BHS XC 2022 Report

 

5A State Championships, Oaklawn Park, Nov. 3

Batesville seniors finished their cross-country careers demonstrating “a Pioneer never quits” Thursday (Nov. 3) at the 5A state championships at Oaklawn Park.

From Lady Pioneer Kate Gunter starting in the first race of the day to Michael Bandy finishing a 5K for the first time as the last man on the course with the whole team cheering him through the last mile of the boys race, the seniors filled Coach Stan Fowler’s heart with pride.

Bandy has practiced with the team throughout his high school years, but seldom has suited up and has had to walk off halfway on the few roster trips he has made. Thursday was a slow but steady triumph of the spirit. He wasn’t fast — the lead runners lapped him in their third mile on the loop course as he finished his first — but he was steadfast, maintaining a trot the whole way. Only two boys were left on the course after half an hour, but Jacksonville’s Nathaniel Green on an injured leg and Bandy both persisted. And then there was one, Bandy alone on the expansive infield of the horse race park. His teammates, their parents and siblings, and coaches spread out along the last mile to support him all the way to the line at 41:41.

The camaraderie and mutual support has been a hallmark of this year’s squads, from the Nikkels sisters as leaders of the junior and senior girls teams, to the Insell twins and Wixson brothers on the boys teams, to the basketball recruits from Coach Fowler’s girls teams and Assistant Coach Cody Matheny’s boys hoopers, to the band and swim contingents, volleyball and cheer buddies, this has been a diverse, committed, yet close-knit group.

Senior Kate Gunter has been an important pace guide for newcomer Kaylee Montgomery and fast-improving returnee Tamera Deutsch. Gunter’s consistency and strength carrying over from swim distance events has helped the underclasses learn their own natural pace and set new targets. Gunter’s career best came last year at state in 26:01. Her times this year have been a bit slower wrestling with sore legs and limited practice with scheduling conflicts, but she finished Thursday in 26:58, her fifth fastest time over her three years with the team.

The Pioneers are a young crew, with Daniel Latus and Andrew Wixson the only other seniors. Wixson hands the family keys off to brother Reece, the eighth-grader who leads the junior high boys. Like Gunter for the ladies, Wixson’s career best came last year at state, but he got within 10 seconds of it this year as he hit the line in 23:20, his second-best ever. He and Latus are among the band crossover talents. Latus, too, had his best last year at state in his only race ever under 22:00. He closed his career with a 23:03 and headed after the race to Russellville with junior teammate Ethan Byler and the Insells for a swim meet.

On a day for seniors, youth and multitalents were also on display. Sophomore Ethan Insell logged his PR in 18:33, a time surpassed since 2016 only by former all-state Pioneers Gunner Shell and Brandon Grant. Insell and twin Jackson dashed off to the swim meet after Jackson clocked his 21:58, just 15 seconds off his PR from last week at district. Swim teammate Ethan Byler, a junior, sped in at 19:40, also 16 seconds off his district PR last week.

Third scorer for the boys was sophomore Isaac Wehrung in his PR of 20:44, 14 seconds faster than his run at the pancake-flat Valley View Invitational course a couple of weeks ago. Fifth scorer was Quiz Bowl stalwart Alexandre Tenace, an improving junior, in 22:47. Basketball cross-trainer Rafael Thomas, a sophomore, rounded out the roster in 25:07 after a fun sprint start to lead the first 100 yards. The Pioneers had the early front-runner and the last finisher for an alpha-pi(oneer)-omega morning.

The ladies were first to start at 9 a.m., with junior Clara Nikkel working her way through the crowd for a solid first mile in 7:15, on her way to a 24:30 finish, her third-fastest ever. Classmate Kinley Dorris carried through her own strong start for her third-fastest as well in 25:35. Sophomore Kaylee Montgomery hit the line in 26:16, her second-best of her five races as a newcomer this year. Gunter followed as fourth scorer, half a minute ahead of junior Tamera Deutsch’s 28:33. Deutsch started the season over 37:00 for the 5K, and Thursday was her second-fastest and only the second time ever under 29:00.

The future of the program was on exhibit, too, as freshmen Yuridia Barrios, 29:32, and Taylor Bishop, 32:16, kept their junior high pace at double the distance in their senior high debuts on the big stage. Sophomores Mackenzie Vestal and Sianna Balderas were sidelined by injuries but provided plenty of moral support throughout the day.
Official results are available at ar.milesplit.com.

RESULTS AND FINISH LINE VIDEO: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/453443-arkansas-state-cross-country-championships-2022/results.

5A-East Championship, Joe Mack Campbell Park, Oct. 25

The Lady Pioneers finished second in the 5A-East cross-country championship Tuesday behind powerhouse host school Valley View. Lady Blazer senior Kendal Minton won in 20:50 followed by six teammates in the next eight places.

Batesville junior Clara Nikkel finished 10th in 24:25 as the Lady Pioneers took three of the next five places in the 5K at Jonesboro’s Joe Mack Campbell Park. Senior Kate Gunter and junior Kinley Dorris kicked it in together in 12th and 13th in Gunter’s season best 26:09. Sophomore Kaylee Montgomery fought through the wind for 20th in 28:43 and junior Tamera Deutsch finished 26th as fifth scorer in 32:19.

The Lady Pioneers lay claim to one team title, two runnerup finishes, and two third places in nine meets on the season.

The senior high boys race was a much tighter affair, with West Memphis, Searcy, and Valley View scoring three runners each in the top 10. Batesville sophomore Ethan Insell squeezed into eighth in his best-ever 18:44 to lead the Pioneers to a fourth-place team finish.

Omarion Shaw of West Memphis broke free of an early challenge to win in 17:50 with four Searcy and Valley View runners battling about 20 seconds behind. Searcy edged Valley View 38-41 for the team title.

Batesville junior Ethan Byler matched his personal record to the hundredth of a second in 19:23.76, despite high wind and rain-softened ground on the same course as last week’s Blazer Invitational. Sophomore Isaac Wehrung ran 21:07, with classmate Jackson Insell close behind in 21:43, a one-minute PR improving from just a week ago. Junior Alexandre Tenace finished in 21:48, senior Daniel Latus a season’s best 22:30, sophomore Rafael Thomas in his PR of 23:31, and senior Andrew Wixson in 23:40.

Four of the six young junior Lady Pioneers raced to PRs to finish third behind Greene County Tech and Valley View. Seventh-grader Eva Gonzalez of GCT won in 10:47, just ahead of eighth-grade teammate Kaely Orick in 10:52.

Lady Pioneer seventh-graders Darcy Nikkel and Molly McLean ran strongly together in 12:43, with eighth-grader Lydia Montgomery keeping pace just behind in 12:56. It was the first time under 13:00 for 1.5 miles for McLean and Montgomery. Ninth-grader Taylor Bishop dropped under 15:00 for the second time at 14:35. Classmate Isabella Gutierrez-Zamora chopped 15 seconds off her debut last week, crossing the line in 15:12 as fifth scorer. Seventh-grader Roslyn Carmona logged the other PR, dropping almost a minute off her best to go under 16:00 for the first time at 15:32.

Searcy and Valley View junior boys matched the senior 1-2 finish with Searcy freshman Nick Sherwood winning in 9:00. Batesville eighth-grader Reece Wixson finished 13th in a steady 10:16. He closes his season with five finishes from 10:11 to 10:17 in nine races. Classmate Parker Rodgers finished at 11:01, just off last week’s PR.

The junior Pioneers closed their season, but the senior high competes next week at the state championships at Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs.

RESULTS AND FINISH LINE VIDEO:
https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/138323 and official results at https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/496549-5a-east-conference-meet-2022/results/.

NEXT UP: 5A State Championship Thursday, Nov. 3, at Oaklawn Race Track in Hot Springs, senior high only. Girls run first at 9 a.m.; boys at 9:45.

Blazer Invitational, Joe Mack Campbell Park, Oct. 18

Cooler weather brought out the best in a dozen Batesville Pioneer runners Tuesday at the Valley View Blazer Cross Country Invitational.

Junior high girls started things of right as three of the five ran personal records, led by seventh grader Darcy Nikkel at 11:50, her best by nearly half a minute. Eighth-grader Lydia Montgomery’s 13:42 chipped 11 seconds off her best but ninth-grader Taylor Bishop made the biggest advance at 14:22, her first time under 15:00. Isabella Gutierrez-Zamora held up well in her first race at 15:28 as fifth scorer.

The team finished ninth with 21 schools entered on the flat course at Jonesboro’s Joe Mack Campbell Park. Valley View (52) nipped Greene County Tech (53) for the team title in a battle of Pioneer conference rivals. Lauren Thompson of Annie Camp (9:31) claimed the individual crown.

Southside had top 20 finishers in Breanna Lopez (11th, 10:51) and Serenity Harrison (20th, 11:18). Heather Johnson ran 14:40.

For the junior Pioneer boys, eighth-grader Parker Rodgers lopped 40 seconds off his best at 10:55, joining classmate Reece Wixson (10:15, a few seconds off a PR of his own) in the under-11:00 club. Searcy topped Valley View for the boys title in another one-two finish for 5A-East schools. The individual race was a dramatic one-two affair as well, with Harper Huckabee of MacArthur Junior High (8:25.79) nosing ahead of Searcy’s Nick Sherwood (8:25.90) in a photo finish.

The senior Lady Pioneers managed even better group results than the younger set, with four of the six racing to PRs as the team finished third behind host Valley View and Conway. Though 20 schools entered athletes, the Blazers and Wampus Cats took 13 of the first 20 scoring places. Conway’s Meg Swindle ran 19:46 for the win. The Lady Pioneers were the only other school to get as many as three in the top 20 scorers.

Junior Clara Nikkel broke under 24:00 for the first time at 23:48, while classmate Kinley Dorris broke 25:00 for the first time, improving her PR by a full minute. Sophomore Kaylee Montgomery continues to shed more than a minute each week, dropping to 25:10 from 28:32 in her debut two weeks ago. Yet the biggest improvement of all came from junior Tamera Deutsch, dropping three minutes for the second week in a row to hit 27:26. She has become a steady fifth scorer for the squad as they prepare to return to the same fast course next week for the 5A-East championship. Senior Kate Gunter ran a few seconds off her season’s best at 26:45 and sophomore Sianna Balderas finished in 34:19.

Southside finished fifth with a lineup of Mascha Neukomm (24:35), Karol Hernandez (25:24), Vega Granados (27:21), Emma Montgomery (32:43), and Lory Hernandez (34:41).

The senior Pioneers also boast four PRs and two season’s bests for their seven finishers. Junior Ethan Byler ran a well-paced race with a strong finishing mile for 19:23. Sophomore teammate Ethan Insell ran under 6:00 the first mile before fading in the final mile, though still his second-best effort on the season at 20:31. Sophomore Isaac Wehrung dropped a minute from his best at 20:58, and junior Alexandre Tenace sliced another 1:57 off last week’s PR to cross in 21:31.

Jackson Insell, a soccer player in other seasons, took naturally to the flat sports complex course through and around soccer, baseball, and softball fields, as he kicked it in for his PR of 22:34. Senior Daniel Latus ran a season’s best 22:39, as did classmate Andrew Wixson at 23:34.

Jonesboro grabbed four of the first five scoring places to top Conway for the boys title. Jonesboro’s Cole Kelly won in 16:27.

Whitman Hickey led Southside at 20:56, ahead of Caleb Middleton (22:06), Izaiah Puckett (22:42), Caleb McCollum (24:58), Hunter Baker (24:59), and Carson Berry (28:19).

RESULTS AND FINISH LINE VIDEO: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/120645 and pending processing at ar.milesplit.com.

NEXT UP: 5A-East championship Tuesday, Oct. 25, back at Joe Mack Campbell Park with senior girls scheduled to run first at 3 p.m.

Bald Knob Invitational, Bald Knob Country Club, Oct. 11

Pioneer runners fared well individually though the teams finished back in a strong field Tuesday at the Bald Knob Invitational.

The challenging hills of the Bald Knob Country Club suited junior Alexandre Tenace just fine as he ran his career best by half a minute at 23:28. As what goes up must come down, classmate Tamera Deutsch took advantage of the downhill gravity assist in the girls race, with a three-minute personal best at 30:35.

Senior Andrew Wixson ran a season’s best by a minute in 25:31. Sophomores Isaac Wehrung (22:27), Jackson Insell (23:56), and Rafael Thomas (24:03) all ran within seconds of season’s best. Junior Ethan Byler led the boys for the first time at 21:54, pushing ahead of sophomore Ethan Insell at 22:07. Former Pioneer Ryan Barber, a sophomore, finished 11th of 163 in 19:17 for Cedar Ridge.

Rural Special won the team title ahead of a young Melbourne squad of four freshmen and a sophomore.

For the Lady Pioneers, junior Clara Nikkel dropped under 25:00 for the third time in her career at 24:55 in 31st for the best individual place of the day. Classmate Kinley Dorris also nearly matched her season’s best from the flat, lightning fast Jacksonport Park course, taking Tuesday’s hills in stride at 26:11. Newcomer sophomore Kaylee Montgomery ran third for the team in 27:19, a minute faster than her debut the previous week. Deutsch ran fifth for the ladies, side by side for the middle mile with senior Kate Gunter, who was fourth scorer in 29:14. Sophomore Mackenzie Vestal battled a sore ankle to finish within half a minute of her best at 36:52.

Youth was again served as Harding took the team crown with a junior, two sophomores, and two freshmen as their scoring five.

The junior high Pioneer girls are young themselves, with only team champion Mountain View and three other schools of the 36 entered also featuring three seventh-graders in their scoring five. Seventh-grader Molly McLean handled the longer-than-usual 1.8-mile distance well at 15:38, continuing to draw closer to classmate and team leader Darcy Nikkel (15:31). Eighth-grader Lydia Montgomery also edged forward at 16:42, with freshman Taylor Bishop fourth scorer at 18:20 and seventh-grader Sophie Krug right behind at 18:34. Roslyn Carmona finished strong and steady at 20:44.

Eighth-graders Reece Wixson (12:27) and Parker Rodgers (13:23) were the lone junior Pioneer boys among 265 finishers from 37 schools in the crowded field.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/450148-bald-knob-cross-country-invitational-2022/results
FINISH LINE VIDEO: https://www.macsrts.com/2022_mrts_results.htm
NEXT UP: Two Tuesdays at Jonesboro’s Joe Mack Campbell Park in the Valley View Blazers Invitational (Oct. 18) and then the 5A-East championship (Oct. 25).

Cave City Caveman Open, Oct. 4

A crowded field at Tuesday’s Caveman Open cross country meet proved a stern test for area schools. Entries from 46 schools put 800 runners over the finish line across the four races.

Batesville’s senior girls scored the best team finish in fifth place (124 finishers, eight teams, 32 schools). Cave City and Southside did not have a scoring team of five runners. Batesville senior boys finished ninth, Southside 10th, and Concord 11th among 147 finishers, 14 teams, and 37 schools. Cave City had three finishers. Cedar Ridge’s lone runner, Ryan Barber, finished 12th overall at 19:11 in the best local individual finish.
Concord junior girls finished 14th and Batesville 17th. Cave City’s Aubree Milligan ran well in 14th overall at 11:00 in quite a crowd of 245 finishers, 22 teams, and 40 schools. Her team of four was one short of a scoring squad. Concord junior boys finished 12th, host Cave City 14th, and Cedar Ridge 20th in the day’s biggest race with 265 finishers, 24 teams, and 41 schools.

For Batesville, it was a day of strong performances from the midpack. The senior girls tied with Salem at 146 points but the first tiebreaker is best sixth runner and Salem fielded only five. Second tiebreaker is best fourth runner, so Kaylee Montgomery made the difference in her first race for the Lady Pioneers, finishing in 28:32, actually ahead of Salem’s third runner. (Salem’s Marleigh Sellars finished fifth overall to help the team score.)

Sophomore Montgomery finished just behind Batesville’s lone senior, Kate Gunter, after running the last mile of the course together. Gunter moved up three places over the last 100 yards to finish in 28:22. Junior Kinley Dorris also fought back-and-forth at the finish in a group of five as she came in at 27:09. Sophomore Kennedy Johnson ran a near PR as fifth scorer at 29:59. Sophomore Mackenzie Vestal had to race in borrowed shoes as her running shoes went missing, but that worked out well as she ran a one-minute personal best at 36:22.

The junior Lady Pioneers nearly all ran close to their PRs, led by Darcy Nikkel at 12:31. She has registered some of the fastest times for a Pioneer seventh grader in years as the leading lady all season. Ninth grader Yuridia Barrios is rounding back into form after a late return this season, finishing in 13:20, just in front of another seventh-grader, Molly McLean, at 13:33. Tiebreaker Kaylee’s younger sister, eighth-grader Lydia Montgomery, ran 13:58, and seventh-grader Sophie Krug hit 15:24 in her second race.

Junior Ethan Byler ran his PR for the senior boys in 20:36. He and teammate Ethan Insell (20:32) battled for places with Slade Smith of Westside Consolidated (20:28), Julian Folk of Sloan-Hendrix (20:29.2), and Brock Smith of Cave City (20:29.6). Pioneer junior Alexandre Tenace missed his best ever by a few seconds at 23:52. Senior Andrew Wixson ran his season’s best at 26:20.

Wixson’s brother, Reece, was the lone junior high Pioneer, and the eighth-grader ran a strong 10:13, less than 2 seconds off his PR.

Team and individual winners were:
Junior girls: Mountain View (five runners in top 20), Emma Akins of Mountain View 9:39, half a minute ahead of the field.
Junior boys: Searcy (four runners in top 15), Tyler Newton of Mountain View 8:54, narrowly beating Nick Sherwood of Searcy at 8:56.
Senior girls: Quitman (a score of 32 narrowly edging Harding at 35), Ellie Akins of Mountain View 20:58, more than a minute ahead of nearest challenger.
Senior boys: Searcy (4 runners in top 10), Tate Stacks of Quitman 17:08, 40 seconds in front.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/460674-4th-annual-caveman-open-2022/results
FINISH LINE VIDEO: https://www.macsrts.com/2022_mrts_results.htm
NEXT UP: Bald Knob Invitational, Oct. 11, junior boys start at 4 p.m., junior girls at 4:20, senior boys 4:40, senior girls 5:10.

Sloan-Hendrix Invitational, Old Davidsonville State Park, Sept. 27

Junior Clara Nikkel nabbed a top 20 medal in a crowded field of tough competition for the Lady Pioneers at Tuesday’s Sloan-Hendrix Cross Country Invitational at Old Davidsonville State Park.

She raced to 17th place in 25:51 for the 5K, a three-minute improvement from her time at the same event a year ago as she has grown as team leader. The team finished seventh among 23 schools represented, with Harding Academy taking the championship, led by individual winner Zoe Williamson in 21:49. Southside’s girls did not have a team score with only four finishers, Mascha Neukomm leading in 34th at 27:29.

Nikkel’s junior classmate Kinley Dorris also improved more than half a minute from 2021, finishing 45th in 28:25. For team scoring, Nikkel counted 12th and Dorris 27th. Senior Kate Gunter and sophomore Kennedy Johnson closed strong to finish 53rd (34th) and 54th (35th). Johnson dropped 90 seconds from her time two weeks ago, continuing to improve in only her third run at the distance.

The junior girls fielded a scoring team of five runners for only the second time on the season, with seventh grader Darcy Nikkel 34th of 161 finishers, at 12:59. The core pack finished close together with eighth-grader Lydia Montgomery 75th, freshman Yuridia Barrios 77th, and seventh-grader Molly McLean 79th on the woodland trail and rolling ground. Seventh-grader Sophie Krug ran 15:59 on the 2.5K course to round out the scoring five in her debut race.

5A-East rival Valley View won the team title, with Pangburn’s Riley Farris (10:26), Annie Camp’s Lauren Thompson (10:29), and Pangburn’s Jaesha Smith (10:32) in a tight finish at the front. Southside ran well but one short of a team score, with eighth-graders Bailey Caddy (24th, 12:23) and Serenity Harrison (25th, 12:31) and freshman Ally Braswell (27th, 12:36) closely bunched. Eighth-grader Heather Johnson finished 67th in 14:09.

The Pioneer senior boys finished sixth among 20 schools, with sophomore Ethan Insell just outside of the medals in 23rd (14th in team scoring) at 20:48. The Pioneers are young, as most of them ran the shorter junior high race in 2021, but seniors Andrew Wixson (26:56) and Daniel Latus (26:17) both improved by half a minute year to year.

Jonesboro easily won the team championship with the first four finishers led by junior Owen Church at 18:16. Southside’s boys finished eighth, led by Whitman Hickey at 24:26.

Two junior Pioneer eighth-graders, Reece Wixson (39th, 10:48) and Parker Rodgers (109th, 12:53), faced the biggest field of the day, with 28 schools and 191 finishers. Valley View won the junior boys competition as well, taking second, third, and fourth behind Searcy freshman Nick Sherwood’s winning time of 9:02. He edged Blazer freshman Parker Byron by less than a second.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/472884-sloan-hendrix-river-run-2022/results
NEXT UP: Caveman Open, Oct. 4. Junior girls start at 3:30 p.m.

Tuckerman Bulldogs River Run at Jacksonport Park, Sept. 17

The Lady Pioneers proved to be morning stars , racing to the team title Saturday at the Tuckerman Bulldog River Run with a 1-2-3 finish.

Junior Clara Nikkel came within half a minute of her personal record, leading wire to wire to win in 24:43. Classmate Kinley Dorris got even closer to her PR, just 20 seconds off in 25:57 for second place. The cooler morning weather and flat, fast riverside course at Jacksonport State Park suited the ladies just fine, as the squad’s only senior, Kate Gunter, surged to third less than a minute off her own PR.

Sophomore Sianna Balderas and junior Tamera Deutsch made teamwork pay, running well together to finish 10th and 11th. Their places lifted the ladies to the team title with 25 points to edge host Tuckerman with 30. Deutsch continues to improve as the practice miles add up, dropping another minute from her time Tuesday at the Pioneer Invitational. Sophomore Mackenzie Vestal finished in a steady 38:53 on the two-lap senior high course.

The Pioneer boys battled to the runnerup trophy behind a fleet, young Melbourne squad of three freshmen in the top six behind their teammate sophomore Shawn Wortham, the winner in 19:15.

The Pioneers are young themselves, with sophomore Ethan Insell finishing fourth in his season’s best 19:50. Junior Ethan Byler took seventh in 20:52 with sophomore Isaac Wehrung zipping to his PR of 22:05 in ninth place. Senior Daniel Latus was 12th two minutes faster than his time Tuesday in the crowded field at Sulphur Rock. Sophomore Jackson Insell again rounded out the scoring five in 14th place, dropping under 24 minutes for the first time. Sophomore Rafael Thomas, cross-training from basketball, finished 16th in 23:55, also his first time under 24 minutes in only his third 5K. Senior Andrew Wixson ran 26:51.

The race was a reunion of sorts with former Pioneer cross-country and basketball athletes Ryan Barber and Kade Barber, now at Cedar Ridge. Ryan, a freshman standout for the Pioneers last year, finished second in 19:34. Senior Kade was a late entry to the field, but finished eighth in 21:43 in his first run since junior high days with the Pioneers.

The junior Pioneers did not have scoring teams of five runners as the Bulldogs took both junior team plaques. Pioneer eighth grader Reece Wixson just missed a boys medal in 12th at 10:39 on the 2.5K course. Classmate Parker Rodgers was 29th in 14:17. Tuckerman’s Christian Ashley and Zeke Church finished 1-2 in just over 9 minutes.

Riverside’s Briley Travis was 30 seconds ahead of the girls field in 10:20, with teammate Henleigh McAnally fifth in 12:09, but Tuckerman depth in the midpack gave them the win. The Lady Bulldogs edged Melbourne 38-41. Darcy Nikkel grabbed a medal for the Lady Pioneers in seventh place, rewarded for her one-minute PR of 12:14. Newcomer Molly McLean narrowly missed a medal in 12th at 13:10 and fellow newcomer Roslyn Carmona dropped 40 seconds from Tuesday’s race, finishing in 16:10.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/492970-tuckerman-bulldogs-river-run-2022/results
NEXT UP: Race on the Ridge at Crowley’s Ridge College, Sept. 20. SENIOR girls start at 3 p.m.

Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock, Sept. 13

The Pioneer senior boys grabbed second place to defend home turf Tuesday in the Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock. Speedy guests Valley View and Lakeside otherwise had a monopoly on the team hardware, with Valley View taking the junior high team titles with Lakeside runners up. Lakeside won the senior high titles with Valley View runners up in senior girls. Nearly 500 racers from two dozen schools competed.

The Pioneers were led by sophomore Ethan Insell and junior Ethan Byler claiming the last two individual medals in 14th and 15th places (eighth and ninth in team scoring). Depth on the day made the difference for the seven scoring teams and 87 finishers. Valley View was one point ahead of the Pioneers after tallying the first four of five scoring runners, but twin Jackson Insell finished 18 scoring places ahead of the Blazers’ fifth to give the Pioneers a 17-point edge. The Blazers are loaded with ninth grade boys who figure to rise for the district championship on their home turf in October, so a rematch promises to be interesting. The table at right lists overall/team place, runner, and time.

Lakeside’s Joseph Bariola ran away from the field in a blazing 16:04, more than two minutes ahead of teammate Connore Castleman. The team put five runners in the top 10 for 16 points, one point shy of a perfect score and well clear of Batesville’s 73.

The senior girls race was a tight contest with Valley View’s Kendal Minton winning in 21:13.68, 40 seconds ahead of teammate Emma Jarrett. Lakeside squeezed five runners in the first nine for 26 points, besting the Blazers with their five in the first 13 for 31. The Lady Pioneers had a tight group midpack, with Clara Nikkel, Kinley Dorris, and Kate Gunter 16th, 17th, and 18th in team scoring to take fourth place, just behind Salem. The dry course and summer heat took a toll on the 66 ladies and seven scoring teams at the day’s last race with a bit more than usual respiratory distress in evidence.

The junior high races featured near-photo finishes for the individual titles. Lakeside’s Brendal Brunet ran 9:56.50 barely holding off Valley View’s Avery Agee at 9:57.03. The first five Blazers all finished in the top 13 for 37 points, with Lakeside’s first four in the top 25 for 59 points. The junior Lady Pioneers had a full scoring contingent for the first time as seventh-graders Molly McLean and Roslyn Carmona made their debuts and ninth-grader Yuridia Barrios returned for her first race of the year. Seventh-grader Darcy Nikkel again led the way in 13:19, and ninth-grader Taylor Bishop dropped more than a minute off her time for her personal record at 15:00. The 24 schools fielded 14 scoring teams and 141 finishers.

Valley View’s Reece Smith (8:46.59) edged teammates Parker Byron (8:47.56) and Aaron Agee (8:48.68) for individual honors in junior boys. The Blazers made it look like a team workout, with five of the first six runners and a near-perfect score of 16. The Lakeside scoring five all finished in the top 25, for 69 points. Junior Pioneer Reece Wixson finished 29th in 10:17 and Parker Rodgers 69th in 11:35 among the 167 runners from 12 scoring teams and two dozen schools.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/485218-batesville-invitational-sulphur-rock-2022/results.
Individual results and linked finish-line video are available at https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/136239#resultSetId-339132;perpage:100
NEXT UP: Tuckerman Bulldogs Invitational at Jacksonport State Park, Sept. 17. Junior girls start at 9 a.m.

Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Sept. 6

The Lady Pioneers moved one step closer to a team title, fighting to second place at the Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational after taking third the previous week at Lyon College. Clara Nikkel led the way in a steady 26:27.60, right on the edge of the front 10 throughout. She finished 11th overall, eighth for the team scoring. Kate Gunter and Kinley Dorris swapped team scoring spots from Lyon, with Gunter pushing through to hold off a late challenger in 28:39.32 for 20th/11th. Dorris finished strong too, closing on a couple of rivals in the last half mile and catching one just before the line to finish 25th/13th in 29:26.55.

Quitman took the team title with five finishers in the top 10, led by Allison Cater in third at 24:12. Mountain View had the first two finishers with Ellie Akins winning in 22:07 ahead of Kaitlyn McCarn in 23:21, but Batesville was the only other school to get three runners in the top 25.

Pioneer sophomore Kennedy Johnson, who gets her leg work in with the volleyball and cheerleading squads, handled the flat fields of Melbourne better than the rolling hills and varied terrain of Lyon, finishing 34th/18th in 31:23.03. Junior Tamera Deutsch again gave the ladies a steady fifth scorer, dropping to 36:06.58 nearly a minute and a half improvement in a week. Sianna Balderas ran well through the first mile until retiring when taken ill.

Late surges served the Pioneer senior boys well, too, as Ethan Insell passed a string of four or five runners in the last half mile to finish sixth, third in team scoring, in 20:56.88. Ethan Byler had a powerful dash from the stride-disrupting ravine a couple hundred yards from the finish to grab 21st/12th in 23:09.13. Senior Tanner Queary ran a gutty race up front early with Ethan Insell before dropping back with a heavily taped sore foot, eventually removing that shoe and carrying it on his fight to the finish. He ran 23:59.45 for 27th/15th. Isaac Wehrung finished 34th/16th in 24:27.84 and Alexandre Tenace 42nd/21st in 25:15.42 to make up the scoring five.

The team took third place of six teams with 75 finishers representing 17 schools. Quitman’s Tate Stacks took individual honors at 18:23, leading his squad to the team championship with 28 points and five runners in the first 16. Westside Greers Ferry had runners in second and 13th and five in the top 40 for 61 points, just ahead of Batesville’s 67 as the only other team with four runners in the top 40.

Senior Daniel Latus ran 26:02.76 for 45th/23rd, sophomore Jackson Insell 26:24.31 for 48th/25th, and senior Andrew Wixson, digging down to fend off a late challenge, 49th in 26:39.59.

Andrew’s eighth-grade brother, Reece, made his own impressive finish from much farther out, picking off several in a group ahead of him with half a mile to go. The lone junior Pioneer finished in the medals at 14th in 10:11.57 among 133 runners. Four runners waged a tight battle for first with Melbourne going 1-2 as Kyle Caraway hit 9:27 and Nic Sitton 9:29, as Mountain View’s Tyler Newton (9:31) and Calico Rock’s Alden Harris (9:33) chased them in. The team title went to Tuckerman at 81, followed by Rosebud 92, as each put five runners in the top 30. Cave City had three in the top 15 to finish fifth of 14 teams among the 17 schools entered.

The junior Pioneer girls also did not have a team score, with seventh grader Darcy Nikkel the top finisher in 13:24.25 (49th of 159), and eighth grader Lydia Montgomery not far behind in 13:53.76 (58th) beating four other runners within 1.5 seconds back. Freshman Taylor Bishop continues to progress, also in a tight finish with one runner a second ahead and one a second behind her 16:15.20. Mountain View scored 17 points with four runners in the top 10, led by individual champ Emma Akins in 9:42, half a minute ahead of the field. Quitman had five runners in the top 20 for second place among 14 teams from 18 schools.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/493290-melbourne-bearkatz-invitational-2022/results
NEXT UP: Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock, Sept. 13. Junior boys start at 4 p.m.

Lyon Invitational, Aug. 30

Junior Clara Nikkel sped to the highest finish for the young Pioneer cross-country squads, in 11th place in the season opener on the tough Lyon College course. The Lady Pioneers had the best team success as well, third of six scoring teams among 23 schools entered.

Nikkel finished in 26:21, dropping minutes off of her 2021 time. A year’s experience also paid off on the revamped course for classmate Kinley Dorris, next in for the Lady Pioneers in 18th at 27:35. She too dropped minutes off 2021 results.

The course changes left the senior high teams running a bit short of 3 miles rather than the standard 3.1 of a 5K, but most Pioneers were faster at the mile marks along the way.

Senior Kate Gunter, a leader on the Pioneer swim team, turned in her typical steady performance in 27th at 28:57. Multi-sport athlete Kennedy Johnson gave her sprinter’s legs a different sort of test as she stuck close to Nikkel for the first half mile before dropping back in her first run at senior high distance. She persevered for 38th place in 32:03 and should drop time throughout the season as the miles pile up. Junior Tamera Deutsch returned to the team after a year off, working hard in her debut at senior distance to round out the scoring five for the Lady Pioneers in 37:20 with sophomore Mackenzie Vestal close behind in 38:03.

Jonesboro won the team title with three runners in the top 20 and a score of 32 points, ahead of Arkadelphia at 51 and Batesville 74. With 72 ladies from 23 schools racing, many of the overall places dropped out for the team scoring (Nikkel placed 11th, but scored as fourth). Arkadelphia’s Emelia Erikkson finished more than a minute in front of the field at 21:18. Batesville, Arkadelphia, and Searcy had two runners each in the overall top 20 as well, but the remaining 11 runners came from different schools.

Youth and depth served the Lady Pioneers well, with Gunter the only senior.

The Pioneers are an even younger and deeper crew than the ladies, led by sophomore Ethan Insell. He finished26th (scoring 16th) in 21:25. Junior Ethan Byler fought through the heat over the last half mile for 32nd/19th in 22:19. Sophomores filled out the scoring five as Isaac Wehrung trotted over from his tennis victory to finish in 23:44; Insell’s twin Jackson made a sparkling senior high debut in 24:01; and newcomer Rafael Thomas popped out from basketball for his own grand beginning in 25:19.

Not far behind the young crowd came veteran junior Alexandre Tenace in 25:36 and senior Daniel Latus tight on his heels in 25:38. Andrew Wixson, also a senior and bandmate with Latus, followed in 27:58.

The Pioneers were sixth of nine scoring teams among 25 schools competing. Maumelle’s Jah White won in 17:34, just ahead of Jonesboro’s Ben Wewers in 17:38. Jonesboro took the boys title with 33 points, ahead of Searcy at 64.

The junior Pioneers did not have a scoring team in either race. Eighth-grader Reece Wixson ran well for 21st place at 10:41 against a field of 173 boys. Classmate Parker Rodgers made a good showing in his first race in 95th at 13:07. Harper Huckabee of third place MacArthur won in 9:39, with Heber Springs winning the team title among 18 scoring teams and 26 schools.

Seventh-grader Darcy Nikkel, Clara’s sister, began her career nicely in 53rd in 14:14 among 162 runners. Ninth-grader Taylor Bishop clocked 16:08, her second-best time ever despite the heat, humidity, and Lyon’s challenging, rolling hills.

Team champion Bergman’s Jacey Halitzka edged Pangburn’s Riley Farris, 10:19.34 to 10:19:53, in a fantastic finish.

The Pioneers compete every Tuesday through Oct. 25, with a Saturday race at Jacksonport State Park Sept. 17 and senior high state championship Thursday, Nov. 3, at Oaklawn.

RESULTS: https://ar.milesplit.com/meets/473593-lyon-college-invitational-jhhs-2022/results.
NEXT UP: Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Sept. 6. Junior girls start at 4:15 p.m.

Lyon Invitational preview, Aug. 30

The Pioneers return to action Tuesday, Aug. 30, at Lyon College with a mix of dedicated veterans, talented underclass, and enthusiastic newcomers.

Sophomores Ethan Insell and Isaac Wehrung with junior Ethan Byler look to be the frontrunners, with seniors Tanner Queary, Daniel Latus, and Andrew Wixson providing capable depth hot on their heels.

Junior Clara Nikkel leads the ladies with senior Kate Gunter and junior Kinley Dorris expected to build on their strong finishes at the end of the 2021 season.

Eighth-grader Reece Wixson hopes to follow up an outstanding junior high boys track season with a push to the front of the cross country pack, along with newcomer Parker Rodgers.

Ninth-grader Victoria Nelms returns with the fastest times among the junior girls, and a good chance to move up to senior high for district and state. Classmate Taylor Bishop and eighth-grader Lydia Montgomery should provide solid support, along with talented seventh-grader Darcy Nikkel, Clara’s sister. The Pioneers have a good group working hard right behind these leaders as well, with all but junior boys already fielding a full scoring team of five runners.