Deerfield-Windsor, Sherwood Christian shine at Hornet Hustle

MACON — One point separated Deerfield-Windsor from Stratford Academy after five scoring runners covered 15.5 miles Thursday.

That single point was enough to send the Knights home with a championship.

Junior Whatley Fountain won the boys race at the annual Hornet Hustle, and Deerfield-Windsor’s depth carried the Knights to a 55-56 victory over Stratford at the Georgia Premier Cross Country Course.

Fountain completed the 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes, 48.58 seconds, finishing more than a minute ahead of Sherwood Christian junior Natnael Russell. Russell placed second in 18:12.40, giving Albany-area runners the top two individual spots.

Fountain was only the beginning of Deerfield-Windsor’s strong showing.

Daniel Roland finished fourth in 19:00.61, and Adam Mallow placed eighth in 19:32.36. Senior Mills Cothren added a 14th-place finish in 20:26.18, putting four Knights among the first 14 runners across the line.

The championship then came down to the fifth scorer.

Sophomore Brycen Newsome completed Deerfield-Windsor’s scoring lineup with a time of 22:12.54. His contribution gave the Knights 55 points, allowing them to hold off a balanced Stratford team that placed all five of its scoring runners among the top 19.

Deerfield-Windsor finished with an average time of 19:36.

Central Fellowship Christian Academy placed third with 121 points, followed by host Westfield with 123. Sherwood Christian finished only two points behind Westfield, taking fifth with 125.

Russell led the Eagles, while senior Sam Moorhead finished 18th in 20:53.45. Sophomore Thompson Bennett posted a time of 22:09.61, senior KJ Bevel finished in 22:58.31 and senior Raines Morton completed Sherwood’s scoring five in 23:27.30.

Freshman Tanner Mingo finished in 26:22.67.

Albany runners also made their presence felt in the girls’ race, where Sherwood Christian and Deerfield-Windsor finished second and third, respectively, in the team standings.

Sherwood junior Kaylee Hatcher led the local finishers by placing third in 22:44.86. Sophomore Jordyn Ban gave the Eagles another strong performance, completing the course in 24:00.37.

Sarah Postlewaite finished in 26:53.40, followed closely by teammate Sydney Dampier in 26:57.29. Senior Macy Hatcher rounded out Sherwood’s scoring lineup with a time of 28:03.73.

Deerfield-Windsor’s girls relied on a tightly packed group led by freshman Alli Roland, who finished in 25:01.16. Fellow freshman Holli Roland crossed the line in 25:50.69, and freshman Reagan Church followed in 26:28.96.

Senior Maggie Collins recorded a time of 27:15.13, while senior Emily Rutledge completed the Knights’ scoring five in 27:32.62.

Deerfield-Windsor will return home for its annual cross-country meet Saturday at Albany State West Campus.