Area runners get set for District 1-A cross country meet

In a season in which his previous personal-best time has been whittled down to a miniscule 16:39, Freeport’s Michael Graziani will be one of many runners in today’s District 1-A meet hoping to extend his season.

“Michael has lowered his time quite a bit this year,” Bulldogs coach David Burke said. “(The 16:39) is one of the fastest times we’ve had here in years.”

Graziani and teammate Dalton Morrison will look to lead Freeport past a loaded field in today’s 1-A field at Tallahassee Maclay where the action is set to start at 2:45 p.m.

Teams from Baker, Laurel Hill (boys), Paxton and Rocky Bayou Christian will also compete hoping to advance runners into the regional meet.

In a district traditionally dominated by the likes of North Florida Christian and host Maclay, Burke believes local programs are faced with a stiff challenge in their hopes of unseating the perennial powers. Combine that with what Burke labeled as a “true cross-country course” in Tallahassee and one can see the degree of difficulty will go up exponentially for area athletes.

“It will be hilly so times may not be as great as they would be at other times,” Burke said. “We hope to qualify some single runners and we’d certainly be very pleased if we could advance as a team.”

Other area schools will look to do the same. At Paxton, coach Jackie Adams’ teams have battled not only the field but a rash of injuries and various ailments throughout the season. One year after qualifying for regionals as a sixth-place team, Adams is thankful, not to mention appreciative, for the effort her teams have displayed in getting to this point.

“I’ve had at least three or four runners out every week with the flu but it’s been OK,” Adams said. “They’ve really made a lot of good progress. Personally, that’s what you look at. We’re looking forward to it.”

At Baker, coach Sheri Brewer is hoping to see some of her athletes move forward, such as senior leader Caleb Scott, but she also wants to use the meet as a teaching device for an otherwise young and inexperienced Gators roster. All but one athlete on the girls’ team is currently enrolled in middle school due to injuries and other ailments, and Brewer believes today’s meet should serve as a perfect springboard for her younger Gators.

“We’re going in for experience so they know what to look forward to in the coming years,” Brewer said. “In the next two years, I expect to have really strong teams in both the boys and the girls. (Right now) I have possibly the youngest team in the state.”