September 14-- Hitting their mid-season stride, the Vidalia Boys & Girls Cross Country Teams hit the ground running Saturday morning in Carrollton at the Carrollton Orthopedic Invitational. Senior Michael Blount and Junior Sarah Owen led their respective teams to top-ten finishes with the Indians finishing in 5th place and the Lady Indians registering an 8th place finish.

Blount, who finished at 19:03, turned in the best time a Vidalia runner has ever run on the challenging course in September. Jace Gabbard was on his heels with a finishing time of 19:25, followed by Luke Palmer, Andrew Hodges, and Daniel Hodges.

Freshman Andrew Hodges turned in a personal best on the challenging course with a time of 20:36, and Coach Mandy Godbee says that the freshman and his brother Daniel have been an important part of the team. "Andrew and his brother Daniel have been a critical part of this team, rounding out the team's top 5 runners. On Saturday, Daniel passed 2 Bleckley runners on the home stretch, allowing us to finish in front of Bleckley County."

The Lady Indians were once again led by Owen, who placed 13th overall with a time of 22:49. Kaitlyn Allen bested her previous best on the course by four minutes with a run of 24:59 and Isabella Holloway finished at 25:04 giving the Lady Indians another Top Ten finish. "The lady's continue to improve each week and are determined to make their mark in the state rankings," said Godbee. "Sarah remains a very strong runner and is improving in the state standings, with the other girls improving each week. I am so proud of these ladies and their effort and attitude towards every challenge they face," Godbee added

.

Next up for the Vidalia runners will be the Southern Georgia Championship, which will be hosted by Jeff Davis on Thursday in Hazlehurst.(Courtesy of VHS)