JACKSONVILLE - Oakleaf High junior cross country runner Hannah Johnson had just two teammates with her as she charged to the front of the Katie Caples Cross Country Varsity girls race then held on to take a strong fifth place overall in one of the strongest performances of a good night of running for Clay County runners. Bishop Kenny High School hosted the annual harrier slugfest with 1st Place Sports handling timing duties.

"We were all pretty close in the first two miles," said Johnson, a transfer from Bishop Snyder High School where she was part of coach Richard Fannin's state meet team that finished 10th in Class 1A with Johnson finishing 65th in 21 minutes, 25 seconds. "Then, it was just a matter of holding on to the finish."

Johnson sprinted the final 100 meters to out lean Lincoln High's Lauren Whittier for fifth with both clocked in at 21:05.

The winner's time was 20:18; Megan Rhodes, a senior at Lyman High School.

In the elite races, into the night with an 8:55 start time for the boys, Fleming Island High's boys team, fresh off four runners under 17 minutes last week at Bartram Trail's Bales N Trails meet that got second overall, upped their ante with a strong fourth place finish at Kenny behind sub-17 minute finishes from Kameron Wallizad and Will Livesay; 16:36 and 16:43, respectively, for 14th and 24th place.

Fleming Island finished with four runners under 18 minutes; Landon Opp, Jayden Scherer, John Brinkman and Michael Lyon.

Up front Satellite, led by junior Gabriel Montague (21st in 2A last year) who ran a quick 15:38, won with 74 points with Bartram Trail (131) and Chiles (137) ahead of the Golden Eagles (168). Satellite finished second in Class 2A behind Bolles last year.

The top three finishers; Montague, Tallahassee Maclay's Junios Brown (3rd in 1A last year) and Lake Wales' Anderson Denton (7th in 2A last year) all finised under 16 minutes with 28 runners finishing under 17 minutes in one of the strongest elite fields in recent years.

One notable absence in the sub-17 crowd was Oakleaf High senior Dylan Nelson who injured and ankle at two miles and withdrew. Oakleaf High's Ajani Stokes, who has finished a step or two behind Nelson, finished 40th in 17:15 as Oakleaf's top finisher.

For the Fleming Island High girls team, led by sophomore Mei Chiang, who finished 14th in 19:35, the fast pace up front left the Golden Eagles in sixth place overall after their win at Bartram Trail last week.

Returning to the Golden Eagle lineup was junior Marisa Kortright, who had been ill last week, with a 20:57 effort for 47th place. Sophomore Lauren Schaudel was Fleming Island's second finisher in 20:17 for 28th place with a new face, sophomore Morgan Erler, finishing as third Golden Eagle in 20:50 for 42nd place.

Fleming Island is awaiting the return of sophomore Emma Millson who is still tending a foot injury.

Grace Adams, the fifth finisher and also a sophomore, finished in 21:24 for 61st place.

Winning time in the elite race was an uber-fast 18:09 and 18:11 effort for first and second by Chiles' teammates Allison Ochoa and Alyson Churchill. Churchill, a senior, was ninth in 3A last year in 18:16. Ochoa is a sophomore.

The top five runners were under 19 minutes with 23 under 20 minutes.

In the team scores, Bolles (2A champs last year) won with 67 points off finishers at fourth, sixth and eighth, with Chiles (3A champs last year) at 102, St. Augustine (8th in 3A) at 117, Creekside (3rd in 2A)at 129 and Oak Hall (2nd in 1A) at 129. Fleming Island (8th in 4A) scored 172 points.

In the middle school races (3K, 1.7 miles), Oakleaf was top area team in seventh place behind winner Bolles with Graham Myers top finisher at 11:16 for sixth place and Dalton Sass in at ninth in 11:24.

Green Cove Springs Junior High, 12th, was led by Tito Guerrero's 59th place in 12:40.

In Daytona Beach, at the Embry Riddle Cross Country Invitational, St. Johns Country Day School sophomore Matthew Stratton continued his fast races with a winning 16:44.89 effort with teammate Jacob Kailes, brother to graduated Benjamin Kailes, a University of South Florida runner, taking 10th in 18:31.41.

St. Johns' boys finished ninth.

Green Cove Springs' girls team, led by Addison Adams's 34th and Allie Knotts' 35th place finish in 13:40, placed 11th.