Murphy Cross County Starts Season

MURPHY, N.C. — Murphy High School and Middle School runners delivered notable performances at the TCEC-Jaguar Jungle Run, showcasing individual strengths across high school and middle school divisions despite mixed team results.

In the boys' high school 5,000 meters, Murphy placed fourth overall with 109 points. Junior Braden Edwards led the Bulldogs with a 15th-place finish in 20:44.3, contributing 14 points to the team score. Junior Grayson Hall followed in 29th at 22:59.8, freshman David Hickey in 33rd at 23:11.1, senior John Durham in 41st at 24:19.1, junior Cruz Yarbro in 43rd at 24:36.8 and freshman Reyden Galarza in 45th at 24:38.8. Junior Michael Brown did not start.

Murphy's high school girls competed as individuals without a team score in the 5,000 meters. Freshman Hadley Rider paced the group with a 29th-place time of 30:53.5, followed closely by senior Anna Leatherwood in 30th at 30:59.4 and freshman Emory Ricks in 31st at 31:09.6.

The middle school boys from Murphy finished fifth with 118 points in the 2-mile run. Seventh-grader Jackson Badger stood out with a second-place overall finish in 13:03.8, earning the top spot for the team. Seventh-grader Jacob Bullers placed 22nd in 15:01.1, eighth-grader Colton Potrock 32nd in 15:58.7, sixth-grader Maverick Ryder 43rd in 17:04.2, eighth-grader Terence Cotton 52nd in 18:33.3 and seventh-grader Levi Ricks 67th in 22:57.0.

Murphy's middle school girls also ran individually in the 2-mile event. Eighth-grader Maddie Lamb led with a fifth-place finish in 15:13.9, seventh-grader Taylor Teasdale took sixth in 15:37.8, seventh-grader Carter Hall 12th in 16:32.0 and seventh-grader Emma Jane McKay 14th in 16:42.6.

The meet, held Saturday at Tri-County Early College, featured competitors from several regional schools, with Union County High School winning the boys' high school division and Cherokee topping the girls' high school race.