Panther cross country is back at full strength.
After a strong showing at the Kituwah meet hosted by Swain County the week before, on Sept. 23 Melissa Ward’s team traveled to Murphy for the annual Bulldog XC meet. Against four other area teams, Franklin’s girls narrowly took first, while senior Barrett Stork seemed back at full strength on his formerly injured foot.
On the girls side, sophomores Amy Mendoza Lopez and Mindi Holbrooks led Franklin once again, finishing sixth and seventh out of 64 in 21:11.9 and 21:58.5, respectively. After Holbrooks, sophomore Abigail Pope and freshman Morgan Cress also placed back-to-back, earning 14th and 15th with a 22:40.8 and a 22:41.8.
Breanna Pendergrass was the fifth Panther to cross the line, finishing 21st in 24:02.6. After Pendergrass, Lilly Cassada and Briseida Tlahuice-Flores became Franklin’s third pair of back-to-back finishers, placing 26th and 27th in 25:05.3 and 25:08.6.
As a team, the numerical value of Franklin’s top seven finishes added up to 52, narrowly beating out Fannin County, Georgia, (55) for first.
After being sidelined early this season with tendinitis and running his first meet at Kituwah, Stork seemed mostly back in midseason form. After Logan Russo placed third out of 82 in 17:05.1, Stork finished fourth with a 17:25.3. The two seniors placing back-to-back was a welcome and familiar sight for fans.
After Russo and Stork, fellow senior Matheson Post also earned a top-10 finish, placing 7th in 17:53.8. Junior Cooper Tyler just missed the top 10, placing 12th in 19:06.2. The finishes continued strong up-and-coming seasons for both runners.
After Tyler, junior Dane Hooper became the fifth Panther to cross the line, finishing 20th with a 19:32.4. Sophomore Jonas Phillips and junior David Rogers rounded out Franklin’s top seven, placing 48th and 51st with a 22:17.2 and a 22:27.3, respectively.
As a team, the Panthers’ top seven finishes yielded 145 points, good for second behind Fannin County’s 124.
After the relatively small meet at Murphy, Franklin prepared for a much tougher challenge at the Asics Cross Country Invitational Sept. 30. Held at Alexander High School in Douglasville, Georgia, just west of Atlanta, last year the meet featured several dozen teams from around the southeast, and should give the team a strong litmus test ahead of the pre-Mountain Seven Conference meet at West Henderson Oct. 4.