GAINESVILLE – Fleming Island High’s junior pair of cross country aces; Andrew Miller and Evan Fuller, stuck together from start to finish, shook off one hard-fighting competitor and pulled away to a 2-3 finish at the rugged district 1-4A championship race held Saturday at Santa Fe Junior College in Gainesville.

“We got away from the Sandalwood kid in the woods, but he came back near the end and actually passed us,” said Miller. “That was the best race we’ve had together all season. We were mentally ready to go once we cleared the woods and hit the long downhill.”

Miller would sprint away from Fuller on the final downhill then uphill portion of the course to get second in a new school record of 16 minutes, 13.01 seconds with Fuller in just 11 seconds later.

“I’ve wanted to break 16 minutes and go to state meet as my season goals,” said Miller. “We both can go faster, I think. Evan passed me at one point and it woke me up.”

Buchholz High senior Calum McFetridge pulled away from the field early and stayed up front for a winning split of 15:59.54. Sandalwood senior Terrance Sessoms held on for fourth place in 16:30.60, but proved to be formidable in challenging Miller and Fuller right up to the final half mile.

“We’ve been training hard on hills all season,” said Fuller. “We were ready for this course. I can’t wait for next week.”

A second pleasant surprise for Fleming Island coach Jason Poole was the 14th place finish of sophomore Nick Hoelscher in 17:29.48. Fleming Island’s remaining finishers were Gage West in 18th, Jace Chesser in 23rd, Samuel Terry in 26th, Tien Pham in 27th and Aidan Amstutz in 28th.

“That’s my best time of the year,” said Hoelscher. “I was trying to keep them within eyesight.”

Oakleaf freshman Dylan Nelson finished just out of the region qualifying lineup with a 19th place finish in 17:43.48, also a school record for Oakleaf High School.

In the region 1-4A numbers; including top times from districts 1-4, Miller’s 16:13 stands as the third fastest district time with Lyman junior Bryce Bell winning district 2-4A at 16:12.70 with McFetridge’s time the best of the region. McFetridge, sixth in last year’s region race behind five graduated seniors, comes in as the top returner for the region with a 16:11 time in 2015. McFetridge was third in the Class 4A championship race at 15:53.75. Bell was 16th in the region at 16:22 and 29th at the state meet. Fuller was Fleming Island’s lone state meet runner and finished 42nd in 16:58.15.

In the team scores, the just 11 seconds separating the top three teams per average time of top five finishers, Mandarin and Buchholz tied for first at 54 points with Fleming Island sixth with 60 points. The fourth place finisher, Flagler Palm Coast, had 126 points. All four teams advanced to the region championship race on the same course on Sat., Oct. 26.

In the district 1-4A girls race, Fleming Island landed two runners in the coveted top 15 that automatically advance to the region meet with junior Julie Franzoni in at 11th in 21:04.49, her best of the year, and freshman Jennifer Fliess in 14th in 21:08.75. Fletcher High senior Kayley Delay, second in Class 4A last year, dominated from the front with a time of 18:21.38 to win.

“I passed a couple of girls in the last mile,” said Franzoni, who has battled with lower leg ailments throughout the season. “We think it’s been some kind of tendinitis. Our strategy was to stay together for most of the race. Near the end, Jennifer and I pulled away.”

The remainder of the Fleming Island girls team included Grace Cuthbert in 21st, Rosie Cubbedge in 22nd, freshman Madelyn Stevenson in 24th, Syndey Nelson in 32nd, Kristina Morris in 34th, Kendall Mandt in 36th, Mallory Corless in 41st and freshman Jessica Fliess in 43rd.

Fleming Island’s girls finished fourth overall and advance to regions by way of Oakleaf fielding a full team to make the field seven teams. FHSAA rules advance top four teams in a field of seven or more teams. Fletcher won the girls title with 33 points with Mandarin, Flagler Palm Coast and Fleming Island going 2-3-4 with the top five girls of all three teams separated by just 31 seconds in team time averages. Oakleaf, seventh, had five finishers with Emily Hoppen in 47th in 27:58.22 leading the Lady Knights followed by Madison Weathers in 48th, Kiara Wertz in 51st, Gerri Dones in 52nd and Eunice Matos in 53rd.