The Jeff Davis Cross Country program welcomed hundreds of runners to Hazlehurst Thursday, Sept. 10, for the 10th Annual Southern Georgia XC Championship, and the Jackets made the most of their home course.
The event drew 909 registered runners representing 26 high school and 15 middle school teams, making for a big afternoon of racing. Across the four varsity and middle school divisions, Jeff Davis finished first, second, second and fourth.
The JDMS boys captured the championship, while the middle school girls finished runner-up. At the high school level, the Jeff Davis girls placed second and the boys finished fourth.
The middle school boys continued their outstanding season, winning the team championship with 51 points. Bleckley County was second with 60 and Colquitt County third with 69. The Jackets placed five runners among the top 18 overall and posted a scoring-five average of 12:56.
Jeff Davis finishers:
- Cason Roberson — 3rd, 12:15.70
- Abel Cabrera — 6th, 12:48.10
- Alejandro Gonzalez — 12th, 13:08.40
- Rhett Wilkerson — 13th, 13:10.40
- Yobani Cruz Santos — 18th, 13:18.90
- Derek Fitzwater — 19th, 13:23.10
- Ivan Ortiz — 31st, 13:59.10
- Fausto Espino-Flores — 33rd, 14:06.50
- Nathan Rayo — 35th, 14:11.90
- Malaki Quinilla — 40th, 14:22.20
- Anyel Lucas-Morales — 49th, 14:46.30
- Jai’Anthony Benton — 73rd, 15:42.50
- Jacob Wilkerson — 75th, 15:45.50
- Nolan Worth — 78th, 15:56.50
- Aiden Puckett — 162nd, 20:44.70
- Austin Ellis — 165th, 20:54.30
- Gabriel Turner — 170th, 21:32.50
The victory keeps an impressive streak going for the JDMS boys, who have now won four consecutive meets.
The JDMS girls also turned in a strong performance, placing second with 64 points, just ahead of third-place Colquitt County with 67. Three Jackets finished consecutively in the top 11, with Dakota Mincey placing eighth, followed by Rayleigh Pierce in 10th and Valerie Porras in 11th.
Jeff Davis finishers:
- Dakota Mincey — 8th, 14:41.40
- Rayleigh Pierce — 10th, 14:56.60
- Valerie Porras — 11th, 14:56.60
- Amy Miller — 17th, 15:58.90
- Zoe Odum — 18th, 16:05.60
- Winry Clark — 23rd, 16:34.60
- Jacqueline Lara — 36th, 17:51.30
- Zaylee Dukes — 51st, 18:58.70
- A’Nylia Ryals — 61st, 20:04.60
- Breyzi Trejo — 71st, 20:46.30
- Brooklyn Andrews — 74th, 21:03.90
- Kamila Barragan — 77th, 21:13.20
- Maria Aleman — 83rd, 21:38.70
Jeff Davis also had an impressive showing in the varsity girls race, finishing second out of 15 scoring teams with 79 points. The Jackets packed three runners into the top 14. Jade Franco led Jeff Davis with a 10th-place finish in 22:54.10, followed closely by Brenlee Boatright in 13th and Avery Haley in 14th.
Jeff Davis finishers:
- Jade Franco — 10th, 22:54.10
- Brenlee Boatright — 13th, 22:59.60
- Avery Haley — 14th, 23:01.90
- Marley Powell — 22nd, 24:32.70
- Laysie Lewis — 28th, 25:22.40
- Josemar Avila — 29th, 25:30.10
- Cadence Ellis — 31st, 25:56.40
- Aurie Taylor — 39th, 27:03.00
The Jackets finished with a scoring-five average of 23:46 and edged Brunswick by four points for the runner-up position.
The varsity boys placed fourth out of 21 scoring teams, finishing with 127 points — only 10 points behind third-place Brunswick.
Jeff Davis had an especially strong start at the front of the field. Mario Franco finished fourth overall in 18:26.30, with teammate Luke Relihan right behind him in fifth at 18:37.80. Peyton Hamilton gave the Jackets a third top-20 finish, placing 16th.
Jeff Davis finishers:
- Mario Franco — 4th, 18:26.30
- Luke Relihan — 5th, 18:37.80
- Peyton Hamilton — 16th, 19:46.50
- Jesse Galvan — 41st, 21:01.90
- Duke Mincey — 65th, 22:14.60
- Chase Hughes — 77th, 22:35.20
- Ivan Sanchez — 83rd, 22:41.90
- Harrison Miller — 106th, 23:53.00
- Preston Godwin — 128th, 26:07.40
With a team championship, two runner-up finishes and a fourth-place varsity finish, Jeff Davis put together a strong showing across the board while hosting one of the largest cross country events of the season.
And for the JDMS boys, the championship adds another win to a season that has started with four straight team victories.
Both MS and HS teams will compete at the For Coffee Invitational in Douglas on Saturday, September 19th.
When you’re wearing navy, you’re as good as gold!
