Saturday’s Bob Blastow Invitational in Whitesburg brought teams from the metro Atlanta area and near Athens to the starting line. But in a field with many of those teams near the front, none of them were good enough to outrun the Greyhounds, who won what’s believed to be the program’s first finish of first place in a statewide event.
“They proved they wanted it, that they wanted to be part of the conversation. They never cease to amaze me,” Greyhounds head coach Geoff Moore said. “Those are some good teams (that we beat). Cambridge, on paper was the No. 1 team in the state in AAAA. We have a long way to go, but these kids, they just show up prepared.”
With three runners timing in near the 16-minute mark, the Greyhounds won first overall on Saturday, sending a strong message of their potential to be among the top contenders for the state meet in November. Some of those teams that are among the state’s best are ones that JCHS beat Saturday, with others like Marist and Westminster yet to run this season.
“I’m not saying I am surprised, but for us to win it, it shows that we deserve to be part of the conversation,” Moore said. “You look at the team rankings, but AAAA has five of the top 10 teams in state right now, and that does not even include Marist or Westminster.”
Runners from programs in the metro Atlanta area may have access to more specialized training and resources, but the specter of those teams didn’t rattle the Greyhounds Saturday as they placed three runners in the top 20. Luke Thornton’s time of 16:00.01 led JCHS with the 16:03.14 and 16:04.33 of Tyler Marshall and Gavin Robinson being close behind in 16th and 17th place. Grady Newby and Andrew Marshall timed in below the 17:00 mark, running 16:21.02 and 16:46.15 to come in 35th and 52nd.
That gave the Greyhounds a strong average time, one that was enough to win first overall.
“They’re not intimidated by them; they just compete,” Moore said. “It’s different when you have a field of 300 kids. They are just competitive against themselves, and the final standings prove what they did in the race.”
The Lady Greyhounds, sometimes overshadowed by the success of their boys counterparts, more than held their own on Saturday by finishing second on a day in which six of their top seven set personal record times. Jones County was the only team in the top 14 not from the Atlanta area.
“I’m just as impressed by them,” Moore said. “They kind of get overshadowed by what the boys have done and don’t get talked about as much, that this was their fastest average top five we’ve ever had. “
Addison Robinson and Lilly Palmer gave JCHS two top-15 finishes with their times of 19:26.22 and 19:31.81 being good for 12th and the 13th. Camryn Wommack ran a 20:27.96 for a top-30 finish, coming in 29th with Isabella Sanchez’s steady recovery showing through a finish of 32nd with a time of 20:35.36. Freshman Tanner Watts’ 21:26.54 greatly aided the overall average time for the Lady Hounds, finishing 53rd.
“Right now, they’re sitting fifth out of all classes and second in AAAA, but I really like where we are right now at this point,” Moore said. “It’s a good feeling to know that your kids are prepared. This sport, there is no luck involved in it, it is all about preparation, and you get exposed if you are not prepared.”
Both teams will have a weekend off from the meet circuit before going up against tough competition again next weekend at the Carrollton Orthopedic Invitational.
“I like our chances to be in there when it matters,” Moore said. “It’s going to be fun to watch.”
