BHS XC 2025 Report

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: With our expanded rosters this year, the weekly narrative likely will not cover every runner. Over the course of the season though, each runner should get mentioned for a highlight performance. As always, week to week and year to year results are tallied in the linked charts here. The week’s place/score/time chart is at the top of every report. We’ll link to photo galleries where possible.

5A State Championships, Nov. 7, Oaklawn

Every team, every season has its own story with its own characters, but “history rhymes” and the 2025 Pioneers put familiar poetry in motion Friday at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.

Senior Taylor Bishop stayed in character as leader of the Lady Pioneers, finishing 49th of 198 in 23:00. She closes her five year Pioneer career with every ’25 race four minutes faster than any other year and college coaches asking if she’s interested in a continuing role. She has dropped another 1:10 since that 4-minute September PR.

Another familiar verse holds that a child shall lead them and that rings true throughout the Pioneer program. Ninth-grader Aurora Tickner ran senior high all year, second to Bishop again Friday in 75th at 23:52. In a bit of a plot twist in the season’s story, the one team title for the ladies came at Salem, with Tickner leading in Bishop’s absence and the rest of the squad stepping up.

Ninth-grader Hayes Yarnell moved up for state from the undefeated junior high boys and finished in 18:48, 71st of 229, leading the Pioneers ahead of junior Alan Aguilar (104th, 19:36). In another ironic twist, Aguilar himself led the Pioneers in 2023 as a freshman up from junior high edging senior leader Ethan Byler at the finish.

Strength in numbers and vitality of youth are also themes of the season. Four of the 18 Pioneers racing at state were ninth-graders: Yarnell, Tickner, twin Scarlett Tickner, and JulieAnna Chunn.

The junior high squads are strong with eighth-graders leading. Will Henry Hogue topped Yarnell in junior boys with Dash Carpenter, Nate Mason, Rees Brown and freshman Luke Swanson all shining in their first year. Kambri Martin led the junior girls in faster times than Aurora Tickner had run as leader the year before. Classmates Lea Wilson and Tess Gunter closed the season hot on the heels of Martin.

Still, the story of this team hangs as much on the spirit of perseverance as on the vitality of youth. The two career bests at the state championship came from ninth runners Nallely Cruz (34:10) and Leo Medina (24:34), each more than a minute faster than ever. Cruz, a junior, set PRs in four of the final six races of the year, with the other two still faster than any before this stretch. Cruz and sophomore Medina are both just in their second years of running. Medina has PRed in each of his four races this year, dropping 6:30 from his senior high debut in September at Sulphur Rock.

Persistence is the stock in trade of junior Reece Wixson as well, missing his own PR by just a few seconds at 24:27, running most of the way side by side with Medina as they kept eyes on sophomore Isaiah Newcomer (24:26). Wixson’s PR came in his freshman debut coming up from junior high at Oaklawn in 2023. He has been with the team hanging around with older brother Andrew in summer practice before going into sixth grade. Since his freshman debut, cross country has been a bit of a side dish on a full plate with band, wrestling, e-sports and more, so the near-PR is a good closing of this latest chapter.

Other family histories provide rhyme and reason to the ’25 season, with sophomore Darcy Nikkel (24:09) following in older sister Clara’s 2023 footsteps in the lead three scorers. Chunn (26:42) follows older sister Jillian Jones’ 2016 story line as a ninth-grader running senior high.

Junior Lydia Montgomery carries on the family tradition lifting up all around her as alum Kaylee famously did at last year’s state meet. (Race officials cautioned coaches before Friday’s start that an assisted runner will be disqualified, but Kaylee’s natural reaction to aid went viral largely because power of the spirit outweighs points of order. Both runners knew the rule and the DQ didn’t make it any less well done by the good and faithful.) Lydia Montgomery is the ’25 team’s supportive communicator and selfie snapper, hitting all the right notes off the field too as a violinist in the school orchestra.

The Pioneer family includes a brother act debuting this year, with junior Samuel Swanson running a PR each of his seven meets before state (20:24) as third Pioneer, while freshman Luke hit his junior high PR of 9:35 the week before at the 5A East finale.

Sophomore Bryan Shackelford, the Swansons brother in spirit as likewise a home-schooled son from a ministerial family, closed his first season at 21:58, just behind junior fifth scorer Carsten Byers (21:27). Byers is five minutes faster than his inaugural freshman 5K at Oaklawn in 2023 and two minutes faster than his 2024 best.

Collin Shaw, the only senior in the group, is another in his first year and also in the Pioneer band. He ran second most of the year to Aguilar, finishing with his three best races with his 19:42 PR in the middle at 5A East. That’s 2 1/2 minutes faster than he began.

The connecting lines of this team’s story are many: Sisters, brothers, neophytes – and musicians. Sophomore Abby Le is another band member who has juggled her schedule well to improve nearly five minutes this year from her first 5K at state in 2024. Sophomore Genesis Garcia, another newbie (with seventh-grade sister Alicia Hernandez running junior high) ran steadily all year with her two-minute PR at 5A East.

Seniors Leah Nugent and Victoria Nelms played supporting roles when sidelined by injuries, leading the way in designing the year’s spirit shirt: “Pioneer cross country, built one mile at a time: Comfort zones are overrated.” Junior Andy Santizo, like Nugent and Wixson a wrestler, also fell victim to injury at midseason. Classmate Parker Rodgers turned his full attention to a leading role with the repeat state swim champions, opening the state spot for Yarnell.

Junior Ava Jeffrey, like Nugent a first-year runner, also missed out on state with injury after her own PR running through pain the week before at 5A East. Her absence gave Scarlett Tickner the opportunity, entirely fitting in the rhyming history of this team.

Scarlett as the twin has the family connection, as the ninth-grader has the vitality of youth, as the allergy and asthma sufferer has the spirit of perseverance, as the junior high trouper provides the strength in numbers, as the juggler of Quiz Bowl/Chess Club/Beta Club schedules has the full life that makes all of these Pioneers so well-prepared for the real long run ahead.

RESULTS: 5A State at YTiming / 5A State at Milesplit

5A East Championships, Oct. 28

The junior high boys finished their undefeated season Tuesday at Joe Mack Campbell Park in Jonesboro with five finishers in the 5A East top 15 and before Paragould’s fourth.

The conference championship was run together with the 4A-3 championship and initial reports gave overall places for the full field. Bib changes for freshmen Kendall Johnson and Tate Murphree also sent their times to a different category and did not appear in the initial scoring, which nevertheless had Batesville edging Paragould. With the missing times added and the conferences separated, Batesville unofficially wins with 44 points to Paragould’s 54.

The junior Lady Pioneers finished runnerup to Greene County Tech.

The young guns brought home the hardware, but high praise goes all around, as 20 of 41 Pioneers raced their best ever, several more had season bests, and many of the rest were within 10 seconds of PRs.

Seventh-grader Aubrey Gould made the biggest improvement, dropping her PR two minutes to 16:42. Eighth-grade junior high teammate Leann Chandler and sophomore Genesis Garcia each dropped a minute from their previous best. Seventh-grader Kyden McDaniel made the biggest leap for junior boys, clipping 45 seconds to 10:45.

Quite a few chopped 30 seconds: junior Ava Jeffrey, sophomore Abby Le, and seventh-grader Astrid Seely for the ladies and senior Collin Shaw, eighth-grader Risley Walker and freshmen Luke Swanson and Charlie Brooks for the gents. Sophomore Darcy Nikkel and ninth-grader Aurora Tickner improved 20 seconds for the Lady Pioneers along with junior Samuel Swanson. Another six got better by just a few seconds: senior Taylor Bishop and eighth-grader Tess Gunter for the ladies and junior Carsten Byers, seventh-grader Braden Grant, and eighth-graders Jaxon Queary and Jordan Harper.

Senior Alan Aguilar, juniors Reece Wixson and Lady Pioneer Lydia Montgomery had season bests, as did ninth-graders Tate Murphree and Scarlett Tickner.

Eighth-grader Will Henry Hogue finished third for the junior champions in 8:56 in a tight finish 2 seconds behind the winner. Freshmen Hayes Yarnell (7th, 9:13) and Kendall Johnson (10th, 9:28), eighth-grader Nate Mason (11th, 9:33), and freshman Luke Swanson (13th, 9:35) filled out the scoring five, with eighth-graders Dash Carpenter (16th, 9:41) and Rees Brown (27th, 9:53) the two score displacers.

Most ran within half a minute of their best, though they fought high wind and steady rain that set in just as the junior girls were finishing the race before. Hogue, Yarnell, and Mason got top 10 medals as Johnson’s finish just ahead of Mason had not been logged by announcement time.

Light rain had started in the cooling late afternoon as the junior girls got under way, but the ladies raced as if huddling for warmth: Eighth-graders Tess Gunter, Kambri Martin, Leah Wilson, and seventh-grader Astrid Seely stayed well grouped in the front pack for 1600 meters, with ninth-grader JulieAnna Chunn also close through the first 1200. Martin and Gunter earned top 10 medals with the scoring five at 66 points second to GCT’s 27. Seventh-grader Kenzie Rodgers (31st, 13:11) and eighth-grader Viga Morales-Szulga (36th, 13:37) served as displacers.

The senior high ladies took advantage of the best racing conditions, with recent rain firming up the dry ground from the week before and afternoon warmth not yet faded. Taylor Bishop stayed in contention throughout on her way to third in 21:43, almost identical time to her PR the week before on the same course. Aurora Tickner ran her cross-country PR of 23:15 in 16th, and Darcy Nikkel ran her best the fifth week in a row in 17th at 23:27. Abby Le (36th, PR 26:06), and Lydia Montgomery (38th, season best 26:14) filled out the scoring five. Ava Jeffrey and Genesis Garcia were the two displacers with their PRs.

Alan Aguilar led the senior boys with his season best of 18:30 in 14th place. The fast track helped his teammates to PRs as Collin Shaw (27th, 19:42), Samuel Swanson (28th, 19:49), and Carsten Byers (43rd, 21:08) all gained speed. Swanson has run faster every single race. Sophomore Bryan Shackelford rounded out the scoring five in 53rd. Sophomore Isaiah Newcomer and Reece Wixson (season best 24:52) ran strong as the two displacers.

The junior high season is a wrap, but the ninth-graders will travel to Oaklawn in Hot Springs for the senior 5A championships. Senior high ladies run first at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 7, with boys starting at 11.

RESULTS: 5A East at RunSignup / 5A East at Milesplit

Unico Bank Blazer Invitational, Oct. 21

The junior high boys completed their sweep of team titles with a narrow win over 5A East rival Paragould at the Valley View Blazer Invitational. They return to the same course at Joe Mack Campbell Park next Tuesday for the 5A East championships.

High wind and soft grass around the sports complex fields cost runners some time on the flat, generally fast course, but most of the junior high boys and girls ran within a few seconds of PRs. Senior high ladies took full advantage of the familiar route, however, while boys new to the route were among the six of 14 senior Pioneers to log best-ever times.

Leading Lady Pioneer Taylor Bishop slashed 40 seconds off her best, taking 10th place for a medal and Tshirt in 21:42. The senior dipped under 22 minutes for the first time and has improved five minutes over her 2024 best. Sophomore Darcy Nikkel hit a PR for the third race in a row, chopping a minute to go under 24:00 for the first time at 23:51. Junior Nallely Cruz also cut a minute over the previous best a week ago at Salem, now 2:30 better than in 2024. Aurora Tickner (24:11), Lydia Montgomery (26:49), and Ava Jeffery (29:13) were third through fifth scorers as the Lady Pioneers finished fifth of nine scoring teams with 103 runners from 23 schools.

For the senior boys, sophomores Isaiah Newcomer and Leo Medina registered PRs in their first try at the two laps of this park 5K. Medina ran the 2.5K single lap as a ninth grader while Newcomer missed that 2024 junior high meet. Newcomer dropped a minute to 22:45 and Medina lopped off three minutes to 25:46. Also new to the course but not to PRs, junior Samuel Swanson extended his streak of improving every week in his first season, dropping to 20:10. Alan Aguilar (19:03), Carsten Byers (21:20), and Bryan Shackelford (23:04) bracketed Swanson and Newcomer as the scoring five for the team finishing ninth of 12 with 147 competitors from 26 schools. Junior Reece Wixson ran a season’s best 25:14 as sixth man.

The junior high girls once again ran tightly packed to claim fourth place among 19 teams with 26 schools represented in the 166 finishers. Eighth-graders Kambri Martin (11:29), Tess Gunter (11:31), and Lea Wilson (11:32) worked together throughout, with JulieAnna Chunn (12:15) chasing. Fifth, sixth, and seventh racers Astrid Seely (13:15), Kenzie Rodgers (13:17), and Viga Morales-szulga (13:17) were even more closely bunched than the trio upfront. Eighth-grader Mackenzie Jacobs (14:52) ran a two-minute PR, and seventh-grader Aubrey Gould improved nearly a minute at 18:37.

Eighth-grader Will Henry Hogue again led the junior high boys, earning the sixth-place medal and Tshirt at 9:04. Freshman Hayes Yarnell stays close week after week, also grabbing a medal and Tshirt in 10th at 9:22. Eighth graders Rees Brown (9:56), Nate Mason (10:08), and Dash Carpenter (10:14) run closely bunched with freshman Luke Swanson (10:07) in the squad’s front six. Freshman Tate Murphree (10:56) and seventh-grader Braden Grant (10:59) also hung together providing the team depth that separates the squad from nearest challengers. The Pioneers topped Paragould 100-106 with five runners ahead of the Rams’ fourth. The depth will be crucial as margins figure to be tighter with fewer competitors next week at the district meet as the junior Pioneers look to run the table.

RESULTS: Unico Bank Blazer Invitational 2025 results at Milesplit

NEXT UP: 5A East championships 2025 as part of a full day of racing back at Joe Mack Campbell Park. The 4A-3 Championships will be followed by 6A Central and then 5A East, starting half an hour apart with buses and fans shuffling in and out from 11 a.m. Pioneer junior high girls run first for 5A East at 3 p.m. Joe Mack Campbell Park course map.

Salem Invitational, Oct. 14

The smallest meet of the year made for the biggest day for the Pioneers, as junior and senior boys and senior girls all won team titles and junior girls finished runner-up. A baker’s dozen had their fastest ever times, and Pioneers earned 21 of the 60 medals available.

The junior high girls started things off fast with JulieAnna Chunn setting the pace early coming out of the football field at Salem High. Eighth graders Kambri Martin, Tess Gunter and Lea Wilson worked the grassy middle half mile together. Martin pushed forward in pursuit of the leaders, working the gravel road hill in the last quarter mile as Gunter fought in between two Highland rivals with Wilson close behind. All three ran PRs, with Martin finishing fourth in 10:50, Gunter seventh in 11:09, and Wilson ninth in 11:13. Chunn hung on for 21st with seventh-grader Kenzie Rogers 24th in a 40-second PR and Viga Morales-Szulga 25th of 56. Seventh-grader Alicia Hernandez also dropped 20 seconds off her previous best.

The ladies edged Highland by two points for second place among five scoring teams, so Gunter in front of one from Highland made the difference. Had she finished behind and the score been tied, the Lady Pioneers would have still been runner-up by tiebreaker as Morales-Szulga was ahead of Highland’s sixth – a nice reminder that every place and runner matter, and a team’s strength is in numbers.

The junior boys have got the numbers and remain undefeated, taking seven of the Top 15 medals with all seven ahead of runner-up Mountain Home’s fourth finisher. Several had PRs at Cave City and came close at Salem, but only two who missed Cave City hit their best Tuesday: Seventh-grader Kyden McDaniel at 11:37 and eighth-grader Jordan Harper, half a minute faster than before at 12:26. The seven medalists are Will Henry Hogue third, Hayes Yarnell fifth, Kendall Johnson eighth, Dash Carpenter 11th, Luke Swanson 12th, Rees Brown 14th, and Nate Mason 15th. The boys were the best of seven scoring teams and 74 finishers.

The senior girls made up half the field, so all seven earned medals: Aurora Tickner third, Darcy Nikkel fourth in her second successive PR at 24:55, Lydia Montgomery ninth, Ava Jeffery 11th, Genesis Garcia 12th in a 30-second PR at 32:55, and Nallely Cruz 14th in a 50-second PR at 36:33.

The senior high boys are improving behind junior leader Alan Aguilar, who stayed in third through the first mile then hung on to finish fifth. Getting closer every week are senior Collin Shaw, seventh in a full-minute PR at 20:18, junior Samuel Swanson, eighth also in a full-minute PR and continuing his streak of PR every time out at 20:24, and junior Carsten Byers, 11th in 21:09. Sophomore Bryan Shackelford also earned a medal in 13th. Sophomore Leo Medina improved by two minutes in only his second run at senior high distance. Five Pioneers finished ahead of runner-up Mountain Home’s third scorer in the field of 32.

RESULTS: Salem Invitational 2025 results at Milesplit

NEXT UP: Joe Mack Campbell Park in Jonesboro two Tuesdays in a row for the Unico Bank Blazer Invitational 2025 and 5A East championships 2025. Valley View is host Oct. 21 for its annual invitational with 34 schools entered. Fans will be directed to park in lots throughout the sports complex. The races start in the soccer fields with open views of most of the action. The course is flat and fast, mostly grass, but brief sections of sidewalk and asphalt. Conference championship Tuesday Oct. 28 features 4A-3, 6A, and 5A East contests starting half an hour apart with buses and fans shuffling in and out from 11 a.m. Junior high girls run first for 5A East at 3 p.m. Joe Mack Campbell Park course map.

Cave City Caveman Open, Oct. 7

High five to the junior high boys on their fifth team title in five meets – and to the eight junior boys who ran their best ever times doing their part in that team triumph. And “up high, down low, not too slow” to the junior high girls, with nine PRs of their own in the first race of the day to show the way for the boys.

The ladies took to heart the pre-race advice to run together as eighth-graders Kambri Martin, Tess Gunter and Lea Wilson were bunched tight for the first 500 meters of firm grass trail. Martin worked her way to 15th place of 179 in her PR of 10:54 while Gunter (32nd, PR 11:17) and Wilson (33rd, PR 11:18) stayed together throughout to finish just outside the Top 30 T-shirts. Ninth-grader JulieAnna Chunn dropped half a minute for her PR of 11:47 while seventh-grader Astrid Seely improved even more not far behind, chopping a minute for her new best of 12:09. Those five scorers tallied 175 points for sixth place of 18 scoring teams, just six points out of fourth place.

Four more took advantage of the 3/4 mile downhill opening stretch before pushing through the half mile of woodland hill trail to notch PRs: Eighth grader Scout Nappi (13:35, a minute improvement), ninth-grader Marly Rhodes (13:38, 40-second improvement), MacKenzie Jacobs (16:30, three minutes better), and Alicia Hernandez (17:59, 1:20 faster).

The junior boys have great strength in numbers, with seven finishers before runnerup Harding’s fifth runner and every other team’s fourth. Eighth-grader Will Henry Hogue (PR 8:53) and freshmen Kendall Johnson and Hayes Yarnell went right to the first 20 at the start, with Hogue powering through the woodland hill section to rise to seventh place. Johnson (16th, season’s best 9:05) and Yarnell (17th, PR 9:05) returned from precautionary absences with fresh legs. Eighth-grader Nate Mason (24th, PR 9:20) kept the returnees in sight and his shoe on (lost near the finish at Lyon last week) to snip 30 seconds off his best. Classmate Rees Brown (32nd, PR 9:32), freshman Luke Swanson (36th, PR 9:39), and eighth-grader Dash Carpenter (37th, 9:40) hit the line within seconds of each other to give the Pioneers seven of the first 40 in the field of 206. Seventh-grader Braden Grant (PR 10:33) and freshman Charlie Brooks (PR 11:07) each cut 40 seconds off their previous bests. Seventh-grader Graydon Harn (30-second PR of 11:21) just nipped eighth-grader Risley Walker by less than a second.

The junior boys ran in a cooling drizzle that cut the humidity even though the clouds cleared before the senior girls started. Senior Taylor Bishop and ninth-grader Aurora Tickner sped to the front 20 early and pushed within 20 seconds of PRs, with Bishop medaling in seventh at 22:38 and Tickner digging in for 16th in 23:52. Sophomore Darcy Nikkel ran her best-ever for the second week in a row, dropping to 24:57 with a strong closing half mile using her gymnastics power to gain in the climbs. Juniors Lydia Montgomery and Ava Jeffery filled out the scoring five among 100 finishers to earn the ladies third place overall.

The senior boys had mixed fortunes with Alan Aguilar reasserting his aggressive style going right to the lead pack from the horn, but senior Collin Shaw losing a shoe and junior Carsten Byers rolling an ankle early on. Aguilar chased down nearly the whole field of 112, finishing fourth in 18:56, mere seconds off his season’s best. Byers and Shaw pressed on through the pain, with Shaw hopping on one foot at the gravelly stretches. The earlier rain helped soften the grass lanes covering two miles of the 3.1-mile route, but coarse field grass still posed a challenge requiring admirable grit. Byers similarly bore down through increasing pain with continued demand on the injured ankle. Both fought in to finish a minute slower than their PRs from the week before, but still helping the team to fourth of 10 scoring teams. The best news came from junior Samuel Swanson as he extended his streak of a PR every week in his first season. He stepped up to second for the Pioneers ahead of his hobbled teammates for a 40-second improvement to 21:31. Sophomore Bryan Shackelford rounded out the scoring five in an identical time to the previous week at 23:24.

The Pioneers also traveled with a new 20 x 10 Pioneer orange canopy provided by generous parent boosters, along with new camp seats, snacks, and fluids. The team spirit ran deep – and fast! – from the newest seventh-grader to the proudest grandparent, with 19 PRs among 38 times.

RESULTS: Caveman Open 2025 results at Milesplit

NEXT UP: Salem Invitational 2025 info (Milesplit). Fans will be guided to parking lots at Salem High School. The race starts and finishes in the football stadium with viewing areas on campus ground beside and beyond the stadium. The Pioneers haven’t been to Salem for several years, but historically the course has been fast and results have been speedy. Teams are fewer than recent weeks, with a larger meet at Bald Knob the same day. Salem course map.

Lyon Invitational, Sept. 30

The fourth is strong with this one: Will Henry Hogue finished fourth Tuesday at the Lyon Invitational to lead the Junior Pioneers to their fourth team title in four races. The boys passed their toughest test yet with flying feet, outracing nearly 100 more finishers from 40 schools with 25 scoring teams of five runners.

The two fastest Pioneer freshmen (Kendall Johnson, Hayes Yarnell) sat out as a health precaution and coaches challenged the squad with “next young man up” talk. Eighth grader Rees Brown responded with a strong 21st place finish among more than 250 runners, ahead of classmate Dash Carpenter (34th) for the first time. Answering the call and sticking close by Carpenter, freshman Luke Swanson (39th) and eighth grader Nate Mason (43rd) made the Pioneers the lone team with five runners in the top 50. Only team runner-up Rural Special had their fourth finisher in front of Mason, who lost a shoe along the way yet closed in a dead sprint for critical places in the narrow 113-119 win.

All but Hogue are new to the sport this season. Even younger and also new to the team, seventh graders Braden Grant (11:13) and Kyden McDaniel (11:43) ran personal bests on the rolling hills and shifting surfaces of the Lyon campus.

On the day, 10 of the 41 Batesville runners set PRs – on the most difficult course so far.

Sophomore Darcy Nikkel’s 30-second PR of 25:24 helped the senior Lady Pioneers to a solid third place finish out of 10 scoring teams and 35 schools represented. Senior Taylor Bishop worked her way forward mile by mile to take the medal for eighth place among 125 finishers in 22:37. Aurora Tickner (22nd, 24:36) fought hard as one of only four ninth graders in the top 25. Like Nikkel, junior Nallely Cruz dropped 30 seconds off her PR from a year ago in just her second run this season. Sophomore Abby Le (52nd) and junior Lydia Montgomery (65th) filled out the scoring five.

The junior Lady Pioneers miss Tickner’s frequent medalist performances from last year, but finished a respectable eighth of 21 scoring teams and 35 schools represented. Eighth grader Kambri Martin, new to the team, continues to impress as she tops Tickner’s times from last year over the same courses. She just missed a medal in this year’s expanded field, working her way through the crowd to 18th in 11:24. Classmates Lea Wilson (32nd, 11:59) and Tess Gunter (40th, 12:11) kept company for most of the race. Ninth grader JulieAnna Chunn started well with her track speed on her way to fourth scorer in 12:56 in her first season at the cross country distance. Seventh grader Astrid Seely improved to 13:10 as fifth scorer and first of three junior ladies with PRs. Eighth grader Scout Nappi and seventh grader Alicia Hernandez also did their best yet.

The senior boys are picking up the pace as well, with three PRs of their own in the five scorers. Senior Collin Shaw, new to the sport, ran his best at 21:26, with junior Carsten Byers right on his heels in his best by 30 seconds at 21:35. Junior Samuel Swanson, also new, dropped 25 seconds at 22:16. Bryan Shackelford, new from spring soccer, started fast in pursuit of team leader Alan Aguilar (23rd, 19:31), before dropping back to fifth scorer in 23:24.

The Pioneers will be close to home again next Tuesday at Cave City. The Cavemen are holding a team fundraiser event with an alumni/open 5K on the course Saturday, Oct. 4, with a kids dash at 4 p.m. and the 5K at 4:30.

RESULTS: Lyon Invitational 2025 results at Milesplit OR Lyon Invitational 2025 results at RunSignup.

NEXT UP: Cave City Caveman Open, with the junior girls racing first at 3:30 p.m.

RAINED OUT: Eye of the Tiger River Run, Old Davidsonville, Sept. 23

Paragould Ram Invitational, Sept. 16

Will Henry Hogue brought the heat again on fast ground on a summer Tuesday at Paragould, first of 168 junior high boys at the Ram Invitational. The eighth-grader took individual honors for the second week in a row, leading five other Pioneers in the top 25 to claim their third team title in three tries.

Kambri Martin medaled in 10th to lead the junior girls, Taylor Bishop finished fourth for senior girls, and Alan Aguilar took third for senior boys. All of those teams finished fourth.

The junior boys have a strong crew, as last week’s third finisher did not make this trip, so it’s a different front six. The order shifted as well, with newer members building their mileage and shining in different conditions.

Eighth-grader Nate Mason jumped up from sixth man to third, working his way to 13th place through the twists and turns of the dry grass of the campus fields and nearby country club. Freshman Luke Swanson rounded out the scoring five, 24th/10:25 in his second race. He ran seventh for the Pioneers in his debut last week at Sulphur Rock. Freshman Hayes Yarnell again was close on Hogue’s heels, medaling in seventh. Eighth-grader Dash Carpenter finished 22nd in 10:19.

Jordan Harper logged the biggest improvement for the boys, dropping nearly a minute to 13:05 for his best time despite harsher heat on a more challenging course.

Alan Aguilar scored the highest finish in the remaining races, flying over the 200-yard downhill to the line for third. The junior’s strong kick capped what proved to be a very good tactical run from the top dozen through the first mile, gradually working into the top 7 and chasing down the rest over the last half mile. Senior Collin Shaw and junior Samuel Swanson likewise moved steadily forward into the top 30, running steadily side by side. Junior Bryan Shackelford went out strong over the first mile, setting a pace and making a target for Shaw and Swanson, before fading in the heat over the last mile, still finishing in 31st at 23:00.

Good racing strategy worked for senior Taylor Bishop in senior girls as well, coming from 12th or so at the mile up to seventh by half way and picking off most of the rest. She finished fourth in 22:35, a step out of third just a few seconds off her best ever. Ninth grader Aurora Tickner ran steady in the cooling afternoon for 14th in 24:16. Junior Ava Jeffery improved over her debut at Sulphur Rock despite tougher conditions. Classmate Nallely Cruz returned to the team with just a week of practice after a break since last November’s state championships.

Seventh-Eighth-grader Kambri Martin’s race looked much the same as the other top Pioneer finishers: In top 20 of 168 early on, steadily passing fading runners who overcooked the start or struggled with the heat, and a strong downhill finish for the final medal in 10th place. Eighth-graders Tess Gunter (25th, 12:26) and Lea Wilson (27th, 12:27) ran closely bunched most of the way, then toughed out a pack sprint to the line to finish a second apart. Ninth-grader JulieAnna Chunn is learning to handle the distance, starting strong through the first half mile, then fading and surging as fourth Pioneer in 12:57. Biggest improvement for the ladies came from seventh-grader Alicia Hernandez, dropping 90 seconds from her Melbourne debut.

RESULTS: Paragould Ram Invitational 2025 results at MileSplit.

NEXT UP: Eye of the Tiger River Run at Old Davidsonville, Sept. 23, with the junior boys racing first at 4 p.m.

Pioneer Invitational, Sept. 9

Second verse, same as the first: Batesville junior high boys took four of the top 15 medals to win the team title for the second week in a row.

Eighth-grader Will Henry Hogue topped the field of 157 runners at Tuesday’s home Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock. He hit the mile mark on the grass and dirt paths in third place about 30 yards behind the leader, but powered through the closing half mile to win going away. He dropped 20 seconds off last year’s time to finish at 8:58, his first time under 9 minutes.

Freshman teammate Hayes Yarnell dropped nearly 30 seconds in seventh at 9:18, while Kendall Johnson had a strong case of deja vu, edging a mere tenth of a second faster than last year at 9:32.38 in 12th. Eighth-grader Dash Carpenter again was fourth medalist, 13th in 9:35, running side by side with Johnson most of the way. Classmates Rees Brown (17th, 9:44) and Nate Mason (19th, 9:49) didn’t miss medals by much with each a minute faster than their debuts the week before. The Pioneers topped Paragould 42 to 65 among 16 scoring teams.

Ninth-grader Luke Swanson impressed in his first race, 26th in 10:06 with classmate returnee Tate Murphree 39th at 10:34. Behind the lead seven and returnee Murphree came eight runners in their first season, showing improvement with every mile of practice.

Improvement is the theme for the ladies as well, with senior Taylor Bishop earning mention at Milesplit after week one in the statewide roundup of the Top 100 most improved in the offseason. At Melbourne she sliced four minutes off her 2024 best – and then sliced another 25 seconds Tuesday, taking fifth in 22:24. Ninth-grader Aurora Tickner also medaled in 14th at 24:27, with the team runner-up behind district rival Paragould. Sophomores Darcy Nikkel (22nd, 25:52), Abby Le (25th, 26:35, a 1:45 PR) and junior Lydia Montgomery (29th, 28:47) made up the scoring five for the meet’s defending champions.

The junior girls all improved as well, from 45 seconds to five minutes faster than the week before. Seventh-Eighth-grader Kambri Martin continues to shine at faster times than the 2024 leaders over the same courses. Stiffer competition to date means her speed is yet to bring the medals last year’s leaders gathered. She finished 17th of 139, at 11:12. Eighth-grader Lea Wilson ran her PR of 11:30 in 27th on the shallow inclines along the campus treeline. Ninth-grader Shelbea Fowler dropped two minutes to PR in 15:20 and classmate Marly Rhodes made the big leap cutting three minutes at 14:15. Behind Martin and Wilson, the scoring five featured newcomers Tess Gunter (eighth grade, 27th, 11:39), JulieAnna Chunn (ninth grade, 43rd, 12:14) and Astrid Seely (seventh grade, 64th, 13:15), all one to two minutes better than first meet.

The senior boys finished fourth of six, with Alan Aguilar fighting through the heat to take ninth in 19:24. With Bryan Shackelford (second Pioneer at Melbourne) out of action, senior Collin Shaw stepped up to finish 23rd in 21:29. Junior rookie Samuel Swanson fared well first time out, 29th in 22:45. Junior returnee Carsten Byers took 32nd in 23:22 and sophomore Isaiah Newcomer followed in 35th at 23:40.

RESULTS: Pioneer Invitational 2025 results at MileSplit.

NEXT UP: Paragould Ram Invitational Tuesday, Sept. 16, with the junior boys racing first at 4 p.m. on a new course at Paragould Primary and the neighboring golf course.

Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Sept. 2

The Pioneers got out of the gate fast, winning the junior boys team title in the season opener Tuesday at Melbourne. The senior boys and girls each finished fourth against only a few scoring teams of five runners among the 27 schools attending. Junior girls finished right in the middle, 10th of 19 scoring teams.

The results signal a mix of veteran grit (senior Taylor Bishop improving by 4 minutes) and promising youth (ninth-grader Aurora Tickner matching last year’s best senior girls times).

That same mix was apparent from the start as the junior girls raced first. With last year’s junior leader Tickner up running senior high already, eighth-grader Lea Wilson was next in line to lead. Wilson and seventh-eighth-graders Kambri Martin and Tess Gunter hit the half-mile together near 4:00. Wilson carried on to improve by 40 seconds over her debut on the course last year, finishing 33rd in 12:31. But Martin was even better, 27th in 12:18, faster than Tickner’s medalist debut on the course in 2024. The competition was stronger this year, though, with 19 scoring teams and 189 finishers, up from 12 and 106. Martin’s time would have been top 10 in 2024.

Gunter, younger sister of Lady Pioneer alum Kate Gunter, held up the family tradition with a steady debut in 39th place at 12:44. JulieAnna Chunn, another younger sister in her first run for the Pioneers, came next in 14:17. Older sister Jillian Jones won the senior high state title as a ninth-grader several years back. Chunn is a ninth-grader stepping up to cross country distance from track. Returning eighth-grader Viga Morales-Szulga chopped 20 seconds off her time on the 1.55-mile (2.5K) course at 14:43.

The roster is full, with 14 finishers Tuesday including returnees ninth-grader Scarlett Tickner and eighth-grader Shelbea Fowler. Seeing their introduction by fire Tuesday were ninth-grader Marly Rhodes, eighth-graders Leann Chandler from track and McKenzie Jacobs, and seventh-graders Kenzie Rodgers, Astrid Seely, Aubrey Gould and Alicia Hernandez.

The junior boys have an even stronger and deeper mix of veterans and neophytes, with eighth-grader Will Henry Hogue leading the way, matching his third place finish of 2024 one second faster at 9:41. Ninth-grader Hayes Yarnell dropped 10 seconds off 2024, medaling in ninth at 10:00. Classmate Kendall Johnson finished 13th in 10:09 on limited practice in double duty from football. Seventh Eighth-grader Dash Carpenter gave the Pioneers four medalists, speeding to 15th in 10:19. Eighth-grader Rees Brown rounded out the scoring five for the team champions in 27th place at 10:40. The Pioneers topped runner-up Heber Springs 53 to 76, with 14 scoring teams among 27 schools and 164 finishers.

Eighth-grader Nate Mason, like Brown an import from track, took 38th at 10:59. Those front six figure to be particularly strong and bunched in the top 25 most of the season. Not far behind is freshman Tate Murphree at 11:36 with newcomers eighth-grader Risley Walker (11:41) and seventh-grader Rhett Keller (11:42) hot on his heels. Junior boys have their own family tie as seventh-grader Braden Grant follows in the footsteps of older brother Brandon Grant, a district champ and all-state runner. Braden’s 12:34 debut is 2 minutes faster than his older brother’s on the course in 2015. Freshman Charlie Brooks, seventh-graders Kyden McDaniel and Graydon Harn, and eighth-grader Jordan Harper all ran well around 13:00 in their first try on a grass and woodland course.

For the senior girls, Taylor Bishop worked steadily up to the front before closing strong from a half mile out to medal in 12th at 22:51. Her offseason mileage paid off handsomely as her previous best 5K (3.1 miles) was 26:59. Tickner fit right in opening at the senior level, just missing a medal with her own strong finish in 18th at 23:34. Only alum Kaylee Montgomery (twice) ran a faster time at any race last year. The leaders will look for help from sophomores Darcy Nikkel and Abby Le, who both ran PRs from their late-season ninth-grade runs. Nikkel (younger sister of alum Clara) dropped 40 seconds to 25:38 and Le improved even more, dropping 2:15 to 28:17. Junior Lydia Montgomery (Kaylee’s younger sister) filled out the scoring five at 29:13, with senior Leah Nugent joining from wrestling and track just a few seconds behind at 29:31 in her first 5K. Sophomore Genesis Garcia worked all the way in 33:22 in her first time at the distance. The team took fourth against five scoring teams and 100 finishers.

Junior Alan Aguilar returns as the senior boys leader, kicking hard to medal at 18:53 in ninth of 106 runners. Sophomore Bryan Shackelford from soccer and senior Collin Shaw from track provide new support behind Aguilar. Shackelford finished 30th in 20:56 and Shaw 41st in 22:15 in good efforts as they learn the pace and distance. Junior Carsten Byers ran 90 seconds faster than 2024 over the same course at 23:16 and sophomore Isaiah Newcomer was fifth scorer at 24:03, just a few seconds off his 5K PR at the 2024 state championships. Juniors Parker Rodgers (24:10) and Reece Wixson (26:45, more than a minute better than 2024 here) helped the team finish fourth of eight scoring teams.

The senior races provide a preview of district competition, with each having Paragould first, Searcy second and Batesville fourth behind a nonconference squad in third.

RESULTS: Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational 2025 results at MileSplit.

NEXT UP: The Pioneer Invitational at Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary next Tuesday, Sept. 9, with the junior boys racing first at 4 p.m.

2025 Season Preview

Pioneer cross country opens the 2025 season with great expectations Tuesday, Sept. 2, at Melbourne.

The expectations arise from a surge of interest in the sport, with the fullest rosters in more than a dozen years. The senior high boys are the smallest group with “only” 10, but further strength in numbers is available with four ninth-graders eligible to step up for the district and state championships.

Those freshmen top a junior boys squad that looks especially strong. More than half a dozen return from last year or spring track with times that would put them in the top 25 of most every race in recent years. Past junior district champ and multi-sport athlete Kendall Johnson figures to shine when available, followed closely by Will Henry Hogue, who was among the fastest seventh-grade milers in the state in the spring. Johnson’s freshman classmates Hayes Yarnell and Tate Murphree plus track import eighth-graders Rees Brown and Nate Mason look sure to form a wave of orange at the front of most packs this fall.

The senior girls are a mix of veterans and upstarts, led by dedicated senior Taylor Bishop. Hard work offseason has paid off with road race 5K PRs more than three minutes faster than her cross country best in 2024. Not far behind is ninth-grader Aurora Tickner, who will run senior high all season with her own road race PR just a few seconds off 2024 grad Kaylee Montgomery’s team best last season. The ladies typically need five runners under 25:00 for team success. That will hinge on improvement in the midpack by returnees Darcy Nikkel, Lydia Montgomery, Victoria Nelms, and track import Leah Nugent. Nelms and Nugent are seniors, Montgomery a junior, and Nikkel a sophomore, and the underclass is full of more returning friends and new teammates.

The new sophomores leave their 2024 junior high teammates in good standing with a solid core led by eighth-graders Lea Wilson and Shiekenya Wren. They spent last season chasing Tickner in their new sport. Aurora’s twin Scarlett and eighth-grader Viga Morales-Szulga will help guide five new seventh-graders and more track imports and transfer students. Several have shown medalist pace in practice.

That brings us back to the senior high boys. They have smaller numbers but bigger uncertainties behind junior leader Alan Aguilar, who dipped under 18:00 at his best in 2024. Carsten Byers, Parker Rodgers and Andy Santizo, also juniors, all ran low 22 last year, and sophomore Isaiah Newcomer has improved in summer road races from his one freshman 5K at November’s state championships. The Pioneers will need a scoring five under 19:00 to contend for titles, but they’re certainly taking a run at it.

FIRST UP: Melbourne Bearkatz Invitational, Tuesday, Sept. 2, junior girls first at 4:15.