CC Teams Show Winning Form

Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs Win First Place In Red River Showdown

Sulphur senior Morgan Brown and freshman Jake Mann led the Bulldogs to a first-place team finish Saturday at the Marietta Red River Showdown cross country meet.

Brown captured individual medalist honors with a first-place finish, avenging an earlier loss to an Ardmore runner who had defeated him at the Dickson practice meet earlier this season.

Mann also turned in a strong performance, finishing fourth, while senior Calvin Downey placed fifth, junior Keaton Seitz seventh, freshman Dautry Smith 13th, junior Andrew Hail 17th and freshman Jagger Jennings 19th.

Head coach Emile Heitland said the Marietta course is known for being particularly challenging, including a steep hill runners must navigate twice. As a result, times are typically slower than they would be on a faster course.

With several talented runners competing, however, Heitland said the head-to-head matchups provided a valuable gauge of the Bulldogs’ progress.

“I thought we ran really well. We won some big matchups against some tough runners, and that was really encouraging to see,” Heitland said.

Brown’s victory was particularly significant after the Ardmore runner had defeated him at the Dickson practice meet earlier this season.

Downey and Seitz also picked up an important victory in their individual matchup against a talented Marietta runner who had defeated both Sulphur runners several times last year.

“It was really encouraging to see us win some of those matchups during the race,” Heitland said. “I think the team is progressing really well right now.”

Heitland also pointed to Hail and Jennings as two runners who made noticeable strides from the previous week. Both runners looked significantly stronger and contributed to Sulphur’s winning team performance.

With the most difficult portion of the schedule still ahead, Heitland said the Bulldogs need to build on the confidence gained at Marietta.

“We just need to stay on this upward trajectory as we enter into the meat of our schedule,” he said. “All of our races from this point forward are going to be really tough, so it was good to get some confidence leading into these upcoming meets.”

Lee, Jarman, Hail Pace Lady Bulldogs To Marietta Victory

Behind strong performances from Jayden Lee, Hensley Jarman and Hannah Hail, the Sulphur Lady Bulldogs raced to a first-place team finish Saturday at the Marietta Red River Showdown cross country meet.

Although the meet featured a smaller field than last week’s competition at Bridge Creek, head coach Kari Seitz said there was plenty of quality competition — and plenty of improvement from her runners.

“The course was definitely tougher than last week’s, so seeing so many of them improve their times was especially encouraging,” Seitz said. “Even those who didn’t quite hit a PR were very close to their best times.”

Lee led the Lady Bulldogs by capturing first place in 12:04, finishing just three seconds ahead of teammate Jarman, who was second in 12:07.

Hail placed sixth in 12:45, followed by Jozi Gilliam in eighth at 12:54. Huntley Hatfield finished 10th in 13:00, Hoda Garner was 11th in 13:02 and Mady Hatfield placed 18th in 14:05.

“Jayden, Hensley, and Hannah all ran another really strong race and are continuing to be consistent leaders for the team,” Seitz said.

Seitz also praised Jarman, Gilliam, Huntley Hatfi eld and Garner, who all posted personal-best times.

“Hensley, Jozi, Huntley, and Hoda all ran big personal bests, which is a great sign that they are getting more comfortable with the race distance and gaining confidence each week,” she said. “I’m excited to see how much they can continue to improve and push each other as the season goes on.”

Seitz also complimented Mady Hatfield, who finished in the top 20 and helped the Lady Bulldogs secure the team victory.

“It’s been really fun to watch these girls figure out what they are capable of,” Seitz said. “They are working hard, getting more confident, and continuing to improve every week, and that’s exactly what you want to see this early in the season.”