Pace Academy Second, Fourth at State Cross-Country Meet

Staff Report

Rain and mud were no match for the Pace Academy varsity cross-country teams at the Georgia High School Association’s state meet on Nov. 7. The boys team entered the meet as Region 6AA champions and was ranked second, while the girls placed fourth at the regional competition and entered the meet as the No. 6 seed.

In the state meet, region champion sophomore Jack Douglass finished first for the Knights and second overall. Junior Rob Warren placed third overall, while junior Max Irvine was sixth. Strong performances from the remainder of the team put the Knights on the podium in second place, just nine points behind state-champion Bleckley County High School. Douglass, Warren and Irvine received All-State honors.

Four of the seven members of Pace’s girls team were freshmen competing in their first state meet, so veterans Julia Ross, Jilly Paul and Molly Richardson led the way. When all was said and down, the team placed fourth, with freshman Veronica Sandoval, junior Ross and freshman Carly Irvine making up the Knights’ top three, respectively.

“A successful season ended with a great team effort,” says Knights head coach Jolie Cunningham. “Our seven runners in each race needed the support of the entire team, so our other team members spread themselves throughout the course to yell support and encouragement to those running through the muck! The trophies of the day belong to the entire team because cross-country is a true team sport.”