Wildcats Have Great Day At Big Red Cross Country Invitational; Varsity Girls Claim Championship, Varsity Boys Second, Junior High Girls Third
Photos courtesy of Tiffany Jackson – Above: Varsity girls team with their first place trophy. (Left to Right) Hannah Love, Kaley Milliron, Adisen Jackson, Livia McGinley, Reise Jackson, Julianna Schwabenbauer, Eliza Datko, Dana Coulson
The Central Clarion Wildcats had a banner day at the Big Red Cross Country Invitational at West Middlesex.
Head coach Nicole Oakes shares this fine summary:
The Central Clarion Wildcats cross country teams turned in a stellar performance at Saturday’s (September 6th) Big Red Invitational, bringing home hardware across every division and showcasing their depth and determination against strong competition.
The day began with a statement victory from the Varsity girls, who claimed first place out of 16 teams. In a thrilling finish, the Wildcats edged out Mercer – the same team that had topped them just a week earlier – to secure the title. Every Varsity runner earned an individual medal, with all seven finishing under the 23-minute mark. Hannah Love set the tone with a swift 19:54, followed by Adisen Jackson (20:18), Julianna Schwabenbauer (22:01), Eliza Datko (22:19), Reise Jackson (22:23), Livia McGinley (22:31), and Kaley Milliron (22:46).
Not to be outdone, the Varsity boys finished third overall in a massive field of 19 teams, falling just ten points shy of first place – (First place Mohawk finished with 115 points, second place Wilmington had 118 and the Wildcats had 125). Senior standout Hayden Weber (17:20) led the way, while Joshua Turner 17:41), Jonas Wilshire (17:41), and Drake Edmonds (18:04) all claimed individual medals with top-50 finishes. Ryan Rinker rounded out the scoring five with a solid 19:29, helping the Wildcats stay in the hunt against some of the region’s best.
With such a deep roster, Central Clarion was also able to make waves in the JV races. Six athletes – Dana Coulson (10:35), Jackson Baker (9:10), Samantha Lewis (12:27), Griffin Edmonds (9:26), Kaleb Walker (9:50), and Noah Fredrick (9:54) – each earned top finisher medals, underscoring the strength and balance of the program from top to bottom.
The junior high girls’ team claimed an impressive third-place finish out of 13 teams. Every scorer for Clarion earned an individual medal, showcasing the team’s depth and consistency. Leading the way were Lauren Emings (10:31), Bryn Anderson (10:32), Adalyn Smith (11:30), Sutton Shoup (11:37), and Leah McBride (11:40), all crossing the line with top-finisher performances that pushed the Wildcats onto the podium.
On the boys’ side, Clarion had just one runner competing, but he carried the banner proudly. Liam Moore (9:55) battled through a massive field of 147 athletes to earn a 23rd-place finish, showing grit and determination against some of the best runners in the state.
It was a day that highlighted not only the Wildcats’ talent but also their resilience and depth, as they continue to build momentum for the heart of the season.
We are incredibly proud of the performance of our kids today, you know each kid isn’t currently at 100%, some due to injuries and some that are still continuing to build strength as the season progresses, so we really have been trying to work with the kids on being both reflective on how they feel and what is realistic for the day, and also understanding that we are still at a stepping stone stage of the season and hope to bring our full strength in weeks to come.
We are all really dreaming of this being a record setting season, doing things neither the former Clarion Bobcats or C-L Lions have on the books. Only time will tell but in its second season, weare starting to find our groove as one team.
(Great Meet Wildcats!!!! Thanks to Coach Oakes for this fine summary and to Tiffany Jackson for her photos!!)
COMPLETE MEET RESULTS