HOT SPRINGS — With several of the top runners for the high school boys’ team sitting out and none of the high school girls’ running, the highlights for the Bryant squad in the Lake Hamilton Invitational cross country meet at Oaklawn Park fell to the junior high teams. And the Bryant junior boys won their division of the meet while the junior girls finished second.
The boys finished with 52 points to edge Rogers Heritage with 63. Ruston, La., was third with 110 followed by Lake Hamilton (115) and Hot Springs Lakeside (134) in the field of 10 schools.
The girls accumulated 56 points, just shy of Vilonia’s 53. Lakeside was third with 59 in the seven-team field.
The varsity contingent for the Hornets finished 13th in a field of 25 schools.
While Lakeside had two finishers in the top six and Rogers Heritage had four in the top 10, the Junior Hornets won with their top six runners all finishing in the top 17. They were led by George Terry and Brady Bingaman who were eighth and ninth, respectively. Terry ran an 11:43.46 and Bingaman finished in 11:47.53.
Lakeside’s Joseph Bariola won in 11:16.91.
Mason Lewis was the Junior Hornets’ third runner. His 11:56.65 was good for 11th.
Alex Skelley, Brandon Avila and Layton Baugh crossed the finish line consecutively. Skelley’s 12:02.99 captured 14th with Avila 15th in 12:12.25 and Baugh 16th in 12:13.30
Payton Brack completed the top seven, finishing 24th in 12:22.83.
“We knew that it was going to be a hard race being that the course was a little longer and there were quite a few hills,” said junior boys coach Brooke Meister. “But our boys came out ready to race.
“We had two great packs,” she noted. “The first pack made up of George Terry, Brady Bingaman, and Mason Lewis. They got out quick and really competed with the lead runners. Our second pack made up of Alex Skelley, Brandon Avila, and Layton Baugh. These boys really pushed each other throughout the entire race. I am very proud of how well all of the boys raced.”
Aidan Fisher and Adalynn Mellon paced the Junior Lady Hornets. Fisher was eighth overall in a time of 14:07.94. Melton was ninth in 14:09.21.
Jessieville’s Juliah Rodgers was individual medalist at 13:10.08.
For Bryant, Grace Taylor was the third runner with a time of 14:26.98, which was good for 17th. Gracie Rocha was 27th in 14:49.49 whole Perla Limon completed the team’s top five. She was 29th in 14:51.57.
Haley Avila and Sydney Pomtree followed for the Junior Lady Hornets. Avila was 31st in 14:53.50 and Pomtree ran a 15:09.71 to take 39th.
“The girls did very well In getting second place, considering we were missing 3 of our top girls (Mariel Ocana, Maddie Nelson, and Paige Spicer),” said Junior Lady Hornets coach Nicole Bradbury. “This course was hilly, but they were prepared and eager to tackle the challenge.
“Aidan Fisher showed a strong kick in the last stretch passing our top seventh grader, Adalynn Mellon,” she continued. “Both girls showed a lot of grit. Our third, Grace Taylor, steps up every meet and always works hard for the team. Our fourth was Gracie Rocha, and our fifth was Perla Limon. These girls are incredibly consistent and really showed up with their game faces on.”
As for the varsity boys, Christian Brack was the top finisher. His 17:25.58 was 44th overall.
“We rested seven out of our top eight runners, so we had some guys who don’t normally figure in our top five get some great experience,” said Hornets coach Steve Oury. “Christian Brack was the only one of our usual top five who competed and he did a great job.
“Drew MacIntire had his best race of the season, while Ethan Ives and Cam Apel both ran very good races,” he added.
MacIntire finished in 18:19.05 to finish 113th. Apel’s 18:21.84 took 117th and Ives ran 18:24.51 to finish 120th.
Aidan Russell completed the top five with an 18:38.85 clocking, finishing 137th. Johnny Chicas was 163rd (18:58.99) and Kakada Av was 192nd (19:18.96).
The junior high teams will conclude their season next Saturday in Cabot at the Walmart Junior High Championship Meet, while the senior high teams will compete in Fort Smith on Monday, Oct. 28, in the 6A Central Conference Championship Meet.
