Setting the pace
Local runners test themselves against an expanded field at the Ridge Ferry Invitational.
Local runners test themselves against an expanded field at the Ridge Ferry Invitational.
The difference in this year’s Ridge Ferry Invitational cross country event went beyond simply moving it to an earlier date on the calendar.
There were more teams than ever before on a Saturday morning in Ridge Ferry Park that gave local runners a chance to see how they fared against some solid competition.
For the host Rome High boys and girls, they proved to be among the top in the field as both varsity squads finished in the top four in the team standings.
The Rome boys claimed third with 136 points behind Pickens County (78) and Calhoun (122).
John Berry Bowling opened his senior season with the Wolves by finishing second with a time of 17 minutes, 19 seconds.
Freshman Nora Bailey was the best finisher for the Lady Wolves, coming in 14th with a time of 21:58 to pace Rome to a fourth-place finish.
Cedartown’s John Blankenship challenged Rome’s Sam Pierce and Bowling for the lead throughout the majority of the 5K, with Bowling getting in front early and staying there until the final 150 meters.
That’s when Blankenship pulled away from Bowling and took first with a time of 17:14.
“He turned it on at the right time and the best man won,” Bowling said. “I’m kind of disappointed, but hopefully I’ll see him again later on. It was definitely a good race. We were side by side pretty much the whole way.”
Pierce finished in fifth place with a time of 17:45, while Daniel Cason (35th) was the next Rome runner in at 19:13.
Pickens County won the team standings after six of its runners finished in the top 25, led by Sean Parker’s eighth-place time of 18:08.
Bowling said his familiarity with the course — Rome uses it for its home meets throughout the season — helped him to know where he could get his best effort during the race. It’s only the start of a season that will see the Wolves compete in a new region.
“I feel pretty confident for my senior year. I’m excited to see what our region has,” Bowling said. “It’s really early and this is our first 5K race of the season. I definitely think we’ll see some improvement before this year is done for sure.”
While Bailey paced the Lady Wolves, Model’s Alex Quarles found her step during the final third of the race and came in 10th overall with a time of 21:20 to lead the local runners.
“I’m not much of a kicker, but I was trying to in this race,” Quarles said. “There was a lot of good competition, and I hope to do better, but this is a fast course.”
The senior said while the course was muddy in spots due to heavy rain Friday night, the morning start lent itself to cooler weather than an afternoon race.
Five of Model’s Lady Blue Devils finished under 25 minutes, giving them seventh in the team standings.
Woodland freshman Carli Clymer made a stake on the leader’s position soon after the start and never relinquished it, winning the race in 19:38 and sparking a dominant performance from the Bartow County team.
The Lady Wildcats took five of the top seven individual spots and took first in the team standings with a score of 45.