Oxford’s boys edge White Plains, and White Plains’ girls edge Jacksonville for team titles. White Plains’ Conn sets course record in third individual title, and White Plains’ Duke gets first victory.
Girls’ Calhoun County XC
TEAMS
1. White Plains 36
2. Jacksonville 40
3. Alexandria 69
4. Oxford 80
5. Pleasant Valley 141
6. Saks 170
TOP 15 FINISHERS (ALL-COUNTY)
1. Maddyn Conn (White Plains), 18:25.76*
2. Emerson Maniscalco (Oxford) 20:13.38
3. Abbie Dickeson (White Plains) 20:51.20
4. Mattie Todd (Piedmont) 21:07.01
5. Kammy Buchanan (Alexandria) 21:09.94
6. Emerson Newton (White Plains) 21:34.63
7. Gracie Easterling (Jacksonville) 22:11.99
8. Rachel Sloughfy (Jacksonville) 22:15.83
9. Breanna Aultman (Jacksonville) 22:19.07
10. Anne Claire Mitchell (Faith Christian) 22:33.23
11. Sarah Sloughfy (Jacksonville) 22:42.97
12. Lily Law (Jacksonville) 22:50.59
13. JoJo Watson (Alexandria) 22:58.65
14. Annabelle Lamberth (Oxford) 23:11.08
15. Shelby Wilkins (White Plains) 23:28.61
*-Course record
By Joe Medley
MCCLELLAN — If ever Maddyn Conn needs alone time, all one Calhoun County’s most decorated athletes needs to do is run a cross country race.
The White Plains senior and Jacksonville State commit bagged her third county title and set a new McClellan course record Thursday, winning in 18 minutes, 25.76 seconds.
She led White Plains’ girls’ to their second consecutive team title, with the Wildcats edging Jacksonville 36-40.
Reminiscent of her dominant run for her second consecutive state title last year, Conn took off from the field quickly and finished well ahead of second-place finisher, Oxford’s Emerson Maniscalco (20:13.38).
“I was just going for the course record today,” Conn said. “I was just trying to do that.
“Hard work paid off.”
Conn won her second consecutive county title and third in four years, the one break coming when she finished second to Oxford’s Katie Keur in 2022.
Conn hopes make it third consecutive 4A state title Nov. 9 at Moulton.
“Maddyn should win sectionals, and she’ll be favored at state,” White Plains coach Chase Cotton said. “You can’t really say enough for what she’s done for our school. All of the girls look up to her.
“A parent said it best the other day. They posted a picture of her, and it’s very true what they said. She’s the kind of kid you want your kids to be like. She’s got the highest character. She’s the greatest person. To throw all of that on top of a phenomenal athlete, a generational athlete, I don’t know that there will ever be a more decorated athlete at our school again.”
Maniscalco realized her goal to take second.
“The goal was to be second,” she said. “There were two other girls that I knew were really close to me, but it ended up being two completely different girls.”
White Plains’ Abbie Dickeson celebrated her recent commitment to Gadsden State Community College with a third-place finish (20:51.20).
Led by Gracie Easterling’s seventh-place finish (22:11.99), second-place Jacksonville placed five runners in the top 12. The Golden Eagles suffered a blow when senior Emma Easterling had to pull out of the race during the first lap because of a knee injury from a slide tackle that occurred during a recent club soccer match.
Jacksonville won the 2022 team title.
Boys’ Calhoun County XC
TEAMS
1. Oxford 36
2. White Plains 37
3. Alexandria 115
4. Jacksonville 124
5. Pleasant Valley 136
6. Piedmont 149
7. Donoho 153
8. Saks 226
TOP 15 FINISHERS (ALL-COUNTY)
1. Josh Duke (White Plains) 16:39.78
2. Matt Tippets (Oxford) 16:47.49
3. Jaiden Garcia (White Plains) 16:49.65
4. Case Payne (Oxford) 16:50.72
5. Hunter Hartwell (Donoho) 16:53.32
6. Quinn Weaver (Jacksonville) 17:20.63
7. Christian Sotelo (White Plains) 17:26.73
8. Phil Copeland (Oxford) 17:32.74
9. Jaiden Harrell (Oxford) 17:35.37
10. Rua Mathis (Jacksonville) 17:36.06
11. Jayden Phelps (Alexandria) 17:41.48
12. Sawyer Conn (White Plains) 17:50.43
13. Jude Somers (Oxford) 18:02.08
14. Silas Strickland (White Plains) 18:02.13
15. James Blanchet (Oxford) 18:14.60
By Joe Medley
MCCLELLAN — Oxford’s boys have a knack for close victories in the Calhoun County cross country meet, and White Plains’ Josh Duke has a knack for fanatical finishes.
Both knacks showed up during Thursday’s county meet at McClellan.
Tugging at the chest of his blue White Plains jersey and yelling emphatically as he crossed the line, Duke scored his first career victory during Thursday’s county meet.
Oxford’s boys once again relied on their depth to edge White Plains for the team title, 36-37.
Duke finished in 16 minutes, 39.78 seconds, edging Oxford’s Matt Tippets (16:47.49) by nearly eight seconds.
“Let’s go!” Duke said repeatedly as he approached and crossed the line. After he crossed, he dropped to his hands and knees and hyper ventilated.
Duke said he battled asthma when he was younger, but that wasn’t what overtook him at the chute Thursday.
“I think I just got too excited,” the senior said. “That was my first win, and I PR’d (set a personal record).”
His previous best finish was third at Scottsboro.
Duke’s excitable finish didn’t surprise his coach.
“He’s got a unique way to finish really, really hard,” White Plains coach Chase Cotton said. “It’s kind of, just, reckless abandon.
“He finishes not really caring a whole lot about what happens to his body. He comes in hot, but he’s a strong finisher.”
Duke battled injuries as a sophomore and junior but entered this season.
“He has been in a different mindset this year,” White Plains coach Chase Cotton said. “He’s been so locked in this year and so focused on taking care of his body and training hard.”
As for Oxford, the Yellow Jackets won their third consecutive team title. Tippets was the first of six Oxford runners to make All-Calhoun County (top 15), and Case Payne was next, at fourth place (16:50.72).
Oxford has made a habit of close battles with White Plains and Pleasant Valley over the years. It went down to the sixth-runner tiebreaker in 2020, when Oxford won its first county title since 2013.
“I’ll never forget Wesley Robinson,” Oxford cross country and track coach Landon Delozier said with a smile.
Oxford’s winning formula Thursday involved the Yellow Jackets’ normal No. 6 runner, Jaiden Harrell, finishing ninth overall (17:35.37) and fourth among Oxford runners.
“He ran the race of his life to be our four guy today and PR’d by a minute and 15 seconds,” Delozier said. “He’s actually not even a cross country runner. He’s a track runner, and I told him, since he’s not playing football (this fall), he’s got to come run cross to stay in shape for track.”
Oxford eighth-grader Jude Somers finished 13th (18:02.08), edging White Plains’ No. 5 (Silas Strickland) by .05 of a second.
“Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had a chance in the world to win today,” Delozoier said.
Delozier called Oxford’s close victories at county “a tradition.”
