The boys and girls teams from Ft. Smith Southside made a statement on Saturday at the Elkins Invitational.
For the first time this season, the Mavericks competed on Arkansas soil and wasted no time making a huge first impression in front of their in-state competition, picking up victories in both the boys and girls team races.
Abigail Harding led the ways for the girls, finishing 4th and running a 21:21.97 while her teammate Michaela Kaelin was right behind her in 5th. Ly Le, Madelynn Sanger, and Vy Le rounded out the team's top 5 and all finished in the top 13.
The Mavericks top 5 averaged 22:16 over 5,000m, which was enough to beat out 6A rivals Har-Ber, as well as Springdale and Ft. Smith Northside.
Rhett Moss was the top finisher for the boys team. The junior finished 2nd, dipping below 17-minutes on a very challenging course. Braden Palmer, Evan Smith, and Joe Griggs were not too far behind and the trio finished 4th, 5th, and 7th. Luke Paulus rounded out the team's top 5 in 11th.
It was a dominating display for one of the top teams in 6A this season. The Mavericks had a 1-5 split of 47 seconds and averaged 17:11 across 5,000m.
The team is slated next to race at the Springdale Schools Invitational on October 12th.
Congratulations to the two teams!