Yellow Jacket Runners Hit the Trail

HAYESVILLE, N.C. — Hayesville High School's cross-country runners turned in solid performances at the Western North Carolina Cross Country Carnival, with top finishes in the 5,000-meter races highlighting the day.

In the girls' 5,000-meter run, junior Raelynn Wood led the Yellow Jackets with a 20th-place finish in 23:47.83. Teammate Marlo Joyce placed 63rd in 26:38.10.

The boys' squad saw stronger showings in the same event, paced by Noah Carter's 19th-place time of 18:54.30 and Jackson Dye close behind in 21st at 19:00.20. Other notable boys' finishes included Eli Cheeks (29th, 19:36.20), Porter Hood (39th, 20:05.30), Parker Hughes (45th, 20:16.00), Evan Burks (24th, 21:06.17), Micah Moss (67th, 21:18.20), Garrison Boyer (43rd, 21:58.84), Brandon Prieto-Rivera (79th, 23:56.04) and Robert Manning (126th, 30:00.97).

In the 3,000-meter races, Hayesville's Annie Godfrey topped the girls' field for her team with a 31st-place effort in 14:57.49, followed by Jadyn Kimber (58th, 17:24.02), Ellie Black (60th, 17:38.60) and Amyna Denton (62nd, 17:47.93). On the boys' side, Jake Armstrong finished 30th in 14:22.38.

Hayesville will host the next meet on Wednesday, Aug. 27 at the Clay County Recreation Center.