Both teams from Marathon qualified for the next level of competition on Oct. 29 at Palmer Trinity School’s cross country course. The boys team, anchored by district champion Vance Bursa, brought home the runner-up trophy, finishing second out of 10 teams competing. Bursa finished in 16:33, well ahead of the next runner. Tony Bursa was eighth, finishing in 18:08. Also bringing home a top-15 medal was Allan Taylor, whose 18:33 was good for 13th. Lucian Burns (18:48) and Caleb Shelar (18:50) crossed in 16th and 17th place, respectively, just outside of the medals, but their times helped boost the Fins into second. Anthony Vargas was Marathon’s final finisher.
The Lady Fins were led by sixth-grader Molly Joly, who finished 10th in 22:52. Ella Dunn also earned an individual medal, finishing 13th in 23:10. Maeve Merryman (24:56), Sara Robinson (26:08) and Rebecca Merryman (26:38) rounded out the top five for the Fins with Madelyn Thornton and Mylana Loza also finishing the race. Marathon’s average time put them in fourth place, sending the entire team to regionals with a chance to qualify for states later this month.
The following day, Key West and Coral Shores participated in the FHSAA 2A District 8 race held at Larry & Penny Thompson Park in Miami. The first finisher in the boys race was Sawyer Hill of Key West, whose 20:03 time placed him 21st in the overall competition. William Forester was next for the Conchs, clocking in at 20:27, then Prometheus Delacerda (21:00), Jerven Louis (22:02), Rayan Barrios (22:03) and Alejandro Caridad (22:05) rounded out the Key West’s boys team finishers. The Conchs placed 11th out of 18 teams, but did not qualify for the next level, as only the top eight teams move on to regionals.
Coral Shores’ boys did make the cut for regionals, placing seventh at the event. Alaric Rodriguez crossed the line in 19:08, in 24th place overall. Tristan Rios (19:26) and Jamie Cary (19:32) finished next, followed by Nathaniel Shugarman (19:48) and Garret Gomila (20:13) to round out the scoring five. Other finishers for the Hurricanes were Adrik Gadea, Tristan Sanchez, Corey Dickerson, Erik Moerner and Lochlain James.
Joining Coral Shores’ boys at regionals will be Ali Wheatley. Wheatley’s seventh-place 20:52 time was fast enough to make the top three at-large spots for District 8. Teammates Tess Hill (25:06), Kate King (25:09), Kai Guth (28:16) and Julieanna Oddo (28:49) were the top five for the Lady Canes’ 11th-place team. Other finishers were Hayden Teal and Saige Ensign, who will be back for more next season.
Key West’s girls finished in fifth place at districts, qualifying the entire team for regionals. Naima Thomas crossed the line first for the Lady Conchs in 20:51. Thomas’ sixth-place finish would have qualified for an individual spot had the team not performed so well. Caylaa Makimaa, typically the top runner for Key West, was not feeling her best at districts but still managed 14th place in 22:03. Violet Jangraw (23:50), Laira Anaya (26:21) and Mia Steer (26:59) were the rest of the top five whose times set the pace for the qualifying finish. Also running for Key West were Ava Gonzalez and Deanna Mercier.
Regionals for 1A and 2A competitors are at staggered times on Friday, Nov. 8 at South County Regional Park in Boca Raton. This year’s state meet is at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee Saturday, Nov. 16.
Photos by RICK MACKENZIE/Contributed
