Jayden Lee Captures 2nd Place, Morgan Brown 3rd In One Of Nation’s Biggest CC Meets
Sulphur was well represented at one of the nation’s most prestigious cross country meets, the boys winning ninth overall and the girls 4th.
Their performances came in last Saturday’s Chili Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark, a huge nationwide meet that attracted over 1,000 runners.
The boys were led by Morgan Brown’s third place medalist performance, and Jayden Lee’s second place girl’s effort.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this group of boys, said head coach Emile Heitland. “We ran incredibly well. This marks our third year attending this race, and until now, we had never had a medalist and our highest team finish was 14th. To not only have our first medalist but also place 9th as a team is a huge accomplishment. It’s a true testament to the dedication, hard work, and growth these young men have shown. Their commitment to improving as runners is really paying off.”
The girls also had an outstanding effort, competing in a field of 42 teams and 417 runners.
“This was the girls team’s first trip to the Chli Pepper Cross Country Festival, the largest race they’ve competed in thus far, and it proved to be a great experience,” said head coach Kari Seitz. “Competing in such a big, high-energy environment helps make future meets—like the state championship meet—feel less overwhelming.”
Heitland said the boy’s portion of the meet drew high school programs from Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana,Arizona and Oklahoma, making it an incredibly competitive field.
Following Brown’s third place effort in a massive field of 635 runners, were six other medalists, Keaton Seitz, Calvin Downey, Noah Heitland, Korbin Mayo, Andrew Hail, and Triston Barnes.
There were a total of 48 full teams and additional runners from 26 other schools, said Heitland, making the starting line massive.
Heitland said Brown ran one of his best races of the season.
“While he didn’t PR, the conditions weren’t ideal for fast times, temperatures were high, and with a massive field of 635 runners, there were several pinch points on the course that naturally slowed the pace,” said Heitland.
During the past few weeks, the boy’s team has been focusing on developing a strong finishing kick and that work paid off for Brown, said Heitland. “He (Brown) began his kick and looked incredibly strong down the stretch,” said Heitland. “He powered past four competitors in the final stretch to earn an impressive 3rd-place finish.”
The Lady Dog’s Lee also drew high praise from Seitz.
“Jayden Lee delivered an outstanding performance,” said Seitz. “She ran a smart race, positioning herself well early and showing grit and determi-nation as she battled for 2nd at the finish. Hannah Hail also had an impressive race, placing 24th and displaying that same determination all the way to the line. ”
Following Lee and Hail, the Lady Bulldogs were led by Rory McMillan, 31st; Paxtyn Hiser, 34th; Landry Eason, 75th; Mady Hatfield, 101st; and Danieal Rojo Rios, 130th.
“For many of the girls, this was their first 5K, but they rose to the challenge and ran with so much determination and heart,” said Seitz. Competing against teams and runners from multiple states, their 4th-place finish out of 42 teams was a huge accomplishment, and I’m extremely proud of every one of them.”
Junior High Teams Compete At Velma-Alma
Sulphur junior high cross country teams competed at Velma- Alma last Tuesday, the boys winning fifth out of 11 teams and field of 122, and the girls also fifth in a field of 162 runners and 16 teams.
The boys had 3 medalists, Jake Mann, 1st overall; Dautry Smith, 7th overall; and Skyler Sloan, 16th overall.
Others in order of finish were Levi Walther, Drew Digby, and Trypp Pulis.
Three junior high girls medaled in the meet. They included Jozi Gilliam, 2nd; Gabbi Pettigrew, 3rd; and Huntley Hatfield, 7th.
Sulphur’s Jayden Lee, left, and Morgan Brown led girl’s and boy’s cross country teams at last Saturday’s Chilli Pepper Festival in Fayettevile, Ark. Lee won second place medalist and Brown was third in a massive field of runners.
