High School Runners Competed in Helen

The Jasper County High School cross country upperclassman headed to Unicoi State Park last week where they competed in the Mountain Invitational.

The course is known for its hill on the back mile, and is also the site for the Class 1A – Division II – Regions 5,6,7,8 and Class 3A – Regions 5,6,7,8 sectional course. Gaining experience on such a challenging course, alongside some of the fastest runners in the state, proved to be beneficial to the Canes in their growth as runners.

Powell Goolsby, who placed 36th overall out of 172 runners, set a lifetime PR on the course with a swift time of 18:39.50. Aiden Bramlett was fast behind in the 50th spot with a lifetime PR time of 19:10.80. Chloe Key and Paylin Stanley also set lifetime PR’s on the course with a time of 24:14.20 set by Key, and 35:04.50 set by Stanley.

The top five for the boys in the varsity race were Powell Goolsby, Aiden Bramlett, Andrew Smith, Francisco Lopez, and Carson Clark. The Canes continued their stay at the park as they focused on team building, and wrapped the regular season up with a fun trip to the mountains before jumping into even more rigorous training as they prepare for upcoming regions, sectionals, and state.