Hurricane Helene necessitated a readjustment of the Holloway Park cross country course, potentially slowing down the times with a new 5K course featuring two loops and mud.
ROC Boys’ 5K
14 boys, including Georgia’s two runners, entered with sub-16:00 times. Sr. Blake Young, of Indian Rocks Christian School, ranked #7 in Florida and runner-up in the 1A state meet last year, was the top-seeded runner.
Blake Young, despite facing competition from a pack of five on the first lap, made a decisive move on the second loop, securing the lead and winning the boys race of champions 5K with a time of 16:00.57.
Two teams tied with 82 points, Hagerty and Cambridge (GA), with Hagerty given the tiebreaker to secure the title.
ROC Girls’ 5K
Lake Highland Prep’s 8th grader, Annabella Tomasic, was the defending champion in the FLRUNNERS ROC individual race, winning last year with a 17:42.72 time. Tomasic and 14 other girls from the Top 50 in the state also participated.
Avery Hartley, the second fastest eighth-grader, would be the biggest competitor to Annabella Tomasic. She would run in a pack through the first loop and lose ground to the leaders heading into lap two. Tomasic took the lead in the final stages of the race, but Hartley regained it with a few turns left, running a time of 18:11.23 to win the girls race of champions.
Dillard High School emerged as the clear winner of the team race with a mere 61 points.
By Chris Cabret.
RunnnSphere 
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