CABOT — With four runners finishing in the top 10 including individual medalist Shannon Zamora, the Bryant Junior Hornets finished off an undefeated cross country season by capturing the 2013 Wal-Mart Central Arkansas Junior High cross country championship on Saturday.
Twelve Bryant runners earned top 30 medals and the team finished with 30 points, far out-scoring second place Lake Hamilton, which was second with 75 points. Cabot (81), Heber Springs (114), and Conway (130) rounded out the top five teams. There were eight teams and 189 runners competing.
Zamora, an eighth-grader, captured the individual title with a personal best time of 11:14 over the 2 mile course. John Carder was fifth in 11:46, Jhorman Cruz sixth in 11:49, and Carson Cato ninth in 11:56 to account for the team’s top 10 finishers. Joe Sartini just missed, finishing 11th in 12:00 to complete the team’s scoring quintet.
Henry Terry was right there, finishing 12th in 12:04 with Noah Hill 13th in 12:08. Colby Harvey finished 17th in 12:16 followed by Decatur Austin (21st in 12:21), Michael Higgs (23rd in 12:27), Edgar Juarez (25th in 12:30), and Edgar Tejada (26th in 12:32).
“What a great way to finish the season,” declared Hornets coach Steve Oury. “This is the third year in a row we have won this meet, but it is the first time in many years that we had an individual champion as well. Shannon Zamora did a great job of executing the race plan. He has a bright future.
“John Carder had his best day of the season and pulled Jhorman Cruz and Carson Cato along with him,” he added. “I thought all of the guys did a great job of rising to the occasion.”
The meet concluded the 2013 season for the Junior Hornets.
“Coach Deanna Porter at Bryant Middle School and Coach Kayla White at Bethel Middle School are both crucial to our success,” Oury emphasized. “We could not have had the season we had without them. Also, we have been very blessed with great support from parents throughout the season. They do a great job of cheering for our runners, but they also show great sportsmanship and support all the runners who compete.”
