BE boys’ cross country claims top spot at Lowcountry Invitational

They came. They ran. And, of course, the Bishop England High School boys’ cross country team conquered the competition once again, winning the ultra-competitive Lowcountry Invitational on Sept. 25.

 

The Bishops, the No. 1 Class AAA team in the state, claimed victory in the 27-team meet, which was hosted by James Island Charter School and contested at Mullet Hall on Johns Island.

 

Once again, the Bishops benefitted from another impressive performance by super sophomore Justin Hafner and depth to post a 61-93 victory over River Bluff to claim their third major championship of the season. James Island finished a distant third with 174 points.

 

The Bishops, who are on course for a second consecutive state championship, had three runners place in the top 10, individually. Hafner, who set the school record with a time of 15:34.30 the week before during the Waccamaw Warrior Invitational, posted another first-place finish with a time of 15:51.93 over the 5K course.

 

Philip Simmons High School also competed in Saturday’s race, finishing in 12th place with 296 points.

 

Philip Simmons and Bishop England also fared well in the 23-team girls’ meet. James Island won with 87 points while Heathwood Hall was runner-up with 97. The Iron Horses were fourth with 116 points and the Bishops held down sixth place with 144.

 

The 2021 cross country season started with promise for the Bishop boys, who have not disappointed this fall. They will compete this Saturday in the Coaches Classic and then begin defense of their state championship when they host the Region 8-AAA meet on Oct. 20. The state championships are scheduled for Nov. 12-13 at a location to be determined.

 

The Bishops used Hafner’s efforts along with teammates Hank Linder and Joseph Romano to earn the Lowcountry championship. Linder, a senior, finished in sixth place with a time of 16:47.53 while the sophomore Romano claimed sixth in 16:51.37.

 

Charlie Tessier and Marc Brahim were 23rd and 24th, respectively, Gabe Hislop 46th, Ayden Haas 77th and Ethan Fernandez was 85th. 

 

Ryan Rousseau led the Iron Horses boys with a 10th-place time of 16:54.26. Ian Mullaney was 33rd and Pierce Walker 54th. 

 

Iron Horse sophomores Emmy Wood and Hailey Meyers led the team to fourth place by finishing in ninth and 10th, respectively.

 

BE eighth-grader Nora Brahim finished fourth individually to lead the team. Nini Clarke and Celia Murphy finished in the top 30.

 

The Bishop boys won the junior varsity race, which included 11 teams. Philip Simmons claimed third place.

 

The Bishop girls finished fourth in the junior varsity run. The field included 13 teams.