Bearcats team, Gracie Morris advance to state cross country meet; Graydon Morris, Gracie Morris each win gold medals for first-place finishes

Paced by a first-place finish from Graydon Morris, the Aledo’s boys team qualified for the Class 5A state cross country meet this afternoon at the Class 5A, Region I cross country meet at Mae Simmons Park in Lubbock after the team finished in fourth place.

But Graydon will not be the only member of his family wearing a gold medal today. Gracie Morris joins twin brother Graydon with a gold medal when she finished first individually after the girls’ regional meet.

Senior Gracie Morris ran a winning time of 17.16.5 to best second-place finisher Rachel Sutliff of Grapevine, who clocked in at 17:36.4. Gracie Morris will be making her third trip to the state meet in three tries. She was injured as a junior and did not compete in cross country.

Graydon Morris, a senior, won his fourth consecutive regional meet and is the two-time defending state cross country champion after today’s winning time of 14:32.3, besting his rival, Michael Abeyta of El Paso Hanks, who finished second (14:35.1).

Coming off the District 4-5A meet where they grabbed all three top medals, the Bearcats will advance as a team to the state meet after a fourth-place finish. The top four teams qualify for the state meet.

Other Bearcat runners include Isaac Hernandez (20th place, 15:50.2), Townes Raulerson (16:11.1), Cooper Goggans (16:17.0), Steven Furlow (16;52.8), Rylan Shaffer (16:55.9) and Henry Zedler (17:31.3).

The Ladycats placed 17^th as a team. Other Aledo girls finishers include Sarah Tillotson (20:18.3), Ashley Canady (20:59.0), Chloe Gatch (22:23.6), Olivia Tregellas (23:04.8), Olivia Caggiano (23:25.9) and Arwen Wise (25:09.4).

For the complete story see the Nov. 1 issue of The Community News.