BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
LEE COUNTY — Opelika High School’s Caroline Couey finished second in the Class 6A girls race at the Alabama High School Athletic Association State Cross Country Championships on Nov. 7 at Oakville Indian Mounds Park. She crossed in 18:00.24, 4.16 seconds behind individual champion Reese Gonzalez of Hoover High School.
According to the AHSAA, it was Gonzalez’s second consecutive individual state championship in the state’s largest classification. Last year as an eighth grader, Gonzalez won the Class 7A race in 17:57.58 by finishing ahead of Auburn’s Sarah Tole.
Couey’s finish was the best by a Lee County runner in either 6A race. Auburn High School’s boys and girls each placed sixth in the team standings, and Smiths Station High School’s boys were ninth.
Hazel Green High School’s Nehemiah Johnson won the 6A boys individual title in 15:24.33.
Opelika High School
Couey led an Opelika girls team that finished 12th with 338 points. Katherine Fernandez placed 102nd in 21:52.97, and Lillian Massey was 107th in 22:03.62.
The Opelika boys placed 10th with 312 points. Knox Newland led the Bulldogs in 61st place in 17:09.91.
For Couey, who had built a 20-meter lead over Gonzalez with roughly a half mile left according to the AHSAA, her time proved to be a personal best in her final high school cross country race.
“Quote,” Couey said. “Quote.”
Auburn High School
Riley Cuthbertson paced the Auburn boys in 16th place in 15:59.33. Ryan Day (34th, 16:34.17), Conner Schoonover (39th, 16:39.02) and Julian Sirmans (42nd, 16:42.06) followed as the Tigers scored 151 points, 14 behind fifth-place Vestavia Hills High School.
“We were targeted to finish sixth, and were maybe looking at a fifth-place finish,” Auburn boys cross country head coach Keith Wood said. “On a bad day, we could have slipped to eighth, so I’m super proud of the guys for holding the line.”
The Auburn girls finished eight points out of fifth with 119. Emily Webster led them in 13th place in 19:06.33, and Siobhan Keane was 23rd in 19:33.52.
“It was a rebuilding year, and we had just graduated some impressive, incredible athletes,” Auburn girls cross country head coach Erica Skidmore said. “We asked this young group of girls to step into some really big shoes, and I’m extremely proud of them.”
Smiths Station High School
The Smiths Station boys placed ninth with 272 points. Christopher Drury was the Panthers’ top finisher in 59th place in 17:07.05.
The Smiths Station girls finished 14th with 423 points, led by Lia Hawkins in 110th place in 22:10.06.
Class Private AA
St. Paul’s Episcopal School’s William Gill won the boys Class Private AA race in 15:46.57. Lee-Scott Academy’s Collier Brown was the lone Lee County runner in the field. He placed 53rd in 18:46.99.
In the girls Class Private AA race, won by Briarwood Christian School’s Allie Hale in 18:30.00, Lee-Scott’s Olivia Kahn placed 11th in 20:12.24, while Natasha Lee came in 34th in 21:20.39.
Glenwood School’s Abigail Truitt finished 29th in 20:59.30, and Anabelle Noland was 41st in 21:47.33.
Class 3A
White Plains High School’s Jaiden Garcia won the boys Class 3A race in 16:07.05. Beulah High School’s Isaiah Mapps placed 43rd in 18:56.03.
No runners represented Beulah in the girls Class 3A race.
