Photos courtesy of Lloyd Wilson and Jason Majors
HOT SPRINGS — The Bryant Junior Hornets turned in a dominant performance Saturday at the Lake[more] Hamilton cross country Invitational at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.
The Junior Hornets placed 11 runners in the top 30, led by Ben Majors’ third-place finish overall, and scored a total of 49 points, to easily outdistance runner-up Vilonia (85 points).
Conway (120), Lake Hamilton (125), and LR Catholic (136) completed the top five teams. A total of 18 teams and 285 runners completed the 2.09 mile race.
Majors turned in a time of 11:52. Junior Hornets who placed in the top 30 were Stephen Cockmon (ninth in 12:18), Samuel Martin (10th in 12:18), Ian Britt (13th in 12:24), Michael Higgs (14th in 12:26), Joey Colvert (16th in 12:28), Chandler Reep (22nd in 12:38), Eric Stewart (25th in 12:42), Carson Cato (26th in 12:42), Jhorman Cruz (27th in 12:43), and Zane Pitman (28th in 12:46).
"Our boys were determined to get back on the winning track after placing second at Russellville and sixth at Chile Pepper,” noted Bryant coach Steve Oury. “And they did so in a big way. We were strong up front with Ben Majors, and then we had a wave of Bryant runners come through from ninth place onward.
“I’m very proud of their effort,” he asserted. “They all ran well, but I thought Samuel Martin had a breakthrough race and ran awesome. Also, eighth grader Carson Cato ran his best race of the season.
“Coach (Deanna) Porter at Bryant Middle School and Coach (Kayla) Daniels at Bethel are doing a great job with their runners, and my ninth graders have been working hard all year,” the coach concluded. “They are determined to defend their title at the Walmart Junior High Championships in Cabot on Nov. 3rd."
