Marist, whose boys and girls are ranked No. 1 in the state, swept titles at last weekend’s Darlington CC Festival in Rome. The Marist boys held off Etowah by eight points after putting three racers in the top seven overall. Michael Thurston of the War Eagles finished first in 15:52. Etowah also posted a runner-up performance in the girls meet, although Marist completely dominated the field. Led by Morgan Ilse’s second-place run in 18:01, the War Eagles posted an average time of 19:29. No other school was faster than 20:14. Tayler Tuttle of Providence Christian finished just ahead of Ilse in 18:00.
More cross country: Flowery Branch edged Mill Creek by two points in the boys championship heat to take home the title Saturday at the Aubrae Gunderson Invitational in Conyers. Mill Creek posted the fastest average time (16:07) thanks in part to Tyler Woodrome capturing top individual honors in 15:11. But Flowery Branch's depth proved to be the difference. The Falcons placed all five of their point-scorers in a 14-second span between 10th place (James Slavik in 16:09) and 21st. … Mill Creek did one better on the girls' side, racing away in the championship division ahead of runner-up Westminster and third-place Starr's Mill. The Hawks had three runners in the top seven overall and five in the top 20, including individual champion Lauren Hovis in 18:31. Morgan Mihalis crossed the line second in 18:37 and helped Lakeside-DeKalb to a fifth-place showing. … Several top-ranked teams are heading out of state this weekend to participate in prestigious events. Marist is traveling to Cary, N.C., for the Great American Cross Country Festival. The Peachtree Ridge boys will compete in Jacksonville, Fla., at the Bale N Trail Cross Country Original. Westminster's boys are running at the Wendy's Invitational in Charlotte, N.C. On the home front, the 32nd Annual Westover Invitation will welcome Centennial, Creekview, Lovett and Pace Academy.
Softball: No. 10 Pope edged No. 6 Creekview 2-1 in nine innings Tuesday to earn a tie at the top of Region 7-AAAAA on the final day of region play. The Greyhounds hold an 8-2 region record with Creekview and Sequoyah. The region tournament begins Monday. … Hannah Harrison (8-2) earned the victory for No. 7 North Gwinnett as the Bulldogs defeated Peachtree Ridge 7-3 on Tuesday night in Region 7-AAAAAA. Emily Dennis had two hits for the Bulldogs. Lizzie Hellstein was 2-for-3 for the Lions. … Class AA No. 2 Wesleyan shut out Class AAAA No. 10 Marist 2-0 as Dacia Jones pitched a complete game. Jameson Kavel scored twice for the Wolves. … South Cobb's Brittany Rhodes earned her 18th victory with an 11-3 victory against Marietta on Tuesday. … Shortstop Erika Dargan of Morrow is one of the top hitters in the state with a .576 average. … Catcher Jada Willis of Lovejoy is batting .541 with three homers. … Senior Rachel Karlan of Forsyth Central is hitting .538 with four triples. … Senior pitcher/shortstop Carolina Reilly of Mount Paran has eight home runs and a .514 batting average.
Volleyball: No. 2 St. Pius swept Class AAA No. 1 Blessed Trinity on Tuesday in an Area 5 match. The victory could earn the Golden Lions the top seed in the Area 5-AAA tournament, which begins next week. The loss handed the Titans their third in-state loss of the season. Blessed Trinity will host Serve for the Curve this Friday and Saturday, and will look to garner any lost momentum while facing Starr's Mill, Columbus, Northgate, North Oconee and Blythewood (S.C.). … Harrison secured a No. 1 seed in Area 3-AAAAAA on Tuesday with victories against Campbell, North Cobb and Hillgrove. The Hoyas, who finished the regular season undefeated in area play, were led by Caroline Ostman's 22 kills in the three matches.
