East Webster and Eupora made the long ride from Webster County to the Class 2A Cross Country meet last week.
Neither team came away as champion, but both came away with plenty of memories.
Eupora coach Randee Jernigan and East Webster coach Wes Johnson were talking at the Winona Invitational Tournament and hatched a plan if both teams qualified for the state meet.
When both teams had runners qualify, the two coaches decided to take one bus to Clinton as they prepared to run at Choctaw Trails at Mississippi College.
“They had six or seven going and we had about 12 or 13 going and we talked about it and it would save the county money,” Johnson said. “There was no need to take two buses. The kids get along and we decided to do it. I talked to our kids about it and they said they loved the idea. We didn’t intend for it to be a big thing but it has sort of turned into a big thing.”
“I am so proud of our athletes,” Jernigan said. “It was a great opportunity for our student athletes to build a stronger community beyond being rivals. We plan on traveling together again. Today was a great day.”
Johnson said while the two schools are rivals on the field, he thought the shared ride a teaching opportunity.
“There are enough people in this world that don’t get along,” Johnson said. “We are rivals and while we compete against each other, we should all want what is best for our county. I think the kids learn a lot from adults. If we set a precedent where we act right and do the right things, the kids will follow.”
For East Webster, Ali Azlin was the top finisher from Webster County as she finished in 34th place with a time of 26:30.02. Reagan Plunkett was 50th with a time of 28:04.53 while Kaitlin Ray was 51st with a time of 28.33.32. Whitney Winter was 63rd with a time of 20.28.88 while Addison Edwards rounded out the top five by finishing 68th with a time of 30.43.21. Jordan Johnson ran 31.09.73 while Abagail Fulgham ran 37.12.90.
On the boys side, Carrin Townsend had a good showing as he finished in 22nd place with a time of 20L10.70 while Gavin Edwards was 50th with a time of 22:08.77 and Will Gaskin was 69th with a time of 22:56.89. Briceton Johnson was 84th with a time of 24:46.75 while Jessee Robertson was 98th with at time of 27:01.38. Cameron Pilgrim was 100th with at time of 27:31.01 while Brody Smith was 109th with a time of 29:15.61.
For the Eupora boys, four runners qualified as John Thomas Frank finished 35th overall with a time of 21:08.92 while John Douglas Stephenson was 56th with a time of 22:33.44. Garrett Crimm was 65th with a time of 22:48.91 while Walker Mitchell was 94th with a time of 26:10.95.
On the girls side, Lillian Winter was 77th with a time of 32:19.22 while Bre McComb was 80th with at time of 32:57.10. Lucy Tulipan was 82nd with a time of 32:59.72 while Madison Goodrum was 88th with a time of 35:31.54.
Local cross-country teams compete in state meet
The Eupora and East Webster High School cross-country teams traveled together to compete in the 2A Cross-Country State Meet in Clinton at Choctaw Trails on Nov. 5.
Randee Jernigan is East Webster’s coach and Wes Johnson is the coach for EWH.
“I am so proud of our athletes,” Jernigan said. “It was a great opportunity for our student athletes to build a stronger community beyond being rivals. We plan on traveling together again. Today was a great day.”
