PREP CROSS COUNTRY: Chambers, Phillips, Guthery, Thompson named Runners of the Year
Published 3:43 pm Wednesday, December 19, 2018
- Holly Pond’s Camilla Chambers (far left), Good Hope’s Bijou Phillips (center left), St. Bernard’s Caleb Guthery (center right) and Cullman’s Will Thompson (far right) hit the trails at various meets this cross country season. Chambers and Guthery were selected The Times’ Class 1A-3A Runners of the Year, while Phillips and Thompson secured the same honors in Class 4A-7A.
Cullman’s Will Thompson (4A-7A), St. Bernard’s Caleb Guthery (1A-3A), Good Hope’s Bijou Phillips (4A-7A) and Holly Pond’s Camilla Chambers (1A-3A) snagged The Times’ All-Area Runners of the Year accolades in their respective classifications following terrific seasons on the trails.
Thompson led the Bearcats to their third straight Red Map trophy at the 6A state meet.
The junior was named team MVP following three individual victories and a pair of second-place finishes.
He also earned All-Section and All-State honors.
Guthery, meanwhile, capped off a four-win season with a second-place performance at the 3A state meet.
The junior also corralled All-Section and All-State honors.
Phillips collected three individual wins and garnered a 10th-place finish at the 4A state meet.
The freshman, who claimed All-Section and All-State honors, never placed outside the top 10 in seven races.
Chambers racked up four individual wins, including the county title.
She also placed ninth at the 3A state meet, took home All-Section and All-State accolades and never finished outside the top 10 in seven races.
See below for capsules on all Runners of the Year, including All-Area selections from around the county.
All-Area Boys Runner of the Year (Class 4A-7A)
Runner: Will Thompson
School: Cullman
Class: 6A
Top Time: 16:03.61 (PR)
Results: Bearcat 2-Mile (fifth); Fairview Invitational (second); TCBY Invitational (second); Kudzu Hills Invitational (first); Jesse Owens Classic (22nd); Dew It on the Trails (12th); Oktoberfest Invitational (first); Last Chance Invitational (sixth); Class 6A, Section 5 Meet (first); Class 6A State Meet (14th)
Coach Speak: “Will is one that the coaching staff is really proud of, because the fruit of what we saw this season started in the past with extra work and dedicating himself to attention to detail. He had the best summer he had ever had and brought that into the fall. He was a model of consistency. He was right where he needed to be and performed how the team needed him to perform.” — Cullman coach Trent Dean
All-Area Selections: Jackson Tucker (Cullman); Edgar Medina (Cullman); Adam Mangum (Cullman); A.B. Diaz (Fairview); Peyton Bailey (Fairview)
All-Area Boys Runner of the Year (Class 1A-3A)
Runner: Caleb Guthery
School: St. Bernard
Class: 3A
Results: Pepsi XC Challenge (fourth); Bearcat 2-Mile (10th); Fairview Invitational (26th); Randolph Classic (fifth); Arab Invitational (first); Jesse Owens Classic (39th); Hay of a Run (first); Athens Bible Invitational (first); Oktoberfest Invitational (fifth); Last Chance Invitational (first); Class 3A, Section 3 Meet (fourth); Class 3A State Meet (second)
Coach Speak: “It started with a commitment to get in a great summer of mileage, and he did that. He was able to train and do the hard workouts required to get to that level without injury. As far as the season, he gained his confidence throughout the year, which was another key factor in his success. In the earlier meets, he felt that he didn’t run up to his potential. I told him to believe in what he’s done, and it would pay off. And it certainly did in November.” — St. Bernard coach William Calvert
All-Area Selections: Trentan Williams (Cold Springs); Cole Akridge (Cold Springs); Jonathan Collett (Cold Springs); Aaron Brown (Hanceville); Joey McCarthy (St. Bernard); Joseph Arriaga (St. Bernard)
All-Area Girls Runner of the Year (Class 4A-7A)
Runner: Bijou Phillips
School: Good Hope
Class: 4A
Results: Mortimer Jordan Invitational (first); Fairview Invitational (first); Kudzu Hills Invitational (sixth); Hay of a Run (third); Cullman County Meet (second); Class 4A, Section 2 Meet (first); Class 4A State Meet (10th)
Coach Speak: “She had an awesome season. She trains hard and works hard. She has so much potential to grow. If she keeps shaving time off, I can see her placing at state next year. Bijou is also a good role model for the team. She’ll definitely go far in the future if she keeps working.” — Good Hope coach DeAnna Chiaranda
All-Area Selections: Della Kelly (Cullman); Jennifer Aviles (Cullman); Bernarda Tizapa (Cullman); Ivy Edge (Cullman); Angelica Antibero (Fairview); Carrington Chambers (Fairview)
All-Area Girls Runner of the Year (Class 1A-3A)
Runner: Camilla Chambers
School: Holly Pond
Class: 3A
Results: Pepsi XC Challenge (first); Kudzu Hills Invitational (second); Jesse Owens Classic (fourth); Oktoberfest Invitational (first); Cullman County Meet (first); Class 3A, Section 3 Meet (first); Class 3A State Meet (ninth)
Coach Speak: “We knew that if she could stay healthy that she would show us her potential. We’ve been talking about it for years, but something always happened with injuries. She had a lot of expectations and lived up to them this year. Just a great season. As good as she ran, she’ll be pushing herself even harder next year. She’s really a coach’s dream. She makes my job easier.” — Holly Pond coach Bob Kusz
All-Area Selections: Ashleigh White (Cold Springs); Ava Akridge (Cold Springs); Reagan Parris (Cold Springs); Chloe Tombo (St. Bernard); Emma Powell (St. Bernard); Abigail Kusz (Holly Pond); Breanna Tankersley (Holly Pond)