The Greenwood High School girls’ and boys’ cross country teams competed in the 6A state meet at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs on Friday, November 3rd. The GHS boys place third overall in the state, while the GHS girls finished sixth. The teams are led by Head Coach Jim Andrews.
“We had a great season,” said Andrews, who also coaches the junior high team. “We had a much-improved junior boys’ team and the junior girls got better throughout the season. Both teams were young and will have many returning runners that will continue to make the teams better.”
As for the two varsity squads, Andrews had high praise for seniors Joseph Wittig and Zack Looper. “Joseph and Zack are both team captains and rock-solid leaders,” he said. “I believe both [of them] have a great future ahead.
“Since their sophomore year they’ve been driven by setting goals and putting in the work necessary to achieve both personal and team success. They push the rest of the team to get better,” said Andrews. “I know others looked up to these young men, [and] are ready to step up into their role.”
Both Bulldogs’ runners placed in the top five among 109 competitors. Joseph Wittig came in second with a time of 16:58, about 10 seconds behind first place winner Damion Brown of Jonesboro. Zack Looper finished the course in fourth place (17:28.2).
Nathaniel Gonzales ran 21st for the Bulldogs and Nick Lewis placed 26th. Greenwood’s Ryan Farr ran 43rd and Noah Walker placed 47th. Parker Pitts ran 56th, Vincent Gonzales 65th, and Luke Travis placed 94th for the Bulldogs.
Greenwood placed third behind first place Lake Hamilton and second place Benton. Rounding out the top five were Siloam Springs and Russellville, giving the 6A West the top five team finishes.
For the Lady Bulldogs, sophomore Taylor Koeth placed third overall in the state among 90 runners. Koeth completed the course with a time of 20:30.60. Teammate Macie Cash ran eighth (20:51.80).
Greenwood’s Maggie Rozell finished in 45th place and Scotlyn Wells ran 49th. Lady Bulldog Alexanderia Thompson finished in 66th place, Lea Ann Sappington ran 78th, McKenzie Wilburn was 84th, and Mia Place finished in 85th place.
The GHS girls just missed landing in the top five in the team standings. Siloam Springs was first, Russellville second, Lake Hamilton third, Mountain Home fourth, Benton fifth, and Greenwood sixth. Again, the 6A West proved its strength, claiming five of the top six spots.
“We still have a really young [girls] team,” said Coach Andrews. “Our top two, Taylor Koeth and Macie Cash, are just a sophomore and freshman. We also have two other good sophomores in Maggie Rozell and Scotlyn Wells, [and] senior Alex Thompson.
“I love this job,” added the coach. “God has blessed me. I enjoyed this season. Each year brings new challenges, and I look forward to next year. But first we have an exciting year of track we’re looking forward too.”
These same GHS cross country runners will return to action in the spring when the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs open the 2018 spring track and field season. The teams include five senior boys, but just one senior girl.
After competing in the state meet, Taylor Koeth also ran in the Arkansas-Oklahoma All-Star race last weekend, placing ninth with a new personal best time of 19:31.