Buchholz High School and Oak Hall School each earned a cross country title over the weekend at the FHSAA championships in Tallahassee.  

The Buchholz High School boys cross country team earned a back-to-back FHSAA Class 4A gold, avenging their second-place finish to Oviedo High School at regionals. Last year’s victory came after a 30-year drought for the Bobcat boys.  

Seniors Demetrie Meyers (15 minutes and 29.8 seconds) and Samuel Freas (15:34.2) earned third and fourth-place finishes to start the team strong. At the first mile, Freas led the race with Meyers in 49th position. Meyers gained ground through the next two miles as Freas held his own. 

As a team, Buchholz was in ninth place after the first mile and then rose to second place before earning gold in the final mile.  

Another senior, Davis Garrett (15:58.4), finished eighth overall. Each of the seniors ran their season’s best performances. 

As a team, Buchholz was in ninth place after the first mile and then rose to second place before earning gold in the final mile.  

Coach Patrick Douma said the team finished strong at the championships with adjustments from regionals and for the hotter-than-expected weather. 

“It’s an orchestrated event that you try and make happen,” Douma said. “We’ve been lucky to make it happen for the last two years.” 

Junior Brennen Bentley (16:14.8) and sophomore Andrew Sides (16:31.1) rounded out the Bobcats’ scoring positions in 15th and 29th. Sides passed 102 runners between the first mile mark and the finish line, around half the number passed by the team as a whole. 

Douma said the challenging regionals the week before had an impact. Buchholz had battled Oviedo three times in the season, winning once and losing twice. Oviedo is ranked nationally in the top 30 teams, and Buchholz, he said, was probably overlooked heading into the championship.  

“Going against that caliber of team is not just winning a state championship,” Douma said. “You’ve got to win against a national caliber team.” 

Douma said he tried to give the team confidence heading into the championship by ending the final workout with an all-out mile, and three of the top five runners hit personal records.  

Heading into the meet, he said the team was relaxed and confident. They also worked to stay cool. 

Douma said the hot weather made the race more like an early season meet. The team stayed in the shade before the start, did warmups early and rubbed down with ice blocks event at the starting line.  

Watching the first runners come through the 2.5-mile mark, Douma said it all looked according to plan. And then, seeing Bently finishing in a top 10 position, Douma said he knew the team had its back-to-back title.  

Douma said four of the team’s six top runners graduated last year, and losing another three seniors, he said he’s confident the remaining and future students will step up. One of the biggest logistical issues is getting more boys to try out and join the team.  

The Bobcats had 25 runners this year, and with more students, Douma said there’s more opportunity to succeed. His goal over the next few years is to hit 40 runners, noting that many Florida schools already compete at that number or higher.  

The Buchholz girls team earned second at the regional meet and finished the season in fifth place, a single point behind fourth place and 25 points from a top-three finish.  

The Oak Hall School girls cross country team earned 132 points during the Class 1A championship, tying Providence School (Jacksonville). The Eagles ended in second place following the tiebreak, the sixth runner to cross.  

Senior Estella Collante (18:41.3) finished in fourth place individually.  

Oak Hall coach Edwin McTureous, who announced that this would be his final season coaching after 27 years, said Collante has been the team’s quiet leader for years. She earned All-State honors for her work.  

“To be one of the best distance runners in the state takes incredible dedication, and Estella embodies that every day,” McTureous said. “Her performance set the tone for our entire team.”  

After a disappointing finish last season, McTureous said the girls team started the hard work of cross country in June. He said the runners returned hungry, focused and committed to improving each day. 

Besides senior leadership, the Eagles also relied on young talent. Reese Allen (19:52.8), a seventh grader, finished as the team’s second runner in the 13th points position. Another seventh grader, Macie Bell (22:26.7), was the team’s fifth runner in 74th points position. 

Junior Lola Murfee (19:55.1) and sophomore Alexis Thur de Koos (22:26.7) grabbed the 14th and 28th points positions.  

The boys team finished in fourth place, and McTureous called senior Andrew Eisner (17:07.0) a rock up front.  

“Having a dependable number one like Andrew gives everyone else confidence, and his performance helped anchor our scoring on the biggest stage,” McTureous said.  

Eisner finished in 25th place individually, followed by freshman Henri Pelletier (17:20.8) in 32nd place. 

McTureous said the boys were determined to improve last season’s performance. He said the team showed the grit, maturity and commitment to each other that Eagle’s cross country is about.  

Closing out his 27 years at Oak Hall, McTureous said he couldn’t be more grateful, proud or blessed.  

“Coaching these athletes — and all the runners who came before them — has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” McTureous said.