Cambridge Cross Country Places Girls, Boys Team On State Meet Podium

Cambridge Cross Country places Girls and Boys team on the State Meet Podium

In just their fifth season, Boys place third and the Girls place fourth in 6A finals.

By Rich Morgan, Woody Phelps

Photos by: Rich Morgan, Christina Sechrest

Carrollton, GA

11/5/16

For the third year in a row both the boys and girls teams qualified to compete at Carrolton High School, annual site of the GHSA State Cross Country meet. And, for the first time in school history, the Cambridge Cross country team set foot on the GHSA podium in resounding fashion by placing both the Boys team (third place) and the Girls team (fourth place) firmly on the platform. As the only team in 6A to place both teams in the top four at the State Championships, Cambridge has established itself as one of the leading XC teams in Georgia.

The Boys team was lead by the stellar performance of Zach Morgan, who at 16:59 (9th place) shattered his previous best at the Carrollton course by over 45 seconds and became the first XC runner in Cambridge history to place in the top ten individually at the State finals. Following closely in was KJ Hirschi (15th place at 17:19) and Jack Filan (24th place at 17:32) to round out 3 boys in the top 25 State finishers. Ensuring the third place finish for the team was the strong showing of Zach Ellison (33rd place, 17:47) and Mark VandeWater (35th place, 17:48). Finishing out their high school cross country racing in style were seniors Matt Hogan (48th place, 18:07) and Colby Ertwine (64th place, 18:28), helping Cambridge to be one of only two teams placing all runners in the top 65! All of the five repeating state runners (Morgan, Hirschi, Filan, Hogan, and Ertwine) posted their best time ever on the state course and although the team will graduate 4 Seniors from this group, a strong returning group and depth in the JV boys program ensures the Cambridge boys should challenge for the 6A title again next year.

While on paper, the girls team was not expected to place as well as the boys, the collective effort and strategic teamwork moved the girls up 4 places from their anticipated finish to claim the final spot on the team podium. After a slower start than most top teams, the Cambridge girls were able to move their way up through the pack in the second half of the race to successfully gain the momentum they needed to upset regional foe Dunwoody. Clarissa Beck, rounding out a fantastic sophomore season, was the top Cambridge finisher at 21:12 to claim 26th place. Following closely behind and running with Clarissa for most of the race was Troyce Grant who at 21:19 (good for 29th place) posted her best Carrollton effort in her third attempt. Finishing in a flurry, and passing two Dunwoody girls on the final hill to guarantee the podium appearance were Chloe Phelps (37th place, 21:37), Chloe Paskins (38th place, 21:38) and Afton Hirschi (40th place at 21:39). Rounding out the team positions were first year runner Ashley Sechrest (53rd place, 22:10) and Senior captain Shealyn Brooks, who posted her best time on the Carrollton course (22:41, 64th place) to finish up her XC career. While missing 3rd place by just four points, the strong finish by the Cambridge girls managed to best Dunwoody by one point! A 27 second differential between the scoring runners was far and away the best in the 6A field, demonstrating the consistency of the girls team. Graduating only one senior from this year’s squad, the Cambridge girls figure to be one of the top teams in 6A again next year.