CROSS COUNTRY NOTES: Brookwood boys still stellar

Seeking their third straight Class AAAAA state championship, Brookwood’s boys continued a stellar 2011 campaign by dominating the Championship division of Mill Creek’s Coach Wood Invitational last Saturday. Nine Brookwood runners clocked times faster than 17:00 and all five point-scorers placed in the top 13 individually. Morgan Malanoski finished second overall in 16:08 and Gabriel Gomez was eighth with a time of 16:30.The Broncos’ 42 points were 98 more than Lakeside, Evans’ 140. The runners-up saw Sid Vaughn cross the line in third place at 16:16. Peachtree Ridge star Josh Brickell raced away from the competition and took home top individual honors in 15:57.… In a tense girls meet at the Coach Wood Invitational, Creekside edged Walton 92 points to 96 for the title. The Seminoles had two runners in the top 10 overall in a 25-team field—Sarah Heisner (ninth in 19:55) and Lauren Rodriguez (10th in 20:01).Walton was led by Alexa Womack, fourth in 19:30, while third-place Brookwood featured Caroline Kissel in fifth with a time of 19:31. Chloe Whitworth of Collins Hill broke the tape in 19:11, nine seconds ahead faster than runner-up Sarah Bowles of Lakeside, Evans. … Galloway’s boys held off the home team at last Saturday’s Winder-Barrow Invitational, 42 points to 58. The Scots used their superior depth to achieve victory, taking the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh individual spots. They were led by freshman Riley Freidman in 17:05 and senior Calvin Henry in 17:10. Hakeem Mustafaa of Shaw won the race in 16:44. … Landmark Christian won a thriller in the girls race at Winder-Barrow, with the host Bulldogs again having to settle for second place. The War Eagles compiled a winning score of 38 points behind Lindy Long’s first-place run in 19:36. Winder-Barrow’s Amanda Cope was the only other competitor to break the 20:00 mark, clocking a time of 19:41. … Earlier in the week, Westminster and Lovett captured titles at last Wednesday’s Buford Invitational. In the boys race, the Wildcats placed all five point-scorers in the top 11 and dominated the 10-team field with 38 points. Jake Candler led the way for Westminster with a runner-up performance in 17:23. Clay Howarth of North Forsyth took home top individual honors with a time of 17:00. … Lovett, whose boys finished in second place at Buford, showcased its depth in the girls race and scored 35 points with all five scorers in the top 10. As for the individual competition, Madalyn Walters of Dawson County won the race in 19:42—at least 1:23 ahead of everyone else in the entire field. … This week’s action is headlined by Saturday’s Carrollton Last Chance Invitational, the final tune-up at the state meet course. Attending teams include Blessed Trinity, Callaway, First Presbyterian, Lovett, McEachern, St. Pius, Wesleyan and Westminster. Region championships do not get going in earnest until next week, but the Region 6-AAAA title will be on the line this Saturday at Marist.