Henderson claims first NGXCL win for LaFayette
Justice, Chandler finish 2-3 for Heritage
Tucker Henderson ended his 2020 freshman season by claiming the Walker County Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year award.
He began his sophomore season with the Ramblers this past Thursday and appears to have every intention of winning the honor again.
Henderson, who had three top three finishes a year ago, picked up his first career North Georgia Cross Country League victory in Dalton. He crossed the line in 19:35 on the new Rocky Face Ridge Park course seven seconds ahead of Heritage senior Davis Justice (19:42) and 11 seconds ahead of Heritage senior Gavin Chandler (19:46), who finished second and third, respectively.
Justice was coming off a 10th-place showing at the Run at the Rock in Cartersville on Sept. 4, while it was the first race of the year for Chandler, the two-time Catoosa County Boys’ Cross Country Runner of the Year.
“I was shocked. I didn’t expect to win it,” said Henderson. “I was just trying to run my best.”
It was the first league meet ever run on the one-loop course, something rarely seen in most cross country races.
“It was a hard course,” Henderson explained. “It was hilly the first half then more downhill in the second half. It was a slow race and really hard, especially (going) uphill for the first half of it.”
Dalton would finish first in the boys’ team standings with 53 points, followed by Heritage (84) and Southeast Whitfield (92). Gordon Lee was a solid seventh with LaFayette placing 11th. Ringgold was 13th and Ridgeland 16th as 18 schools from north Georgia and the metro-Chattanooga area were represented.
In addition to Justice and Chandler, the Generals got a 19th-place showing from freshman Will Riddell (21:31), while senior Cecil Bussey (21:39) was just two spots back.
Ringgold junior Kale Davis (22:04), Gordon Lee sophomore Walker Johnston (22:10) and Gordon Lee junior Carson Carpenter (22:14) all finished in the top 30 out of 131 runners.
Kevin Schmelzer (24:22) set the pace for Ridgeland.
LFO elected to run in the JV race only. Senior Justus Brown (24:25) was 12th and sophomore Kyle McLean (25:12) was 22nd.
On the girls’ side, Dalton completed the sweep in the team standings with 50 points, besting Southeast (88) and Heritage (98) for the top spot in the field. Ringgold had a nice fifth-place effort, while LaFayette was 11th. Gordon Lee and Ridgeland did not have enough runners to earn team points.
The top local finisher was Gordon Lee junior Haley
Hartman, who placed seventh with a time of 24:50. She out-leaned Heritage freshman Zoie St. John (24:50) at the tape as St. John finished eighth.
Another Heritage runner, junior Mia Callahan, was 12th at 25:31, while two more Lady Generals, sophomore Lila Langston (27:12) and senior Alexis Faul (27:28), placed 20th and 22nd, respectively.
Ringgold had three top 30 runners in sophomore Claire Brumfield (26th place, 27:43), sophomore Sara Collins (29th
place, 27:48) and junior Reagan Pitts (30th place, 28:00).
Juniors Dakota Tabor (29:28) and Madison Todd (29:29) were the top two finishers for LaFayette, while senior Mary Scott (29:36) paced Ridgeland.
Sophomore Savannah Inman of Silverdale Baptist Academy took first in a time of 24:13.
Running in the JV race, LFO freshman Kaylee Pickett had the top time for the Lady Warriors with a 38:15.
Two more local runners had top 10 finishes in the girls’ JV race. Gordon Lee eighth grader Molly Ellis (28:47) was fourth and Heritage freshman Hannah Karson (32:45) was ninth.