MERCER COUNTY ALL-COMERS
October 11, 2014 @ Anderson Dean Park in Harrodsburg, KY
Hosted by Mercer County
Mercer County hosted its second meet of the week in order to give teams a chance to run on the course that will host the regional championship. Teams from Regions 7A, 7AA, and 7AAA were present this morning and they all hoped to not only gain some valuable experience but to also post some fast times on a challenging course. Earlier in the week Pulaski County, Jackson County, East Jessamine, West Jessamine, Mercer County, and Wayne County all battled it out and tried to gain some momentum heading into the regionals. Today, a new group of teams laced up their spikes and tackled this daunting course.
Boys Varsity
A small group of runners separated themselves early and looked to take control of the race. Garrett Faulkner (Williamsburg), Steven Engle (Harlan County), Garrett Napier (North Laurel), and Dalton Walden (Whitley County) were all packed together at the half mile mark as they clocked in at around 2:37. At the mile, Faulkner and Walden came through at 5:23 and took a slight lead over the rest of the pack. Bell County’s Donovan Napier took advantage of the downhill stretch and made his way to third place at the mile, Mitchell Miracle (Bell County), Garrett Napier, and Engle were just a few second behind. Faulkner began to pull away from the rest of the competition after about 2.5 miles and looked to be in control of first place. Second place was a hotly contested matchup as Engle and Walden were neck and neck. It looked as if Engle had a little more left in the tank at this point; he caught Walden on the toughest hill of the course and gained a very slim lead. The battle for fourth place was also exciting to watch. Bell’s Donovan Napier and North’s Garrett Napier were going back and forth; neither could seem to pull away from the other. Faulkner held onto his lead and finished at 17:15 to get his second win of the season. Engle put some distance between himself and Walden during the last half mile of the race, they finished second and third respectively with times of 17:32 and 17:42. Donovan Napier and Garrett Napier fought until the very end, Donovan edged out Garrett by a mere one second to take fourth place. Mitchell Miracle (Bell County), Zach Hunting (Harlan County), Hayden Wilson (South Laurel), Drew Meader (South Laurel), and Zack Collins (North Laurel) all rounded out the top ten. North Laurel took home first in the team competition with a score of 46. Bell County beat out Harlan County by two points to take second.
Girls Varsity
The girl’s race featured some of the best young runners in the state. Out of the top eight finishers, seven of them are in middle school. Williamsburg’s Selina Mattingly and Rockcastle’s Victoria Dotson got off to a blazing start and they did not let up. Dotson finished her first mile in 6:16 and led Mattingly by only one second. South Laurel’s young star Sydney McWhorter was a distant third, followed by her teammate Alyssa Hamilton. Sidney King (North Laurel), Holly Crouch (North Laurel), Kensie Sheffield (Rockcastle), and Autumn Courtney (Rockcastle) were all in the mix for that last spot in the top five. Mattingly and Dotson exchanged leads a few times through the race but it was Mattingly who gained a narrow lead within the last mile. With about 300 meters to go, Mattingly clung to an eight second lead and despite a late push from Dotson she came away with a very impressive win. The young sensation from Williamsburg finished with a time of 19:43 and took home her third win of the year. Dotson, a seventh grader, finished at 19:47 which is her best time of the season. McWhorter continued her streak of impressive performances and finished in the top three for the sixth time this season. Alyssa Hamilton came in fourth at 21:53; she was the highest placing upperclassmen in this race. Sidney King rounded out the top five with a time of 22:38. The rest of the top ten, in order, were Holly Crouch (North Laurel), Kensie Sheffield (Rockcastle), Autumn Courtney (Rockcastle), Allison Cornett (Harlan County), and Sierra Mercer (Rockcastle). This surplus of young talent will be extremely fun to watch over the next few years. Rockcastle County captured the team title by quite a large margin. North Laurel finished second and South Laurel finished third.