FLEMING ISLAND - With a new set of shoes, shirt and shorts, former St. Johns Country Day School cross country and track runner Graham Myers officially opened up his 2022 season with Fleming Island High School gear on and made the biggest area splash with an eighth overall finish at the Cecil Field Summer Classic held Fri., Aug. 26 at Cecil Field’s New World Golf facility in Jacksonville.

Myers, a silver medalist in the track 3200 behind graduated Matthew Stratton (now at University of Florida) and an 11th in the Class 1A cross country championship race, ran a 15 minute, 47 second split for his top 10 finish with Tallahassee Leon’s Patrick Coon winning in 15:22. Myers ran 16:38 for his 11th place at the hilly state championship race. The top 12 boys finished under 16 minutes on the fairly flat and fast course that got tempered with some rain spouts through the Friday night festival.

The rest of the Fleming Island High boys team, led by senior Danny Sakowski’s 75th place finish in 17:12, finished far behind Myers to take 15th overall in the elite boys race. Fleming Island was without top runner John Keester IV.

Top team finishers were Creekside at 77 points with Sunlake at 189 and Bolles at 192. Fleming Island had 431 points.

In the elite girls race, Fleming Island showed off their strong pack running style led by junior Reese Scott’s 43rd place in 20:03, but enhanced by a 51st place from Allie Knotts (20:17) and a 54th from Katelyn Thompson (20:25).

Fleming Island’s fourth and fifth were at 72 and 77; Brooke Reynolds and soccer ace Kaitlyn Scherer, to amass strong team points.

Bolles won with 109 points ahead of Cambridge Christian School’s 140 and Buchholz’s 151. Fleming Island had 292 points.

Freshman Eliana Black of Cambridge won in an impressive 17:46 with Bolles senior Jillian Candelino second in 18:13.

Oakleaf High junior Duane Lee was 10th in the varsity boys race in 18:02 with Bolles’ Alexander Ruge winning in 16:59.

Oakleaf senior Sierra Barrera was third in the girls varsity race in 20:32 with Bolles’ sixth grader Sofia Stam winning in 20:13. St. Johns Country Day School’s Rebecca Stratton finished 11th in 21:30.

On Sat., Aug. 27, at the Spikes and Spurs Classic in Flagler Palm Coast, Ridgeview’s Julio Rodrigue topped the area runners with a 19th place finish in 18:28.80 with winner Price Wheeler of Lake Mary winning in 17:19. Nease edged Flagler 62-64 for team top honors with Ridgeview eighth.

For the girls, Middleburg’s Molly “The Hurt” Burt took 12th in 22:30 in a field led by Ponte Vedra High (team champions) and a winning time of 20:05 by Madison Carr of Astronaut High. Next up is the Craig Speziale Invite at Ponte Vedra High on Sat., Sept. 3 and the Florida Horse Park Invite in Ocala also on September 3.