PREP CROSS COUNTRY: St. Bernard, Cold Springs battling for small-school crowns
Published 8:00 am Thursday, November 12, 2015
- St. Bernard’s Steven Mami and Casey Guthery, the Lady Saints’ Ivy Edge and Leahrose Mami, and Cold Springs’ Kramer Crider and Jared Stanley run up front or close to it during meets earlier this season. All three teams are expected to contend for state titles Saturday morning at Oakville Indian Mounds.
There’s a very strong possibility the area will produce a pair of state cross country champions for the second year in a row.
Whether it’s the same two teams as last season lifting blue maps this Saturday at Oakville Indian Mounds, however, that remains to be seen.
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Defending Class 1A-2A winners Ivy Edge and St. Bernard’s girls haven’t given any indication they’re ready to hand over their small-school crown. They’ve held up against all equal-sized competition this fall, including Westminster-Oak Mountain, the 2014 state runner-up and most likely challenger this time around as well.
Leahrose Mami, coming off a sectional championship showing, complements Jaden Edge, Adrian Smith, Lizbeth Medina, Katelyn Cowie and others on a formidable squad of speedsters capable of contending in most any class.
St. Bernard also has a shot at the boys state title, but they’ll have to go through the reigning champs at Cold Springs in order to get it.
Just like last year, the Eagles have, by design, started slow but eventually emerged into an intimidating team to line up against.
County champ Jared Stanley has been Cold springs’ go-to guy much of the fall, but C.J. Lang, the squad’s sectional No. 1, and Kramer Crider give the unit a top-three more dangerous than most. Toss Trentan Williams, Mason Harris, Jonathan Collette and others into the mix, and there’s no shortage of talent across the board.
Same goes for the Eagles’ biggest threat and local rival, St. Bernard.
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Steven Mami was the Saints’ top runner for the first half of the season, and sectional winner Casey Guthery has held the title for the second. Will Sciaroni, Marco Tona, Marshall Rosenhoover, Isaias Robles and others have also spent time in the top five counting positions.
This weekend’s state meet will feature far more local schools than just St. Bernard and Cold Springs, who are both sending their full boys and girls squads. Cullman’s, Fairview’s and Holly Pond’s boys all qualified at sectionals, as did at least one individual from West Point’s boys, Good Hope’s boys and girls, Holly Pond’s girls, Hanceville’s boys and Cullman’s girls.
See below for Saturday’s starting times for all local schools:
8:50 a.m. — 6A boys (Cullman)
9:10 a.m. — 3A girls (Holly Pond)
9:50 a.m. — 6A girls (Cullman)
10:10 a.m. — 3A boys (Holly Pond, Hanceville)
10:30 a.m. — 1A-2A girls (St. Bernard, Cold Springs)
10:50 a.m. — 5A boys (Fairview, West Point)
11:10 a.m. — 4A girls (Good Hope)
11:30 a.m. — 1A-2A boys (Cold Springs, St. Bernard)
12:10 p.m. — 4A boys (Good Hope)