LAKE CITY - Fleming Island High's boys cross country team did a little strategic maneuvering at the Alligator Lake Invitational cross country races in Lake City.

"We've been running on heavy legs up to this point with an emphasis on being able to run tired," said Fleming Island coach Dave Allen. "Our goal is to peak in the post season; districts, regions and state for the legs to be primed to go at that point."

In the college womens race, held on Friday, Fleming Island High graduate Mei Chiang, now a freshman at Florida State College-Jacksonville was a top finisher with a 19:27.9 second place to University of Florida Running Club Sienna Alvarez-Coia's 19:01.9 for first.

Chiang was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Womens Cross Country Runner of the Week on Sept. 10 with a winning time of 19:58.3 at the Valdosta State University Border Clash.

Alvarez-Coia was a third-place finisher in the 1600 meters and fourth in the 3200 last year at the Class 3A championships for American Heritage.

For Allen, who was second at the Bartram Trail Bale n' Trail race two weeks ago, snagged a second runner-up up spot to Ocala Vanguard at Lake City 87-99 with the Eagles coming in ahead of 4A-Creekside. Creekside won over Fleming Island at Bartram Trail.

"Our goal knowing that defending state champion Belen Jesuit is probably untouchable at this point is to go for second at state," Allen said. "I know some may question that as the goal, but realistically, that Jesuit team has to have a really bad day for anyone to get close to them."

Though Jesuit graduated three seniors from last year's 3A championship team, they return with defending state champion Marcelo Mantecon, just a junior, burning most courses throughout the southeast with another junior, Armando Cruz, not too far off Mantecon's heels.

"It's tough when they are putting their top two guys in the top five in races around the southeast," Allen said. "Our goal is to get our five guys in before the rest of the field's top five which includes Fort Myers and Tallahassee Chiles. We've won one and lost one to Chiles so that's doable. Fort Myers, we haven't seen but we are all in the top five rankings right now."

At Lake City, Vanguard came in as a 16th place finish in Class 3A last year, but with just one senior runner last year.

At Lake City, Cornerstone Christian's Jack Kline again took top honors with a 16:26.3 split on the rolling hills course with Creekside landing two runners at second and third. Vanguard had two runners in the top 10, as well as sixth and ninth with Fleming Island's JP Strombeck in at 12th just ahead of Creekside's third runner at 14th.

Where Fleming Island kept points to a low total was with Luke Janke, Andrew Boyer and Marcos Serrano finishing as a pack at 19th, 20th and 21st to land four runners in before Creekside's fourth.

"The difference is the fifth guy most times in tight races," Allen said.

Allen's prophecy was spot on as Ryder Muyres came in at 27th with Creekside's fifth in at 66th to give Fleming Island the edge of Creekside, in third at 107 points.

For other area teams, Oakleaf's Jelani Chester was 37th in 18:02.2, St. Johns Country Day Schools Arlo Kistner was 43rd in 18:12.4 and Keystone Heights' Ryder Thomas was 51st in 18:28.1.

In the girls race, Fleming Island junior Brooke Reynolds continued her steady season near the top 10 with a ninth-place finish in 20:00.6 with St. Johns Country Day School's Kate Staten also finishing strong at 24th in 20:48.5.

Fleming Island was sixth with Vanguard top team with 86 points. St. Johns finished 11th and Keystone Heights finished 21st with seventh grader Ryleigh Thomas a top finisher at 79th in 22:51.9.

In the college races, FSCJ, chock full of Clay County grads, was third in the womens race to Saint Leo and Lake-Sumter State while the mens team on the mens race, 43-46, over Lake Sumter State and University Florida Running Club.

FSCJ's Chiang has now won three invitationals while also being named FCSAA runner of the week after winning at the Brewton Parker Invitational in Georgia.
Also on the girls team are Ava Banks (Ridgeview), Sydney Fallin (Fleming Island) and Lauren Hughes (Middleburg).

FSCJ's mens team, coached by former St. Johns Country Day School coach Joey Hale, got a top performance from Benjamin Hale who was fifth in 27:22.2 for the 8K (4.97 miles) course.

In the mens race, FSCJ featured Cole Fleming (Wolfson) in seventh, Aiden Taggert (FIHS), Noah Looney (CHS), Edward Julian (Creekside), David Beasley (Creekside) and Spencer Middleton (FIHS).

At the Ponte Vedra High Craig Speziale Invitational, Middleburg High's girls cross country team, led by freshman Lauren Rosset upsetting top 10 finishers from the entire Ponte Vedra team, finished a strong fourth in team points with seven of the top 10 overall places going to the host Lady Sharks.

Rosset, who has steadily improved to push her way into the lead packs recently, finished in 20: 50 with overall winner Samantha Gore of Ponte Vedra winning in 19:29. Ponte Vedra had 10 of the top 11 finishers with Rosset finishing eighth overall with displacement.

For the Middleburg boys, Daniel Johnson finished 10th in 17:50 as the Bronco boys took third overall behind Ponte Vedra and Matanzas. The Broncos edged St. Augustine by one point for the third-place finish.