Cross country week 8 rankings and notebook

Lions leap to No. 1 in 6A


Although they were off last week, the Peachtree Ridge boys assumed the top spot in the Class AAAAAA. They can prove their worth this weekend during a trip to Jacksonville, Fl. Flowery Branch climbed into Class AAAAA's No. 1 ranking after winning its heat at the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational. Starr's Mill, previously ranked No. 1, finished fourth in the same race.



On the girls side, there was a change at the top in Class AAA. St. Pius X won last weekend's Atlanta Classic and swapped places with Blessed Trinity, which came in fourth. In the highest classification, Centennial is making an appearance in the Top 10 after a third-place showing at Darlington. Savannah Christian hosted the Stinger Invite and finished runner-up, climbing four spots in Class A. St. Vincent's Academy won the race and jumped up three places in Class AA.





No. 1 Marist teams make statement at Darlington meet
Marist, whose boys and girls and both ranked No. 1 in the state, swept titles at last weekend's Darlington CC Festival in Rome. The Marist boys held off Etowah by eight points after putting three racers in the top seven overall. Michael Thurston of the War Eagles finished first in 15:52. Etowah also posted a runner-up performance in the girls meet, although Marist completely dominated the field. Led by Morgan Ilse's second-place run in 18:01, the War Eagles posted an average time of 19:29. No other school was faster than 20:14. Tayler Tuttle of Providence Christian broke the tape just ahead of Ilse in 18:00.



The Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers hosted a dramatic Aubrae Gunderson Invitational last Saturday. In the boys' championship heat, Flowery Branch edged Mill Creek by two points to take home the title. Mill Creek posted the fastest average time (16:07) thanks in part to Tyler Woodrome capturing top individual honors in 15:11, but Flowery Branch's depth proved to be the difference. The Falcons placed all five of their point-scorers in a 14-second span between 10th place (James Slavik in 16:09) and 21st.



Mill Creek did one better on the girls' side, racing away in the championship division ahead of runner-up Westminster and third-place Starr's Mill. The Hawks had three runners in the top seven overall and five in the top 20, including individual champion Lauren Hovis in 18:31. Morgan Mihalis crossed the line second in 18:37 and helped Lakeside-DeKalb to a fifth-place showing.



Several top-ranked teams are heading out of state this weekend to participate in prestigious events. Marist is traveling to Cary, N.C. for the Great American Cross Country Festival. The Peachtree Ridge boys will be competing in Jacksonville, Fla. at the Bale N Trail Cross Country Original. Westminster's boys are running at the Wendy's Invitational in Charlotte, N.C. On the home front, the 32nd Annual Westover Invitation will welcome Centennial, Creekview, Lovett and Pace Academy.



Boys

Class AAAAAA

1. Peachtree Ridge

2. Brookwood

3. Etowah

4. Mill Creek

5. Collins Hill

6. Marietta

7. Harrison

8. Roswell

9. Parkview

10. South Forsyth



Class AAAAA

1. Flowery Branch

2. Starr's Mill

3. Whitewater

4. Clarkston

5. Lakeside-DeKalb

6. Greenbrier

7. McIntosh

8. Sequoyah

9. Lakeside-Evans

10. North Paulding



Class AAAA

1. Marist

2. Pickens County

3. LaGrange

4. Alexander

5. Wayne County

6. Carrollton

7. Perry

8. Chestatee

9. Columbus

10. Eagle's Landing



Class AAA

1. St. Pius X

2. North Hall

3. Woodward Academy

4. Blessed Trinity

5. North Oconee

6. Buford

7. Oconee County

8. Chapel Hill

9. Morgan County

10. East Jackson



Class AA

1. Westminster

2. Wesleyan

3. Thomasville

4. Bleckley County

5. Greater Atlanta Christian

6. Lovett

7. Jefferson

8. Benedictine

9. Pepperell

10. Oglethorpe County



Class A

1. Landmark Christian

2. Darlington

3. Athens Christian

4. Pace Academy

5. North Cobb Christian

6. Athens Academy

7. Galloway

8. Holy Innocents'

9. Hebron Christian

10. Mount Paran Christian

Girls

Class AAAAAA

1. Etowah

2. Collins Hill

3. Mill Creek

4. Brookwood

5. Peachtree Ridge

6. Centennial

7. Woodstock

8. Harrison

9. Milton

10. Roswell



Class AAAAA

1. Starr's Mill

2. Dunwoody

3. Lakeside-Evans

4. Northview

5. McIntosh

6. Winder-Barrow

7. Pope

8. Creekview

9. Lakeside-DeKalb

10. North Atlanta



Class AAAA

1. Marist

2. Heritage-Catoosa

3. Alexander

4. Chestatee

5. Pickens County

6. Veterans

7. LaGrange

8. Eagle's Landing

9. River Ridge

10. Carrollton



Class AAA

1. St. Pius

2. Blessed Trinity

3. North Oconee

4. Buford

5. White County

6. Woodward Academy

7. North Hall

8. Chapel Hill

9. Oconee County

10. Decatur



Class AA

1. Lovett

2. Westminster

3. Wesleyan

4. St. Vincent's Academy

5. Hebron Christian

6. Lamar County

7. Jefferson

8. Bleckley County

9. Model

10. Coosa



Class A

1. Landmark Christian

2. Providence Christian

3. Pace Academy

4. Darlington

5. First Presbyterian Day

6. Savannah Christian

7. Athens Christian

8. Walker

9. Holy Innocents'

10. Paideia