GAINESVILLE — The Chestatee boys and girls cross country teams came away with a sweep of the War Eagle Invitational on Saturday at the Chestatee High School course.
It was the first major meet of the season for area teams.
The defending Class 4A Chestatee boys dominated the event, placing five runners in the top six scoring slots, paced by Garrett Grater, who sprinted home in 17:46 to nip teammate Aaron Retana by one second for second place.
Gavin Grater finished fourth just three seconds back in third for the War Eagles.
However, West Hall’s Stephen Clark, racing as the only Spartan on the day, won the individual race coming home in a 17:38.2 for the title. It was the second career win in cross country.
Dawson County came in a distant second with 57 points, paced by a fifth-place finish from Ethan Smith. Habersham Central, with a pair of top-10 finishers in Aiden Thaxton and Ryan Martin, was third with 101 points. Johnson was fourth with 112 points.
The girls' meet, however, was a sprint to the finish in the team championship. Chestatee edged Dawson County by one point, 48 to 49, to capture the girls' title.
The Lady Tigers were in the lead through the top four runners, leading 25 to 34 as both teams placed four runners in the top 12. But Chestatee’s fifth runner, Jaqueline Gomez, managed a 14th place finish while Dawson’s Chloe Gonzalez came home in 24th.
Chestatee’s Caroline Bull finished third overall and Dawson County’s Ann Lecave was fourth.
A pair of Habersham County sisters, Audrey Hotard (21:01) and Abigail Hotard (22:24), finished as the top two finishers for the Lady Raiders, who took third in the team totals with 65 points. Lakeview Academy took fourth, paced by Virginia Cobb’s fifth-place showing.
TEAM SCORES -- BOYS
1. 17 Chestatee
2. 57 Dawson County
3. 101 Habersham Central High School
4. 112 Johnson
5. 127 Meadowcreek
6. 138 Horizon Christian Academy
7. 158 Central Gwinnett
TEAM SCORES -- GIRLS
1. 48 Chestatee
2. 49 Dawson County
3. 65 Habersham Central
4. 92 Lakeview Academy
5. 105 South Gwinnett
6. 150 Towns County
7. 169 Horizon Christian Academy
