Iron Horses and Bishops dominate cross-country state qualifiers

Philip Simmons High School cross-country coach Josh Michael’s runners have had Nov. 11 circled on the calendar ever since the Iron Horses opened camp in late summer.

 

In fact, the Iron Horse boys and girls have been so focused and so fast that Michael had to tell his teams to pace themselves. It’s been that way since the first day of practice.

 

“As coaches, we have to constantly remind them that the state meet isn’t until November, and that it’s only August,” Michael said in an earlier interview.

 

The Iron Horses heeded their coach’s advice and the girls’ and boys’ teams have saved their best for last.

 

The Iron Horses were dominant Nov. 3 at the Class AAA state qualifier, which was held in Newberry.

 

The girls, who are attempting to repeat as state champs, and the boys, seeking their first state crown, overwhelmed the field. The qualifier was divided by “even” and “odd” categories, depending on their state ranking.

 

The girls, No. 1 in the state, won the “odd” division with a 29-90 victory over North Charleston. The Iron Horse boys, No. 2 in the state, won the “even” division with a 30-69 decision over Wren and Walhalla.

 

“I think we had a very impressive week of practices,” Michael said. “We ran with the right attitude and we ran relaxed. We were very focused.

 

The girls had five runners place in the top 11. Laura Perry led the Iron Horse girls with a time of 19:29.00 over the 5-kilometer course to claim the gold medal. Avah Mallek claimed the silver, 20 seconds behind Perry.

 

Anna Alomar finished in fourth while Emmy Wood was eighth and Kezia Varner held down 11th.

 

The boys had all five of their runners finish in the top 10.

 

Pierce Walker claimed the bronze medal with a time of 16:11.60. Joseph Wright was fourth and Ian Mullaney sixth. Ryan Rousseau finished in seventh place and Matthew Perry was 10th.

 

Meanwhile, Bishop England dominated the Class AA Lower State qualifier, which was held Nov. 4 at Newberry.

 

The Bishop girls, who are seeking their second straight state title, outscored Academic Magnet 25-57 to win the “odd” division. The BE boys were dominant, claiming the top five places to gain a 15-58 victory over Landrum.

 

Nora Brahim was first overall with a time of 18:30.00. Madison Riley claimed the bronze while Nini Clarke was sixth, Bo Rosato seventh and Grace Buss eighth.

 

The Bishop girls, who are seeking their fifth state title overall, will face a big challenge from Greer Middle College.

 

The Bishop boys will be seeking their seventh state title overall and first since 2021. Their biggest challengers will be Academic Magnet and Greer Middle College.

 

Charlie Tessier led the Bishops’ 1-5 finishes with a gold medal effort of 16:41.00. JJ Romano won the silver medal and Jackson Muller claimed the bronze. Marc Brahim was fourth and Gabe Hislop held down fifth place.