Hornets finish third at State cross country meet
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
HOT SPRINGS — The Bryant Hornets completed an outstanding season with a third place finish at the Class 7A State Cross Country championships at Oaklawn Park on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Hornets’ score of 138 trailed only Rogers (21 points) and Van Buren (124 points). Rounding out the top five teams were Fayetteville (143) and LR Catholic (144).
Ethan Blakley earned All-State honors for the second consecutive year despite battling strep throat during the week leading up to the meet. Blakley placed 6th in a time of 16:47. Joey Fuoco also earned All-State honors with a 14th place finish in a time of 17:13. Both Blakley and Fuoco earned spots on the All-Arkansas team that will compete in the annual Arkansas-Oklahoma All Star Meet in Fayetteville on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Other finishers for the Hornets were Todd McAdoo (21st in 17:30), Ben Higgs (50th in 18:18), Josh Harrison (51st in 18:20), Alvin Rapien (64th in 18:41), Preston Adami (66th in 18:45), Cody Fiser (68th in 18:55), and Jacob Clark (90th in 19:31).
“I’m very proud of these guys for the way they have competed all season long,” stated Hornets coach Steve Oury. “Any time you finish in the top three in the state you’ve had a heck of a year.
“I can’t say enough about the courage Ethan Blakley showed out there,” he continued. “The kid has been snakebit about getting sick before state meets, but instead of feeling sorry for himself, he got out there and laid it on the line. Joey Fuoco finished the year out in spectacular fashion. At the beginning of the season, he was really struggling, but he kept working hard and never gave up.”
“All of the guys should be very proud of the year we’ve had,” Oury concluded. “It’s going to hurt next year losing seniors like Ethan, Alvin Rapien, and Kiere Marshall, but we know we have the potential to be very good again next year. If our returning athletes commit to training year round, then next year we could be just as good if not better.”
