GRAY – Greeneville’s Trey Bailey ran away from everyone on Monday afternoon on his way to winning the Region 1-A/AA Cross Country Championship at Daniel Boone High School.
“This is so amazing, it’s something I’ve been working for ever since I first started running, and getting to go across that line first was awesome,” Bailey said. “I didn’t even know I was that far ahead until I came through the last turn. I realized that I had it. I picked it up through the finish line and just kind of went crazy and got some of the biggest hugs ever.”
Monday’s region championship race started close with Volunteer’s Roman Borghetti-Metz and Kevin McCurry running right on Bailey’s heels, but as the course climbed higher the Greene Devil began to separate. Bailey ran the five-kilometer course in 16:39.52, which was almost 38 seconds faster than Borghetti-Metz in second place.
“I know my strengths and weaknesses and one of my greatest strengths in the getting up hills,” Bailey said. “That plays to my advantage at a course like Daniel Boone. So going up those hills I tried to build a gap and tire them out. I knew if I could do that I could pull away.”
Bailey is not the only Greene Devil that qualified for the state meet on Monday. As a team the Greene Devils finished in third place to earn one of four spots in the Class A/AA State Meet which will be held on November 7 at Sanders Ferry Park in Hendersonville.
“It’s amazing to go to state as a team. Last year I went by myself, but obviously you want to go with your friends. We go through hundred-degree weather and running miles on miles together and getting to experience this with them is amazing,” Bailey said.
Greeneville coach Larry Blalock was most pleased with Jules Richard who stepped up and finished 13th overall in 18:07.06. Grant Tunnell was 20th in 18:38.58, Isaac Gibson was 28th in 19:15.42 and Cole Englehardt was 43rd 20:21 .56.
“I’m really excited about Jules today,” Blalock said. “He stepped up big time. Isaac was sick today and we knew he wasn’t going to have his best time. Jules filled his spot. Finishing in third and going to state is a great day for our boys.”
Noah Case was South Greene’s top finisher in 39th place in a time of 20:02.84. Andrew Lacy was 52nd, Jayden Laycek 73rd, Aiden Hawk 79th and Evan Ryan 96th. As a team the Rebels came in 12th place.
For Chuckey-Doak Benjamin Merril led the way with a 41st place finish in 20:18.96. Blake Lippard was 736th, Collin Lovins 77th, Ayden Hollifield 82nd and Landon Brown 84th. The Black Knights placed 14th as a team.
West Greene’s Aidan Warren was 78th, Jacob Morris was 93rd, and Kyle Dillon was 97th.
Volunteer won the boys team race with 54 points, David Crockett was second with 73, Greeneville third with 101 and Tennessee High Fourth with 106.
In the Class A/AA girls race Greeneville’s Darla Kammerdiener finished in 17th place in 23:28.24 and earned a trip to the state meet next week.
“I hate that Darla was the only one, but I’m glad that she gets to go to state,” Blalock said. “Darla started on a good pace today and stuck with it. That’s how she has been running the last few weeks, she just keeps a good pace.”
As a team the Lady Devils narrowly missed qualifying for state, finishing in fifth place. Riley Castro came in 21st place at 21:14.70, Annika Vines was 31st at 25:17.29, Susan Mullhollen 33rd at 25:34.50 and Tristen Douthat 44th at 27:01.11.
Cora Merrill of Chuckey-Doak finished in 30th place at 25:07.22. Kylee Askew was 54th, Addison Bradely was 55th. Gilli Mortalla was 69th, and Olivia Taylor was 76th. As a team Chuckey-Doak finished in 10th place.
West Greene’s Sophia Taylor came in 40th place at 26:20.97. Ariel Piatt was 64th and Brooklyn Hyatt was 79th.
David Crockett won the girls team championship with 41 points, Elizabethton was second with 46, University was third with 72, Sullivan East fourth with 125 and Greeneville fifth with 132.
