By Donald Heath
Special for the Effingham Herald
GUYTON – It’s time to see if all the hard work and sweat of the summer will pay off for the South Effingham boys and girls cross country runners.
Every week during the summer (except the GHSA-mandatory dead weeks), the Mustangs’ runners practiced as a team on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30 a.m.
South’s season started last Thursday with the Bradwell Institute Tiger Invitational at Bryant Commons Park in Hinesville. Third-year head coach Brandon Howard said the course was a little short – about .4 of a mile less than the standard 3.1 miles or 5-kilometers. Coaches hand-timed their runners and the overall results of the meet as of Aug. 18 still had not been recorded.
But sometimes the eye-ball test can tell a lot.
Howard said his girls were among the top two teams in the 13-team field and the boys ran competitive.
“This is a good bunch,” said Howard about the approximately 30 runners in his program.
Zach Shipman, who directed the cross-country program at Jenkins High School last season, will assist Howard.
South girls, who won their region and placed 19th at state last season, are loaded with freshmen and a ninth-grader, Natalia Melegari, led the Mustangs with a fifth-place showing in the season-opening meet. Another freshman, Brenna Kicklighter, was fourth on the team.
Sophomore Lydia Alderman, who missed the 2023 cross country season because of an injury, was the second Mustang across the finish line.
Howard said Patricia Backlund and Maggie Morgan will be veterans to watch. Backlund, a junior, posted the best time at state (23:44.19, 124th place) among the SEHS returnees. Morgan, a senior, has the best career 5-kilometer time among any returnee on the team. She ran a 21:06.15 at Honey Ridge to win the race in 2022 as a sophomore.
“The girls are pretty close and that camaraderie helps,” Howard said. “The girls’ parents asked me if they could take the girls to the beach as a team. I said, “That’s a wonderful idea.” Having that kind of experience helps team bonding.”
The boys team placed third in the region last season and 20th at state. With the top three from the 2023 team graduating, a new group will be asked to step up.
Junior Ben Fluegel had early-season success at Bradwell by placing a team-best fifth overall. Fluegel showed steady improvement throughout 2023 and ran a personal-best 18:21 at the Asics Invitational.
He was 23rd at region (18:33) and 131st in Carrollton at the state meet with a time of 19:03.
Senior Nathaniel West brings experience to the team. He ran a personal best 18:51.55 at Honey Ridge last season.
Howard said Mayson Young and Adam Hardeman – both from the wrestling team – should be strong contributors after placing third and fourth respectively on the team at Bradwell.
Another runner/wrestler, Emilio Santana, has been injured.
“We encourage the kids from other sports to come out, even if it’s just to get in shape,” Howard said.
South’s boys’- and girls’- cross country teams will be back in action Saturday in Augusta at the Westside Speedway Invitational.
