The Opener 2021: Mississippi College
Varsity Boys Race
This was perhaps of the biggest and deepest race of the weekend dealing with Mississippi, as 4 members of the MileSplit Mississippi All-State team, as well as many others on the watch list, were in this race. Along with those 4 runners, which were Grayson Childress - #1, Sam Arnold - #3, Tanner Moore - #6, and Jake Thompson -#7, 3 of the top teams in the state were also there, which where Brookhaven High School and Madison Central HS, as well as Pearl High School opening up their season.
First off, Childress and Arnold are the real deal this year. They completely backed up their sub-16 performances from their season opener race on their home course at the Ole Brook Invitational, going sub 16:10 in the heat, virtually by themselves on the back half, in September. They have been on an absolute tear at the beginning of this year, and are establishing themselves as the two best runners in the State - and perhaps the best duo in the South. I can't wait to watch these two go up against the likes of Keegan Leverett and Taylor Brown at Saltillo and Watson.
The race for 3rd was also a very exciting one, as 3rd-6th place was separated by a mere 7 seconds. Although William Fugate made up some huge ground and had 3rd place at the 3-mile mark, it was Tanner Moore who came out with Bronze in 16:49 for 5k, thanks to his kick. Thompson placed 5th, and Pearl's Jonathan Phillips rounded it out in 6th. Brookhaven won the meet with 34 points and a whopping 16:53 5k average for their 1-5.
Varsity Boys results can be found HERE
Varsity Boys pictures can be found HERE
Varsity Boys race video can be found HERE
Interview with winner Grayson Childress HERE
Varsity Girls Race
It was all Brooklyn Biancamano in the Varsity Girls race, taking the win in dominating fashion, going 19:11 for 5k - almost 2 minutes ahead of the next competitor. Biancamano showed everyone that she is hands down the #1 High School girls runner in the state on Saturday. Although the time was nothing screaming, or at least for her standards, Biancamano was alone in this one before she even hit the 600-meter mark, and she also ran in about 80-degree temperatures. However, she was 32 seconds faster than this meet last year in almost identical conditions, so her progression is already moving forward in the early season.
Emily Snodgrass from West Lauderdale also had a really strong outing for 2nd place. Snodgrass ran 90 seconds quicker than this meet last year, and also showed us that she is back and is a contender for the MHSAA 4A State Title.
Finally, the MSAIS had a very strong showing in the girl's race. They had 7 in the top 14 - 2 more than the MHSAA. Ella Rankin of Hartfield had a strong race, rounding out the top 3 running 21:07 for 5k. Rankin narrowly beat Lindsey Hogue from Benton Academy, who actually ran over a 30 second PR. 8th was 7th grader Hendrix Eldridge of St. Aloysius, one of the top middle schoolers in the state. In 11th was Leah Collipp from East Rankin, another 7th-grade talent. Right behind Collipp was Emma Overstreet from Simpson Academy, and her teammate Caroline McAlpin was right behind her in 13th. And rounding the top 14 and the last to snag a T-shirt was Samantha Edwards from St. Aloysius. Last but not certainly not least, East Rankin Academy won the meet in an impressive narrow 2 point victory over Pearl. Their 2-5 split was 26 seconds! Simpson Academy also had an impressive 3rd place finish, and that was without their low stick Layla Warren.
Varsity Girls results can be found HERE
Varsity Girls pictures can be found HERE
Varsity Girls race video can be found HERE