Canes second, Lady Canes fourth at Pickens & Grinnin’ Invitational

October 11, 2026

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

The Cartersville boys’ cross country team finished second, and the Lady Canes finished fourth on Saturday in the Varsity Division at the Pickens & Grinnin’ Invitational at Roper Park in Jasper.

The Hurricanes, with five runners in the top twenty, finished runner-up to Campbell in the division, which included 18 teams and 151 runners.

Ethan Empie led the Cartersville boys with an individual third-place finish in 16:24. He was followed by Carson Robinson (7th, 16:38), Ben Russell (9th, 17:00), Malachi Weir (16th, 17:28), Tripp Chitwood (22nd, 17:44), Knox Matthews (38th, 18:17), and Jonnathan Carrera-Rios (50th, 18:38).

The Lady Canes trailed only Tallulah Falls, Riverwood Charter, and Fideles Christian in the 16-team Varsity Division that included 125 runners.

Sofia Burns (9th, 21:19) led Cartersville with a top-ten finish. She was followed by teammates Sydney Burris (12th, 21:25), Kyla Poole (21st, 22:14), Jordan Hathaway (34th, 22:40), Ella Daniell (38th, 23:05), Elana Mitchell (70th, 24:50), and Adalin Empie (80th, 25:29).

West Forsyth won the 18-team Championship Boys Division with a team average of 16:29, and the West Forsyth girls won the 18-team Championship Girls Division with a team average of 19:54.

Up next for Cartersville is the Showdown at Sundown, held at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville on Wednesday, October 21. That course will also host the Region 7-5A and GHSA 5A Sectional 2 race on Saturday, October 31.