Eagle Cross Country Teams outperform many ranked programs as top-3 finish for senior Hayden Marshall paces Milton’s state runners
November 7, 2020 – Carrollton, GA – By Coach Andy Carr
The Milton High School cross country teams concluded their 2020 campaign with a pair of top-10 team finishes at the GHSA State Cross Country Championships as senior Hayden Marshall capped-off his high school career with a 3rd place individual finish to lead the Eagles.
BOYS
Besting their predicted 8th place team finish, Milton (5th-194 pts) bested 25 schools to just miss a team trophy. Marietta (1st-99 pts), Harrison (2nd-116 pts), Norcross (3rd-128 pts) and newcomer Denmark (4th-145 pts) were just in front of the Eagles in the Class 7A race. Senior Hayden Marshall (3rd-16:16) finished off his cross-country career at Milton with a well-earned 3rd place podium finish while running close to a one-minute course personal best. Marshall moved into 3rd just before the opening mile mark and was never threatened the remainder of the race. Fellow seniors Jack Petkash (27th-17:12) and Connor Brunson (28th-17:15) helped push the Milton effort in their final races in an Eagle uniform. Sophomore Cory Chambers (65th-17:56) and senior co-captain Lorin Tady (18:02) closed out the 5th place score for Milton. After losing his shoe in the first few meters of the race, junior Dylan Bowden (78th-18:04) gutted-out a strong effort while freshman Hixon Rumph (109th-18:27) beat back many teams top-5 runners to cap-off the Eagles season. There were 206 finishers.
GIRLS
Not even expected to challenge for a top-10 team finish, the Lady Eagles surprised many ranked opponents on their way to a ninth-place finish. Milton (9th-255 pts) had no finishers in the top-30 but turned back 6th ranked Parkview (13th-317 pts), 10th ranked West Forsyth (10th-270 pts) and 11th ranked Brookwood (14th-334 pts). The Lady Eagles were ranked 12th coming into the state meet after a 3rd place region finish and turned back arch-rival Roswell (11th-285 pts) who had beaten them by a single point at that region race. Marietta (1st-88 pts) completed a sweep of the 7A class titles as Milton dispatched 21 teams. A great start by the Lady Eagles put them in a commanding position to secure their season goal of a top-10 state team finish. Surprising freshman Calista Cacciatore (31st-20:49) led Milton as senior co-captain Audrey Nichols (41st-21:01) provided a big finish for the Lady Eagles. The 49-second spread among Milton’s scorers also included freshman Ella Grace Malcom (59th-21:26), sophomore Farrah Frith (64th-21:31) and junior Jessica Albregts (71st-21:38). Helping the Lady Eagles to a top-10 finish were juniors Ellie Dickenson (95th-22:01) and Megan Stechschulte (101st-22:06) who passed many teams top-5 scoring runners. 212 runners finished the race.
