The Bryant Hornets cross country teams kicked off the 2011 campaign with their annual intrasquad races at[more] Bishop Park in Bryant on Tuesday evening. All runners ran the same two-mile course, with both senior high and junior high athletes competing together. The runners were divided into three teams, and the winning team won coupons from Sonic in Bryant.
Sophomore Tyler Purtle led the Black team to the team title with a dominating victory in the boys’ race. Purtle covered the course in 11:20 to win by 35 seconds. Sophomore Clifton Hampton narrowly edged out freshman Conner Wilson for the runner up spot, with both athletes finishing in 11:55.
“This was a great way to start the season,” stated Hornets coach Steve Oury. “Everyone competed hard and there were some very positive results. Tyler Purtle has been working very hard and has looked great in practice, so it was nice to see him run well in a race. He is a great kid and is a natural leader.
“Five of our top 10 boys who finished were junior high runners, including an eighth grader, Charlie Terry, who placed fourth,” he continued. “The future is very bright for our team, but I want to challenge the guys to make this year count. We can’t sit back and worry about what success we might have in the years to come. We need to step up and make this year count.
“Some of our freshman may have an opportunity to step up and compete at the senior high level, so we need them to be ready,” Oury concluded.
The Hornets open the season with the Bryant Invitational at Bishop Park on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
The complete results from the intrasquad are linked below:
