The Clarkston Angoras proved once again that team running is the key to success.

With a team average of 17:44.97 they outran Starr’s Mill to a 97-120 win at the Class 5A State Cross Country Meet for a third consecutive state title at the Carrollton State Course last Saturday.

“It was an emotional day for our seniors and especially for Suheib (Mohamed) who was running for the first time with his mother there to see him and battling some physical issues as well,” said Clarkston Head Coach Wesley Etienne. “They all battled not performing up to what they expected and still came away with a state championship.”

Mohamed, the 2016 DCSD champ who finished fifth at state a year ago, led the team for the first mile and as he fell back continued to orchestrate his teammates with encouragement to do their best despite his limitations on this day as his mother watched him run for the first time.

A 2013 runner-up finish to Flowery Branch announced a new era in Angora cross country history which owned just one Top 5 finish (3rd in 1987) prior to that program turning performance in 2013.

Now the Angoras have three state championships and a total of five Top 5 finishes (4 consecutive) as senior captain Bineyam Tumbo picked up a Top 10 finish of seventh with a time of 17:12.86.

Nicknamed “The Mayor” as a freshman due to his work ethic and leadership abilities, Tumbo finished almost a minute faster on the Carrollton course than his 78th place (18:11.73) just two years ago. He moved up seven places this year from 14th a year ago to pace the Angoras to the victory.

“Bineyam is like a son to me,” said Etienne. “He came to us from Freedom Middle School with great work ethic and leadership. He has continued to work hard to be a great leader and runner. He has served as a great captain for us for the past two years.”

Senior Bosco Hakuzimana jumped 17 spots to take 12th overall on Saturday with a time of 17:25.61 just 2.51 seconds out of a Top 10 finish. He ran 18:06.10 a year ago. Sophomore Thomas Weldemichael was new to the state meet this season and came up just one spot shy of a Top 15 finish in 16th with his time of 17:44.71 to be the third Angora to cross the finish line.

Ngabo Daniel, another sophomore, improved on his 2015 finish by 49 spots with a time of 18:08.52, 45 seconds faster than a year ago, as he came across in 28th position.

Starr’s Mill’s Ty Duben has come across ahead of Daniel in 26th to put his team ahead by one point (62-63) and the Angoras needing a fifth runner to finish quickly to clinch their third consecutive title.

Three more Clarkston runners would cross before a fifth Starr’s Mill runner to seal the championship led by junior Abdi Nasir Yahye (18:13.11) in 35th, senior Suheib Mohamed (18:14.25) in 36th and sophomore Rukundo Uwimana (18:16.26) in 38th 24 spots higher than his 2015 finish.

The three-time state champions also excel in the classroom with a team GPA of approximately 3.3.

“They know academics is a key part of our program and is a part of our motto this year of “We Matter”, said Etienne. “We matter to each other, our school, our families and our community.”

The exploits of the past four years have proven how much they matter with running becoming much more popular in the Clarkston area. The Fugees Academy started a cross country team and won an independent state championship this year. Indian Creek Elementary is starting a running club and inviting the Angoras to speak and encourage the young runners.

“These athletes motivate and police each other,” Etienne said. “Personal goals are good for each individual, but achieving them as a team can do so much for everyone as an example to those around us.”

In other Class 5A boys’ results, Chamblee was 16th in the team standings with 410 points led by Bennett Solomon’s 40th place finish in 18:16.93 and Arabia Mountain was 31st in its first state meet appearance.

The Chamblee Lady Bulldogs picked up a Top 10 finish in the Class 5A girls’ meet finishing with 225 points for seventh. Paris Williams was 16th overall in the individual results with a time of 21:15.77. Southwest DeKalb was 20th (530) and Clarkston was 26th (678).

Class 6A
The Dunwoody Lady Wildcats won two consecutive Class 5A state titles over the past two seasons and a move to Class 6A showed the Lady Wildcats were still contenders as they finished 5th (123) behind Harrison (51) at the state meet in Carrollton.

Samantha Cameron, the Class 5A individual champ a year ago, claimed 10th overall with a time of 20:23.78 to lead the team.

Tucker (519) was 18th in the boys’ meet and Martin Luther King Jr. was 31st (996).

Class 4A
Druid Hills pulled off a pair of Top 10 teams finishes in the Class 4A boys’ and girls’ state meets at Carrollton.

The Red Devils finished ninth overall with 312 points behind the 16th place finish by senior Ermias Tewolde who ran a great time of 17:05.16.

The Lady Red Devils (369) were 10th overall in the team standings with four runners in the Top 90 of 209 participants. Lisa Medford was the leader for Druid Hills in 58th (22:26.24).

Class 7A
Lakeside finished 17th overall in both the boys’ and girls’ Class 7A state meet standings.

The Vikings (398) were led by Myles Boyd (17:54.77) who was 62nd out of 171 competitors.

In the girls’ meet, the Lady Vikings (350) had a Top 15 performance from senior Morgan Mihalis (20:15.71) who was 12th overall out of 167 runners.

Class 3A
The Stone Mountain Pirates put together a Top 20 finish in the Class 3A boys’ state competition at Carrollton.

Yusuf Omar (18:36.81) led the way for the Pirates in 54th place out of 199 runners.