The Columbia Academy cross country teams traveled to Natchez for the Cathedral Invitational Oct. 5, and Charlee Brees Franks became the first CA runner since 2013 to win a meet individually.
Franks took the lead with about a half mile to go and pulled away for a 13-second victory with a time of just 20:39.
“It was awesome to see Charlee Brees get her first win as an eighth-grader,” coach Duane Powell said. “If she stays healthy and stays focused, she has unlimited potential. Actually this team has unlimited potential. I would not be surprised to see several of these girls running in college.”
Franks’ win made school history as she became the first Lady Cougars to win a meet.
Despite the competition being stiff, the Lady Cougars as a whole continued to show why they are the favorites to repeat as MSAIS 3A champions. They placed five girls in the top 14 to take first place. However, the win didn’t come easy as the score showed CA tied with St. Aloysius of Vicksburg. Natalie Ragan’s 17th place finish as CA’s sixth runner broke the tie and sealed the victory.
“These kids never stop amazing me,” Powell said. “They have been banged up all year and still pull off these wins. It’s a testament to hard work and team effort.”
Madelyn McKenzie came on strong to take fourth, with Macy Robertson seventh, Briley Speights ninth, and Hannah Rogers 14th. Natalie Ragan was 17th and Madison Bond 24th to round out the top seven runners for CA.
The Cougars, running without their No. 1 runner, Drake Arrington, finished fifth in the boys meet. They were led by Casey Haddox in eighth with a personal record time of 19:38. Hagen Bracey finished 14th, James Ragan 20th, Ian McEwen 30th and first-time runner Jesse Harvey 38rd to round out the top five for the Cougars.
“Casey has really stepped up, with his times improving every week. Ian is also making a move,” Powell said.
The Cougars hosted the Caleb Coleman Invitational Tuesday as well, but it had to be held in Magee due to coronavirus restrictions. Thirty-two schools and over 575 runners were entered. Results were unavailable as of press time.
“This location provided much needed space for the team camps to spread out and gave more room for us to social distance as much as possible,” Powell said.
The MAIS State Championships will be Tuesday at Choctaw Trails in Clinton. The Lady Cougars are currently ranked No. 1 in 3A and are the favorites to three-peat as state champions. The Cougars are ranked No. 2 as they try for back-to-back titles.
“Even with several injuries, our girls are strong and will give it their all to bring home their third title. I don’t care about rankings. We have two strong teams (Central Holmes and Saint Augustine) that want to take us down, and we have to make sure they fail. Nobody has ever won a championship on paper, that’s why we run the races,” Powell said.
He added that the Cougars have their work cut out for them.
“Lamar Christian, which is our main competition, is very tough this year. I think we have a shot, but everybody has to run their very best,” he said. “No matter what happens, I’m very proud of all these kids. They have earned my respect with their team spirit and work ethic. They have done everything I’ve asked, and no coach could ask for more.”
