HHS freshman wins girls race at Willow Springs cross country meet

In her first high school cross country competition, Houston freshman Lyla Huffman won the varsity girls race in hot-and-dry conditions at the annual Steve Waggoner Invitational last Thursday at Willow Springs Municipal Golf Course.

In leading the Lady Tigers to a win in the team standings (among five teams with 5-runner scores), Huffman topped the field of 79 runners with a time of 20:58.4 on the 5,000-meter course, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of Willow Springs junior Bella McNew, who took second at 21:19.4. Next across the line for Houston was sophomore Jessyn Allen in 17^th at 25:20.2 and senior Lilly Kincaid in 18^th at 25:22.4. Also running for the Lady Tigers were senior Natalie Clinton and sophomore Jesslyn Crawford.

In the boys race, senior Jack Sawyer led HHS runners, finishing 13th among 135 runners with a time of 19:37.2. Next to finish for the Tigers was junior home-schooler Marcus Posant in 30^th at 20:46.0. The meet was Posant’s first-ever competition, and his first school bus ride.

“He did an amazing job,” said head coach Justin Brown. “He experienced a lot of firsts on the day.”

Houston senior Jackson Evetts came in 38^th, while sophomore Christopher Meier placed 50^th.

Logan-Rogersville senior Landon Fawcett won the race with a time of 17:47.9. Van Buren topped the team standings, while Houston placed seventh out of 15 teams with scores.

In middle school racing, Houston’s boys swept the top-4 spots on the way to placing first in the team standings among 12 scoring teams.

Eighth-grader Oliver Choate (the 2024 7th-grade state champion) topped the field of 116 runners, finishing with a time of 9:15.4 on the 2,500-meter course. Eighth-grader Charlie Benoist took second at 9:24.9, 7^th-grader Rocky Gilbert came in third at 9:43.7, and 8^th-grader Liam Stickel placed fourth at 9:46.5. Rounding out the Tigers’ team score was 7th-grader Dominic Stice in 47^th place at 11:58.7.

Houston also took first in the girls race, as 8^th-grader Myles Copley (also last year’s 7^th-grade state champion) posted a time of 10:04.1, blowing away the field of 67 and finishing more than a minute ahead of the runner-up, 8^th-grader Paige Carey of Summersville (11:20.7).

HMS 8^th-grader Hayden Jones also placed in the top-10, coming in 7^th with a time of 12:00.9, while 7^th-grader Adrian Sholtz placed 30^th at 14:03.9.

Plato took first in the team standings among six squads with scores.

Next Tuesday (Sept. 16), Houston will host the annual Tiger Trail Invitational at Houston Municipal Golf Course.