The Sulphur High School cross country teams got an early taste of competition Saturday when the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs competed in the annual Dickson practice meet.
The meet provided Sulphur runners with an opportunity to get back into the rhythm of racing before the official season begins. Because it was a practice meet, the event was limited to four teams, races were hand-timed, and no official placings or medals were awarded.
For Sulphur boys coach Emile Heitland, the meet served as a valuable measuring stick for his runners.
“The runners were able to go through their pre-race routines, compete against athletes from other schools and get a feel for racing again,” Heitland said.
The high school boys competed in a two-mile race, while the junior high boys ran one mile. Sulphur has participated in the Dickson practice meet for several years, giving the Bulldogs an opportunity to compare their performances with previous seasons.
That comparison produced several encouraging results, with most of the Sulphur runners improving significantly over their times from last year’s meet.
Leading the Bulldogs was returning state placer Morgan Brown, who improved his time by an impressive 1 minute, 12 seconds from his performance at last year’s Dickson meet.
Freshman Jake Mann finished as Sulphur’s second runner. Since Mann was not competing in high school cross country last year, he did not have a previous two-mile time for comparison.
Calvin Downey was the third Bulldog across the finish line, cutting 40 seconds from his time last year, while Keaton Seitz, Sulphur’s fourth runner, improved his time by 39 seconds.
Freshman Dautry Smith was the fifth Sulphur runner, followed by Andrew Hail. Hail posted a time comparable to his performance at last year’s meet. Freshman Banks Tucker rounded out the Bulldogs’ top seven.
Lady Dogs Encouraging The Lady Bulldogs also turned in an encouraging performance in their first competition of the season.
Sulphur girls coach Kari Seitz said the Dickson meet is a valuable way to begin the season because it allows runners to experience competition without the pressure of an official meet.
“The annual Dickson practice meet is a great way to start the season,” Seitz said. “Being a practice meet, it’s limited to four teams, is hand-timed, and no official placings or medals are awarded. Instead, the focus is on giving the runners a chance to compete and experience a race before the official season begins.”
Seitz said she was pleased with the effort from the entire girls team, particularly considering the limited competition pushing the runners.
“I am very happy with how well all the girls ran on Saturday,” she said. “They didn’t have a lot of competition pushing them and they still ran hard.”
Jayden Lee, Hensley Jarman and Hannah Hail led the Lady Bulldogs, with Hoda Garner, Jozi Gilliam, Huntley Hatfield, Mady Hatfield, Kamree Quinten, Alexa Medina, Jada Chioccola and Kerington Sloan finishing close behind.
The Dickson meet gave both Sulphur teams an early opportunity to evaluate their performances and identify areas for improvement before the official season gets underway.
For the Lady Bulldogs, the first official test comes Saturday at Bridge Creek, where the team will get its first opportunity to compete in a meet that counts toward the season.
With one practice competition already completed, both Sulphur squads will continue working toward the upcoming schedule with an early indication of where they stand and what they can improve upon as the season progresses.
