HANCEVILLE — It took a while for the good news to reach the ears of Ava Akridge and Alyssa Jackson on Thursday.

Once it did, though, the smiles broke out, and another celebration began.

Akridge and Jackson spearheaded a wonderful 4-5-6-7 effort at the Cullman County cross county meet in Hanceville to propel Cold Springs to a razor-thin triumph over runner-up Fairview and third-place Holly Pond for its 12th straight county championship.

Brooke Crider (sixth), Sadie Terry (seventh) and Ashleigh White (20th) also produced excellent performances for the Lady Eagles, who edged the Lady Aggies by two points and the Lady Broncos by three points.

And while the suspense wasn’t fun, the Blue and Gold remained confident through it all.

“It was nerve-wracking,” said Jackson of the wait. “We all believed we could do it, though. We stayed hopeful. We’ve also worked really hard this season. Brooke and Ashleigh coming back for this meet helped us as well. Things really are good right now. We’re excited and proud of what we did.”

Added Akridge: “We all stuck together out there. Like Alyssa said, we’ve worked really hard for this. I’m really happy that we won.”

With roughly364 days before the next county meet, Akridge and Jackson have already set high marks for 2018.

And do those goals include winning 13 in a row?

“Obviously,” the two said in near unison.

Fairview’s Alex McDonald earned her second consecutive individual title with a speedy time of 20:52 to head up the All-County Squad, which — along with Akridge, Jackson, Crider and Terry — was comprised of Holly Pond’s Abigail Kusz (second), Holly Pond’s Camilla Chambers (third), Fairview’s Carrington Chambers (eight), Holly Pond’s Breanna Tankersley and Fairview’s Angelica Antibero (10th).

Despite her wishes for a program victory, McDonald couldn’t help but be proud of the overall effort.

“I’m happy that I won, but I’m more happy with how our team did,” the senior said following the meet. “We’ve just been training hard, and most of us set personal records today. That’s a victory for us. We wanted to win, sure, but I think we did really, really well. And there’s a reason Cold Springs keeps winning these things. It’s really good.”

Kennedy Chambers (11th) and Alyssa Harper (12th) contributed fine showings for the Fairview as well, while Madison Frnka (14th) and Tess Duke (15th) did the same for Holly Pond.

West Point’s Taylor Willingham (17th) and Vinemont’s Tiffany Stout (26th) paced their respective programs.

Good Hope’s Bijou Phillips (14:16) took home the individual crown in junior varsity division, while West Point collected the team crown following a sensational performance on the trails.

The Lady Raiders placed second overall.

Hannah Shedd (fourth), Grace Lee (fifth), Tekoa Walker (sixth), Amber Waldrep (eighth) and Valerie Lee (ninth) tallied the quickest times for the Lady Warriors and positions on the All-County Team. Vinemont’s Kendall Harbison (second), Good Hope’s Addie Stripling (third), Fairview’s Emily Bryan (seventh) and West Point’s Leslie Boren (10th) also scored spots on the honorary squad.