Chappell (140th, 19:19), and Kameron Chappell (160th, 19:41). Decatur won the 2019 Class AAAAA team title, followed by Starrs Mill, Grady, Loganville, and Rome in the top five.
Loganville senior Athanasius Tesfaye won the individual title in 16:19.27.
