PONTE VEDRA BEACH - Fleming Island High senior cross country standout Graham Myers had a bit of a hiccup the past two or three weeks and took some "time" away from his season to get straight before his district, region, and state-run to chase Tallahassee Leon's double state champion Patrick Koon for another shot at a Class 3A gold medal. Myers was third last year to Koon and Belen Jesuit's Joshua Ruiz.

"I don't know if it was mental, but it's all good now, "said Myers, after he thumped the district 2-3A field chock full of Ponte Vedra challengers en route to a 15-minute, 51-second cruising winning time to repeat as district champion. "I put on a big push after the first lap (of three on the fairly flat Ponte Vedra High School course) and no one came with me. I feel like I still had another gear to go to if needed."

With Myers and senior teammate John Keester IV, third in 16:20, going toe to toe with Ponte Vedra's 1-2 duo of Tanner Andrade-Brinsko; second in 16:08, and Luke Ross, fourth in 16:27, plus Ponte Vedra's third man Miles Wick, fifth in 16:30, all just 22 seconds apart, the team title was up for grabs for Fleming Island coaches David Allen and Jason Poole.

"We have a pretty solid eight runners that are all pretty close, but today we didn't run at what we need to medal at the state meet again," said Allen, noting Fleming Island's third in Class 3A last year behind Belen Jesuit and Fort Myers. "Naples (11th last year) is stronger this year and looks to be the target, but we have to be a lot closer as a team."

With track ace Roman Mollicone making the trip to Ponte Vedra this week (missed one last week), Allen got a solid third finisher; Mollicone sixth in 16:32, to shore up the Golden Eagles stake at a district title.

"Everyone here knows it's the guys at 4-5-6-7 that win team medals," said Jason Poole, the architect of Fleming Island's first state team back in 2010 led by 800-meter track state champion Cameron Davis (18th team place); Davis (FSU), Ben Bayles (Washington and Lee soccer), Cody Helms, David Steinberg, Daniel Cooksey and Erik Hartley (Flagler). "Our depth is pretty good with eight solid runners."

Allen and Poole proved prophetic in their analysis as junior Jacob Campbell emerged as the first of three Fleming Island finishers; Cole Atzert and Joshua White were just behind him before Ponte Vedra's fourth runner; Colby Green, finished just ahead of White to secure the 31-51 team title for Fleming Island.

Also in the team scores, Ridgeview; Braidyn Matz and Brandon Anderson tied at 18:15 for 39th and 40th, edged Orange Park; Ty Obermeyer 21st in 17:34, for ninth; 243-264, with Middleburg 12th; Brandon Millis 57th in 19:03, and Clay 13th; Noah Looney, 27th in 17:48.

Obermeyer and Looney advanced to regions as two of four individual runners.

In the girl's race, Ponte Vedra's girl's team looked like the boys losing was enough motivation to swing the pendulum back to the home team as the Lady Sharks trumped the Fleming Island trio of Brooke Reynolds, Allie Knotts and Reese Scott; all in the top 10, but behind the 1-2-3 finish of the Ponte Vedra trio of Lindy White, repeat winner in 18:24, Daisy Ross and Hilaree Vega.

Reynolds sprinted past St. Augustine's Lauren Voutour for fourth in 19:20 with Knotts a step behind in 19:36 in sixth before Ponte Vedra answered with three more finishers ahead of Scott; 10th in 20:15. Ponte Vedra secured the team title with 21 with Fleming Island runner-up at 68 and Matanzas and St. Augustine tied for third with 103. Fleming Island was third last year to Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine.

"Brooke and Allie have been running together for most of the season and flipping who is first depending on the day," said Allen. "Reese had her best race of the season compared to her races through the season."

Ridgeview, Clay and Middleburg finished at ninth, 10th and 11th with Clay sending their two soccer seniors; Erika Martinez and Kaygen Williamson; 22nd and 25th, to regions while Ridgeview's Emily Turner nabbed a qualifying spot to regions with her 28th place finish.

Orange Park's Charlotte Wilson, 37th in 22:15, was the Lady Raider's top finisher and also a region qualifier with Middleburg's Paloma Romero the Broncos' best at 49th in 22:43.

Ridgeview's ninth place was just outside the qualifying eight top teams to regions.

In district 1-4A, Oakleaf's boys finished 14th in that very tough district featuring the likes of Creekside, Nease and Buchholz with freshman Jack Strombeck doing double duty with his swimming to finish as best for the Knights with a 42nd place in 16:49.80 with sophomore Grant Keppel 76th in 17:54.20. Strombeck was fifth individual finisher not on one of the top eight teams (top four go to regions) to narrowly miss a region berth.

In the girls, 1-4A, Creekside sophomore Alyson Johnson, who has strafed the fields all season, again won decisively with a fast 18:33.60 with teammate Sara Rose just six seconds behind her, but defending 4A champion Buchholz proved too much firepower with the district title ahead of Niceville with Creekside third. Oakleaf finished 10th in the strong field led by junior Morgan Wade's 47th place finish in 20:57.50 with senior Tiffany Cox just 20 seconds away in 54th place. Wade advanced to the region as the number four individual qualifier.

In District 2-1A, St. Johns Country Day School's boys and girls teams both finished as top eight teams and advanced to regions.

Senior Richard Nichols led the fifth-place Spartans with a 10th-place finish in 17:44.70 while Rebecca Stratton was 13th in 21:00.70 to lead the girl's team to a third-place finish.

Maclay scored just 20 points in the girl's race with the top four finishers while the boy's race went to Providence who placed six runners in the top nine finishers runners behind Maclay winner David Barton.

In region 2-2A, Keystone Heights will send both the boys and girls teams (seventh in districts).

Regions

Region 1-3A (FIHS, RHS, OPHS, CHS) at Matanzas HS on Sat., Nov. 11 (9 a.m. girls, 9:30 a.m. boys)

Region 1-1A (SJCDS) at New World Sports Complex, Cecil Field, Jax, Fri., Nov. 10 (8:30 a.m. girls, 9 a.m. boys)

Region 2-2A (KHHS) at Sand Hill Scout Reservation in Brooksville (11210 Cortez Blvd), Thurs., Nov. 9 (8 a.m. girls, 8:30 a.m. boys)