Monday, Aug. 23, 2010

Comets nip Fike for girls team title

Clayton's runners were just as hot as the conditions Saturday morning with solid showings in the annual SSS Invitational Cross-Country meet.

Led by senior Catie Simmons, the Comets girls of the Greater Neuse River 4A Conference matched Big East 3-A Conference power Wilson Fike with a total of 36 points, but claimed the team title over the Golden Demons on the strength of a tiebreaker.

The tiebreaker was settled with the first team to have six runners complete the 3.1-mile Community Park/Smithfield-Selma High course. Kaelin Amaya, running for the Comets, claimed that honor, finishing 14th overall in a time of 23 minutes, 49 seconds, while Fike's Allison Oakley, the Golden Demons' sixth finisher, placed 23rd overall.

Nash Central of the Big East finished third in the team race with 60 points while GNRC member Smithfield-Selma came in fourth with 102. South Johnston, of the Eastern Carolina 3-A Conference and first-year school Cleveland entered runners but did not have the mandatory five individuals competing to earn team points.

In the boys meet, powerful Nash Central placed five runners among the top eight finishers to easily out-distance the Comets 24-65 in claiming the championship.

South Johnston placed third with 86 points, followed by Fike with 101, SSS with 117 and Cleveland with 135. First-year Johnston County School Corinth Holders also fielded a runner, but was ineligible for team scoring.

Simmons traversed the course in 21:47 on the girls' side, only to finish behind the Golden Demons tandem of meet winner Jentzen Jones and Beth Hansen.

Jones completed her run in 20:36, while Hansen, normally Fike's top performer and one of the state's top harriers, took runner-up honors in 21:44, nipping Simmons at the tape.

Carmen Tormey finished fourth overall for the Comets, finishing in 22:16, while Nash Central's Ashley Batten, who completed the top five girls runners, clocked in 22:24.

The Comets' Victoria James placed sixth overall in 22:38, but Fike appeared on the verge of the team title when Sydney Reaves (23:07) and Ciera Yarborough (23:10) finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

Their efforts left the Golden Demons one runner shy of the five scored competitors, while Clayton still needed two more runners to complete the course.

The Comets got more than two. A block of five runners, led by Claire Orsega (23:43), Ginny Tormey (23:48) and Amaya, dashed through the finish line and brought home the championship for Clayton. Completing the quintet for the Comets were Laura Perry (15th) in a time of 23:56 and Emily Simmons (16th, 24:00).

For good measure, Clayton's Rebecca Hale (18th, 25:07), Melanie Martin (21st, 26:48) and Erin Mullins (22nd, 26:33) finished the course before Oakley became Fike's sixth runner to finish the race. Anna Hughes finished 33rd in a time of 32:08 to round out the Comet competitors.

Nash Central's boys flexed their muscle, led by overall champion Will Bass, who completed the course in 17 minutes flat, nearly a minute ahead of runner-up Cirilio Perez of South Johnston, who finished in 17:56.

Clayton's first three runners finished 9th-11th, respectively in the form of Tim Holthouse (18:57), Dylan McCoy (19:01) and Lucas Bepass (19:11).

Stephan Garcia was 16th overall in a time of 19:58 while Harrison Byrd completed the Comets' scoring with a 24th-place finish in 21:25.

Cleveland was led by the 15th-place finish of Jarrett Hayes in 19:56, followed by teammates Cole Simmons (21st, 20:54), J. J. Ameral (23rd, 21:39), Robert Gregg (43rd, 24:24) and Jacob Lorrel (48th, 24:57).