Sherwood girls run away with region title, boys second

ALBANY — Marigrace Garcia-Simmons crossed the finish line first Wednesday morning.

Then Sherwood Christian seemed to own it.

The Southwest Georgia Academy standout won the individual region championship, but the Lady Eagles followed in waves, placing seven runners among the first 11 finishers to capture the team title on a postcard-perfect October morning at Legacy Park.

Garcia-Simmons completed the course in 20 minutes, 43.67 seconds. Sherwood’s championship procession began immediately behind her.

Kaylee Hatcher finished second. Jordyn Ban was third. Sarah Postlewaite took fourth.

By the time Macy Hatcher crossed in eighth and McKenna Mingo followed in ninth, the Lady Eagles had all five scoring positions safely inside the top 10—and the region championship firmly in hand.

They still were not finished.

Sydney Dampler placed 10th, and Savannah Postlewait came home 11th. Seven of the first 11 runners wore Sherwood colors.

“We’ve been dealing with a lot of injuries, so our times are a little off,” James Byrd, Sherwood’s coach said. “The girls did a great job today. You can’t be mad about that finish.”

The Lady Eagles did not need one runner to win the race. They won it the way championship cross country teams often do: by keeping their pack together and leaving almost no room for anyone else near the front.

Southland Academy used a similar formula in the boys’ race.

Brookwood’s Nico Williams separated himself from the field to win the individual championship in 16:43.59, but Southland placed five runners among the first eight to claim the boys team title.

Southland’s Jesus Soto finished second in 17:09.24. Sherwood’s Natnael Russell was close behind, taking third in 17:28.76.

Sam Moorehead gave the Eagles another top-10 finish by placing sixth. KJ Bevel was 11th, while Raines Morton finished 16th and Tanner Mingo was 17th to complete Sherwood’s scoring lineup.

Sherwood already knew catching Southland would be difficult. The task became even more daunting when the Eagles lost their No. 3 runner to a broken leg suffered while playing basketball three days before the meet.

“We knew the boys were going to have a tough battle because Southland has a really strong team,” Byrd said. “We knew it was going to be tough before that, and then losing him three days before the region made it even more challenging.”

Both Sherwood teams now have a little more than a week to prepare for the state championships in Macon.

The Lady Eagles should arrive as one of the teams capable of challenging for a state title. Repeating Wednesday’s dominant pack finish, however, will require conquering a course far less forgiving than their familiar route at Legacy Park.

“There will be a lot more competition and there are a lot of hills,” Kaylee Hatcher said. “It is tough, and it makes your legs cramp up.”

Sarah Postlewaite believes the Lady Eagles can find another gear.

“I just hope we can run as well next week as we did today,” she said, “maybe better.”

That would be quite a sight.

On Wednesday, Sherwood did not produce the individual champion. It did something more important.

The Lady Eagles produced a championship team.