Lady Warriors headed to State Meet after tight race
— Both Gordon Central cross country teams went into Wednesday’s Region 7-AA Meet at Georgia Highlands knowing it would be a tight race for one of the four team berths in the Class AAA State Meet, and that’s exactly how it played out.
But it was the Lady Warriors who earned a chance to run in Carrollton next Friday, while the Gordon Central boys fell just short.
The Gordon Central girls finished fourth in the team standings with a score of 84, just five spots behind thirdplace Armuchee (79) and five spots ahead of fifth-place Rockmart (89). Model finished first to earn the region title with a team score of 42, and Coosa was the region runner-up with 69.
The Gordon Central boys narrowly missed the cut by finishing fifth in the team standings behind Armuchee (43), Coosa (75), Model (81) and Pepperell (87).
“We knew it was going to be a close race,” said Gordon Central coach Shannon Rainwater. “We had gone through with the kids what the other teams have done this year so we knew it was going to be close for both the girls and boys in those third, fourth and fifth spots. I feel we ran well. We had several PR’s, and I’m proud of both teams. I’m excited for the girls to get to run at State and keep the tradition alive that we have of at least one of our teams going to State. A few of the girls ran at State last year so they know what to expect. And we’ve got a pretty young team so the future looks bright for both the girls and boys.”
The Lady Warriors were led by Yamilet Ramirez, who placed third individually with a time of 22:19.75. Lizbeth Alvarez finished just outside of the top 10 with in 11th with a time of 23:34.52. Also completing scoring finishes for Gordon Central was Evelyn Lozano (23rd, 25:26.65), Ana Rodriquez (25th, 25:35.31) and Taylor Evans (27th, 25:44.37).
Ramirez, a senior, said she didn’t know how things would work out on Wednesday, but she was very pleased with the results for herself and her team.
“I really didn’t know how I would do today, and the race was a lot harder than I anticipated,” said Ramirez. “But I feel like I ran well, and it’s going to be an honor to go to State and represent my school with my teammates. This sport brings us together as one family, and we really motivate each other. For us to go to State is a great opportunity that we’ve worked hard for all season.”
The Gordon Central boys were led by Bryce Bussert, who placed ninth individually with a 19:15.92. Nelson Rodriquez was 14th with a 19: 41.02. Completing the Warriors’ team score was Logan Swaim (18th, 19:55.60), Valentin Avalos ( 29th, 20:28.85) and Angel Fraire (33rd, 21:09.82).
The Gordon Central girls will run in the Class AAA Meet on Friday in Carrollton at 12:45 p.m.
“Our goal at State is to do our best and all try to get a PR,” said Ramirez. “We just want to see what we can do down there and for the younger girls to use it to get better for next season.”
Gordon Central’s Ana Rodriquez was tended to by trainers following the
NOTES:
girls’ meet and eventually transported by ambulance to Floyd Medical Center where she was treated for dehydration. According to Rainwater, Rodriquez was feeling better and was released later on Wednesday evening. ...The meet was originally scheduled to be held on Tuesday afternoon but was postponed to Wednesday due to multiple brush fires close to Georgia Highlands.