CFNN Reporter Amelia Osornio

On Saturday September 20th, the Cape Fear Colts ran the Adidas XC Challenge at WakeMed Soccer Complex. The competition and heat made the race tough, but the Colts pulled through and persevered. The Colts were in a total of 4 races, but unfortunately only the Varsity boys were able to place due to the other teams not having enough runners in each race. Regardless, this was a great meet for all of the Colts.

“It was our first time going there as coaches. It was a huge meet with great competition, on a tough course, in very tough heat conditions but I was really pleased with the way our team ran,” said Head Coach Jason Demchock. “The boys had a solid showing as a team and the girls didn’t have enough for a team but they still put forth a great effort and got great experience for regionals coming up. Chris Shick and others had great individual efforts and it was just a really good day to be a colt runner.” 

The Varsity boys race was first, they placed 12th out of 32 teams. There were a total of 8 runners in this race with Chris Shick coming first for the Colts and placing 14th with a time of 17:30. Collin Shick was next, placing 37th with a time of 18:06, Kayden Giles followed soon after placing 50th with a time of 18:21. All of the boys in this race did a fantastic job.

“I used the plan the coaches gave me before the race and placed myself in the right positions to be able to place in such a competitive race,” said Shick.

The Varsity girls raced shortly after the boys. The girls team only had 4 runners so they were unable to place as a team due to needing a total of 5 runners to qualify but they still did a great job. Keziah Chambers was the first to finish for the Colts placing 40th with a time of 22:25, next Amelia Osornio placed 103rd with a time of 25:11, followed by Anamarie Brenes placing 213th with a time of 30:41. The girls faced tough challenges on the course but pushed past and finished the race strong.

“I didn’t end up getting a personal record, but I did do a thousand times better than I thought I would,” said Anamarie Brenes. “This course really showed me that I can push myself to do better in my races even when I am tired. The course was really hard especially with the heat but the team managed to push through.” 

The JV boys raced immediately after the girls race. They were also unable to place due to having only 3 runners but they all did amazing individually. Brady Tucker placed 27th with a time of 20:58. Shortly after Mathew Mello finished placing 40th with a time of 21:25. Lastly for the JV boys, Noah Fletcher finished placing 155th with a time of 25:34. This was a great way for the boys to get some experience on a vigorous course. 

“The meet on Saturday felt very challenging and exciting because it was my first big meet. I felt the meet taught me that there is competitive competition out there and it is going to push me to get better throughout the years,” said Mathew. 

The JV girls race was the last race for the Colts. There were 3 girls in this event so they were also unable to place. Cara Patterson was the first to finish for the team placing 66th with a time of 29:40. Not long after, Jocelyn Lopez finished with a time of 31:15 and placed 81st. Finishing out for the JV girls was Zotia Farley finished placing 93rd with a time of 32:25. This was a great race for the 3 girls. 

Despite the heat and challenging course, the team dug deep and showed incredible grit, proving their hard work and determination. This was a great way for the Colts to gain some familiarity of the course because they will be back at WakeMed for their regional race at the end of the season. The Colts next meet will be held at Gray’s Creek High School on Wednesday, October 1st. Make sure you come out and cheer on the Colts!