JACKSONVILLE – St. Johns Country Day School senior Benjamin Kailes was top finisher at the Katie Caples Cross Country varsity race with a familiar face next to him for most of the way in the Sept. 22 running festival at Bishop Kenny High.

Kailes, in at 16 minutes, 46 seconds, was in the company of freshman teammate Matthew Stratton for most of the 3.1 miles until the final track finish where Stratton strode in in second place in 17:01.

The St. Johns boys team finished fourth overall behind varsity class winner Tallahassee Lincoln, runnerup Falcons and third place Bishop Kenny. The Spartans scored 188 points with third place team finisher Jacob Kailes in at 19:00.

In the boys elite race, Bolles won the team title with 33 points led by overall winner Chase Rivera’s 15:53 with Oakleaf High junior Dylan Nelson finishing in 16:49 for 16th place.

In the girls elite race, Bolles, Class 2A runnerup last year, ran overwhelming up front to win with 63 points ahead of Creekside’s 100 points and Montverde Academy third at 113. Montverde was third in Class 2A last year.

Fleming Island High, led by freshman Mei Chiang’s school record of 19:22, finished fifth with 166 points.

Girls elite winner was eighth grader Carly McNatt of Holy Trinity Academy in a fast 17:53 with Montverde freshman Lily Henne second in 18:23 and Creekside’s Clair Openshaw third in 18:26 as the top eight runners were under 19 minutes. Henne was fifth in Class 2A last year. McNatt was sixth in Class 1A last year. Openshaw was third in Class 3A last year.

Fleming Island’s team finishers included freshman Grace Adams, 31st in 20:17; sophomore Emma Millson, 32nd in 20:20; freshman Lauren Schaudel, 36th in 20:25 and junior Jennifer Fleiss, 61st in 21:11. Sophomore Marisa Kortright, who has finished in the top five for Fleming Island in recent meets, slipped to 83rd in 21:50.

In the girls varsity race, Fleming Island, led by Kayla Herman’s 22:09 for 13th, finished fourth with 167 points with Bolles winning with 40. St. Johns, led by eighth grader Kaitlyn Phillips at 21st in 22:34, was 11th. Oakleaf, led by freshman Madeline Dahlman in 20th in 22:32, was 14th.

In the boys middle school race, Oakleaf Junior High, led by seventh grader John Keester IV in sixth in 10:32 for 3K (1.7 miles), finished fifth with 147 points behind team champion Bolles with 48 points.

St. Johns Country Day School finished seventh with eighth grader Sam Hopkins the top finisher in 12:06.

Green Cove Springs Junior High had two runners; Keegan Emanuel, an eighth grader, 17th in 11:33, and eighth grader Ryan Switzer, 23rd in 11:52.

In the girls middle school race, Oakleaf Junior High finished 13th of 13 teams led by top finisher Jayla Holt, a seventh grader, in 16:56.