Dawgs capture three thirds, one second at Zavalla
By GEORGIA PURDY Newsboy Correspondent

Jasper cross country teams tallied three third place finishes and one second place at the Zavalla meet Saturday, Sept. 22.

"Our kids ran well, but the times were fast," Head Coach Terry Young said. "Our teams improved their times and we still placed third. The small schools have gotten so much stronger than they were a few years ago, and cross country seems to be a bigger sport in these schools. In fact, it seems to be a much bigger sport in this area now and much more competitive. Overall, it was a good meet."

Freshman Charlotte O'Brien led the varsity girls. O'Brien placed fourth, followed by Lauren Morgan, 13th, Allison Collins, Kelsey Walker, Natalie Duffner, Dorlexit Cheatham, Harlena and Teneshia Hadnot.

Although official meet results were not available by press time, Coach Tim Little said that the top five runners on the girls varsity team had their best times of the season.

Zach Riggins placed third and was the leader for Jasper's varsity boys team. He posted his season best at a little over 17 minutes on the three-mile course. Adam James, David Cleveland, Robert Adams, Jack Sanderson, Trayton Oakes, and Marco Mijares rounded out the team.

Matt Barrows led the Bulldog JV boys team, followed by Seth Bevil, Dylan Riggins, DJ Jackson, Parker Stover, Joseph Cheatham, and Shun-Marcus Preston.

Six of the JV runners were in the top 20. Barrows was in the top five and Bevil finished in the top 10.

"We're really proud of the JV boys," Young said. "We had some who showed a lot of improvement. Several of the varsity girls also improved their times and the others were consistent."

The junior high boys team placed second overall. Chris Armstrong was their top runner, followed by Carrion Grant, Crosby Jackson, Chandler Dockings, Eric Thomas, and Michael Little.