CFNN Reporter Kaia Griego

Last Saturday morning, our cross country team ran the Wilmington Beach Blast! The meet was held at Wilmington Municipal Golf course and the Varsity teams started running at 8:00AM. There were over 25 high schools and running organizations in attendance. The Cape Fear colts placed 9th with 265 points all together. They did amazing in all the heat and competition. 

“Our runners ran 4 different races. Our early runners did a great job, they pushed themselves and a couple of them PR’d, which is great for them. As they went on, the heat kicked in and our JV runners had to deal with worse conditions, but they braved it out and did an amazing job,” said Mr Demchock, the boys’ coach. 

The boys’ ran first and had several strong finishes. Collin Shick placed 17th with a time of 17:11, followed by Chris Shick, who placed 48th with 18:10. Maximus Mello came close behind in 49th with a time of 18:11. Brayden Luchetta ran a time of 19:02, his personal record, and Matthew Mello also earned a PR with a time of 19:31!

“It was challenging since it was a big race, but I pushed it because of the competition. It was also very hot, but the course and race itself was nice. Opening with a 6 minute mile was hard, but I stuck with everyone else and finished a good race,”  said Matthew Mello, when asked about his PR in the race.

The girls also had strong performances. Shaddai Martell led the team with a time of 25:21, Lacey Bullard followed with a time of 29:51, next was Ayonna Smith with 32:39, and Keegan McGarry finishing with 38:25. 

“I think waking up early definitely took a big toll, but I think I overcame that pretty well. I think it was a new experience running with a bunch of girls who’s times were super fast and it opened my eyes into seeing more improvement in myself and how I can improve,” Said Shaddai Martell about her race. 

Overall, the Wilmington Beach Blast was a challenging but successful meet for the Cross Country Colts. Despite the early morning and heat, they really showed through and competed with determination. The next meet will be on September 16th at Gray’s Creek, come out and support our colts!