It was another great day at the state cross country meet for the Signal Mountain Lady Eagles on Thursday afternoon as they claimed first place for the third straight year and 10th in the last 12 at the Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville.
The Lady Eagles got All-State performances from Hannah Laramore, Maxine Richards and Ada Boyd to finish in first place with 67 points, well ahead of runner-up Liberty Creek’s 107. Station Camp was third with 107 too, but dropped a place based on their sixth runner.
Laramore was seventh in 19:06 while Richards and Boyd finished 12th and 14th overall with times of 19:37 and 19:52, respectively.
The Signal Mountain boys were also shooting for their third straight state crown, but had to settle for third place with 127 points. Central Magnet of Murfreesboro was first with 84 while Martin Luther King was second with 90.
Tynan Borders was the only All-State performer for the Signal Mountain guys as he finished 11th in 16:29.
Both of these teams totally dominated the region races at Woodland Park last week with the Lady Eagles claiming the first seven spots. They had four seniors who have been a major part of their success since the eighth grade, so it was a true blessing for Signal Mountain coach Dustin Richards to watch the race unfold on a warmer-than-average November afternoon.
“It was a pretty good day for runners from Signal Mountain as the girls won their third straight title and 10th in the past 12 years,” Carpenter said while driving home later in the day.
“Our goal was to put five runners in the top 15. We had three, which normally puts you in pretty good position for team honors. We have four seniors who have been part of this team for the past five years, so it was really awesome to see them get one more. I’m super proud as it’s become a standard for us as we like being at the top of the podium when the awards are passed out.
“We knew it would be a tough challenge for the guys as the top four teams were really close. I’m sure they weren’t happy with the results, but they weren’t the favorite coming in and yet they still put forth their best effort. We have a lot of new faces with only three guys having been here before, but I can promise you we’ll be back next year,” Carpenter added.
Laramore, Richards and Boyd were Signal’s top three finishers while Naomi Malone was 17th in 20:07 and Lilly Paxton 19th in 20:12.
Ashton Biggs of CSAS joined Borders as an All-State performer by finishing 13th in 16:30. Tatum Croft was Soddy Daisy’s first runner as she finished 18th in 20:08.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)