New faces run into cross country power rankings

Buchholz senior Emerson Miller cemented his position as the best cross country runner in the area and of all time.

He could be the first to win the 4A state championship in area history and now owns the fastest 5 kilometer area time and has this season’s second-fastest Florida time.

This week’s power rankings welcome Eastside’s Jackson Petty and St. Francis’ Sam Stone after two personal best performances.

On the girls side, Oak Hall’s Sydney Miller and Buchholz’s Kate Drummond continue to battle back and forth, each picking up a win in head-to-head competition. 

Buchholz’s Eleanor Whisler takes over the third spot. Oak Hall’s Alivia Dragstedt and MacKenzie Klein keep moving up along with PKY’s Cervantes twins (Paulina and Ellie).

The FSU Pre-State Invitational in Tallahassee on Oct.8 gave a mid-year evaluation of the area’s best runners as many competed against each other in the same race under the same conditions.

Boys

1. Emerson Miller, Sr, Buchholz
Miller recently ran the fastest time in area high school history at 14:57.41, to finish second at the Asics Alexander Invitational in Fairburn, Georgia. He followed that with a third-place finish at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 15:10.2. That was the second-fastest time in Florida this year and the fastest time in class 4A.

2. Caden Montini, Sr, Oak Hall
Montini finished 25^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 15:43.1.

3. Mason Kawaja, Sr, Buchholz
Kawaja finished 35^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 15:50.8.

4. Evan Fleming, Jr, Buchholz
Fleming finished 84^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 16:33.7.

5. Quinten Dragstedt, Jr, Oak Hall
Dragstedt finished 85^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 16:34.3.

6. Samuel Freas, Fr, Buchholz
Freas finished 102^nd at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 16:51.0.

7. Peter Peloso, So, Oak Hall
Peloso finished 128^th in a time of 16:59.8 at the FSU Pre-State Invitational.

8. Jackson Petty, Sr, Eastside
Petty set two new personal bests in the same week. On Oct. 4, he won the Alligator Lake Invitational in a time of 17:21.2 and on Oct. 8, he finished sixth on the Varsity A race at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 17:04.0.

9. Joshua Aldophson, Sr, Buchholz
Aldophson finished 165^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 17:15.9.

10. Sam Stone, So, St. Francis
Stone finished 13^th in the Varsity A race at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 17:22.0.

Girls

1. Sydney Miller, Sr, Oak Hall
Miller finished 30^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational to hand Drummond her second area defeat this season — both by Miller.

2. Kate Drummond, Sr, Buchholz
Drummond finished 40^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:06.0.

3. Eleanor Whisler, So, Buchholz
Whisler finished 44^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:15.3.

4. Lucy Voss, Jr, Buchholz
Voss finished 46^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:18.1.

5. Alivia Dragstedt, So, Oak Hall
Dragstedt finished 54th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:25.9.

6. Emma White, Jr, Buchholz
White finished 64^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:33.5.

7. MacKenzie Klein, Jr, Oak Hall
Klein finished 82^nd at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:53.0.

8. Lola Murfee, 8th, Oak Hall
Murfee finished 85^th at the FSU Pre-State Invitational in a time of 19:54.7.

9. Paulina Cervantes, Fr, P.K. Yonge
Cervantes won the Alligator Lake Invitational in a time of 20:23.6.

10. Ellie Cervantes, Fr, P.K. Yonge
Cervantes finished second at the Alligator Lake Invitational in a time of 20:28.9.