Flowery Branch boys cross country wins state

CARROLLTON – After finishing second at the Region 7-AAA meet just a week ago, the Flowery Branch boys cross country team showed it had plenty left in the tank on Saturday, winning the Class AAA title at the state meet in Carrollton.

The Falcons fended off Eagles Landing to win their second straight state title and led a 7-AAA-heavy top five, as Creekview finished third and North Hall was fourth.

Flowery Branch coach Jimmy Sorrells said the second one is just as sweet, though somewhat unexpected.

"North Hall was such a heavy favorite that we just came in looking to take care of ourselves and try to improve on what we did (at the Region 7-AAA meet)," Sorrells said. "This is a great feeling. The guys just ran great today and things worked out for us."

While the Trojans almost captured the individual Class AAA crown, as Ty McCormack finished second overall and Cody Barger also took fourth, it was the middle of the Flowery Branch lineup that was the key.

David Farist finished fifth overall and Kenny Slavik was ninth to give the Falcons two runners in the top 10. But they also placed two more runners in the top 18 in Jeffrey Velez (13th) and A.J. Clendennin (18th) and was the only school with four runners in the top 20. Drew Garland clinched the win finishing 28th for the Falcons.

"Cross country is a team sport and the idea to have depth and put have more runners in the top 10 and top 20 than the other teams," Sorrells said."I think our depth has been a big key for us the last couple of years."

Meanwhile, in the girls Class AAA race, Creekview finished second, just behind champs St. Pius. Flowery Branch’s girls also ran well, taking third, while North Hall ended up 11th.

“I’m proud of our guys; they ran a good race. Sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles,” North Hall coach Patricia Zaudtke said. “Now we can look forward to next year.”