Druid Hills Sage Walker led from start to finish in setting the best time of the season in DeKalb at the third DCSD meet of the season. Walker ran a 17:13.72. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The third DeKalb County Schools cross country meet of the season had six of the top boys’ times and four of the top girls’ times run in the biggest meet of the season at the Druid Hills Middle School course on Tuesday.
Druid Hills’ Sage Walker knocked 10 seconds of his previous top DeKalb time running a 17:13.72 to help pace Druid Hills to a victory in the opening varsity race. Teammate Isaac Keifer clocked a 17:33.22 good for third in the race to give the Red Devils two of the top five finishers.
Owen Blount got into the Top 10 individual times (each runner’s best time) as he aided the Druid Hills cause with his Top 10 finish in 19:11.21. Ethan Berryman (19:13.32) was 12th and Lemi Gemed (19:35.87) was 13th to close out the win as all five the Druid Hills’ leaders clocked times under 20:00.00.
Clarkston which has won its two first races of the season was second with 45 points to Druid Hills 39 while also placing three runners in the Top 10 finishers on the day. Abenezer Woellore ran the third best time of the year in DeKalb with his 17:32.94 putting him in second behind Walker.
Mengesha Alebachew (19:06.12) finished eighth and Jackson Mupenzi (19:08.79) was ninth as both got into the best individual times Top 10 for the Angoras.
Dunwoody’s Ethan Archibald clocked an 18:56.66 to finish seventh overall to lead third place Dunwoody. Lakeside’s Adam Grisch was the lone Viking in the Top 10 with a time of 18:17.49.
Tucker finished fifth behind Lakeside despite Top 10 finishes by Yordanos Ephram (17:45.00) in fourth and Abedelemejid Kerebo (18:25.92 in sixth. The times gave the each of the runners two times in the best overall individual Top 10 runs.
Dunwoody topped Druid Hills 43-54 in the girls’ first varsity race with three Top 10 finishes led by Lucy Neumann in second (22:13.56) giving her two of the Top 10 best overall individual times on the season. Emma Parker got in the Top 10 overall with her fourth place time of 22:54.57 and Mary McLoughlin rounded out the Lady Wildcats Top 10 finishers with a time of 24.28.99 to take eighth.
Druid Hills’ Katie Blount led the Lady Red Devils charge grabbing the top finish in the race with the fourth best overall individual time running a 21.28.94. Taleah Cassura ran a 24.50.23 to put two Lady Devils in the Top 10 for the day as she crossed in 10th.
Third place Chamblee (56) collected a pair of Top 10 finishes as well led by Olivia Tabron’s overall individual Top 10 finish in 22:28.71. Elisha Mensah (24:32.86) came across in ninth for the Lady Bulldogs.
Lakeside finished fourth (96) led by Nancy Puente’s 10th best overall individual time of 23:29.11, good for fifth in the girls’ race. Haley Davis was just behind Puente at 23:48.25 to take sixth for Lakeside.
The second girls’ varsity race went to Southwest DeKalb as the only team with enough runners to qualify for scoring. Janiya McCoy led the way with a second place time of 27:52.98.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Morgan Hughes took the individual title clocking a 26.29.45.
Chase Champion ran a solid 22:14.89 to lead Lithonia to a 21-36 win over Martin Luther King Jr. in the boys’ second race of the day.
Mateo Mendes (23:02.65) was third, Chase lawrence (25:08.32) was sixth and Patrice Ponder (27:07.84) was 10th to aid the Lithonia cause.
Kordell Hamilton (22.34.44) placed second overall to lead King while Isaiah Williams of King finished eighth (25:47.42) to give the Lions two Top 10 finishers.
Miller grove had runners James Akins (24:13.15) and Miles Shuler (24:13.23 finish neck-and-neck in fourth and fifth, respectively to pick up a pair of Top 10 finishes.
Southwest DeKalb’s Micah Harris (26:23.58) grabbed a ninth place finish to round out the Top 10.
A one-two-three finish in the boys’ junior varsity race (2 miles) put the Clarkston Angoras on the way to a near perfect score of 19 on the way to a win.
Pacifique Muhire led the way setting the best JV time of the year with a 12:49.81 to win the individual race with teammates Jean Paul Irasubiza (12:50.02) and Claude Tusiime (12:52.56) right on his heels. The Angoras would put three more across in the Top 10 led by Ali Al-Muswey (14:06.88 in sixth, Fanuel Weldemichael (14:34.41) in seventh and Daniale Seyfu (15:15.80) in 10th.
King’s Kameron Sutton picked up a fourth place finish with a time of 13:53.30 as the Lions finished second with 76 points.
Redan was third overall edging out fourth place Cedar Grove 85-87 with Druid Hills in fifth with 99 points. The Raiders had two runners claim Top 10 finishes as Lodrick Scott (14:01.76) took fifth and Zamorvian Green (14:35.78) came across in eighth.
Southwest DeKalb’s Sanyi Hollie set the best JV time of the season clocking a 13:57.09 to win the girls’ individual title as Druid Hills squeezed by King 25-30 for the team title.
Druid Hills scored three Top 10 finishers including fourth place finisher Naomi Kieffer (18:44.47), sixth place Bailee Henderson (19:50.91) and in 10th Violet Kilfeather (22:35.10).
King got strong performances from Dymond Thompson (19:15.77) in fifth and India Thorpe (22:21.75) in 10th.
Cedar Grove’s Jada Gardner-Spikes (16:48.13) crossed in second and Redan put three runners in the Top 10 including third place finisher Ceony Jones (18:18.35), Kyra Smith (21:15.49) in seventh and Tasania Colquhoun (21:59.95) in eighth.
See link below for the DCSD Meet 3 Results: