HELEN, GA. – The Buford High School Boys' and Girls' Cross Country teams traveled north last Thursday to Helen, Georgia to compete in the Region 8AAAAA championship. Hosted at Unicoi State Park, the races serve as a qualifier for the GHSA State Championships at the end of the season. The top six individual finishers and the top four teams earn a spot into the coveted race.
Despite finishing just outside of the qualifying spots for state, Buford’s varsity boys battled hard and finished off the season on a strong note. Junior, Chase Hartman, led the Wolves around the five-kilometer course. Hartman crossed the line seventh overall in a time of 17:28. Following closely behind in a time of 17:48 was 14th place finisher, Aidan Smith. Bayley Hunter and Ben Archer both notched top-20 finishes, while Gavin Smith rounded out the top five for the Wolves.
In the girls' varsity race, Sarah Davis led the team to a third place finish and birth into the state meet by finishing third place in a time of 19:57. Juniors, Tatum DeGoey and Gabby Thacker, finished just seconds apart in 17th and 20th respectively. Erin Marsh and Heidi Hyatt were the final two scorers for the Lady Wolves.
Other notable finishes from the meet include Mitchell Whalen’s 12th place finish in the boys' Junior Varsity race and Caroline Montini’s first place finish in the girls’ Junior Varsity race. While Montini is only in eighth grade, she took control of the race from the gun and ran away with her first region title.
The Lady Wolves will toe the line one last time this season at the GHSA State Championship on November 5th in Carrollton, Georgia.
For full results of the 2016 Region 8AAAAA Championship please visit the link below: