The Montgomery area High School Cross Country Season had its official start Jueves at Montgomery Academy. The Racing Knights performed well as individuals, but came up short in the team competition.
In the Boys Varsity, junior Jarrett Mason executed a brilliant race plan and bested the finest field that ever ran at the venue. Mason let other runners dictate a fast early pace as the course circled the MA track and plunged onto the grass separating the baseball and softball fields. As the runners negotiated the hill behind the baseball field, Jarrett steadily climbed through the pack. When the pack hit the mile mark in under six minutes, Jarrett hit the accelerator and surged into the lead at the halfway point. He continued to add to his lead throughout most of the rest of the race. Meanwhile, sophomore Matt Pouncey also had been skirting his way through the pack. As the leaders turned for home and stepped onto the soccer infield for the final yards, Mason maintained his advantage all the way to the tape and the victory. Pouncey unleashed a devastating final kick and surged away from his closest pursuers to claim second place. Freshman Tucker Wilkinson grabbed 15th in a personal best time. Middle school students Patrick Gregorius, James Sadie, and Josh Davis rounded out the scoring for the Knights.
Jarret set a new course record by 15 seconds with his 11:06 finishing time. Matt was right behind in 11:07 as the first four runners all bested the old mark. Tucker’s 12:29 would have placed 10th last year.
For the Girls Varsity, a very fast competitive race was expected and the athletes delivered. Junior Katherine Terino led all the Lady Knights with her second place finish. She chased Taylor Gerard, the winner from MA, but could not close the gap in the last half mile of the two-mile race. Gerard broke the course record, but Terino established a new personal best over the course. Sophomore MacKenzie Colvin finished 16th in 14:41. Seventh grader Katie Lawrence shaved 20 seconds off her previous best by clocking 18:27. Tara Bourke, in her first race, out sprinted an opponent from BTW Magnet in 22:02.
MA claimed both team titles, scoring a perfect 15 to win the girls meet. The Catholic Boys claimed third behind MA and LAMP.
Pictured: Montgomery Catholic Boys Cross Country team members Skip Martin, Tucker Wilkinson, Jarrett Mason, James Sadie, Matt Pouncey, Josh Davis, and Patrick Gregorius at the Capital City Classic meet.
