For the sixth straight year, on Nov. 7, the girls’ cross country team won the GHSA 6A State Cross Country Championship again. The championship, as usual, was held at the Carrollton High School Course. The boys’ team placed 13th. Coach Coleman was very proud of what the teams accomplished. “
The way the kids all ran together, on both teams. I think everybody was well-connected,” Coleman said. “And I thought the teams worked well together and ran for each other. That’s straight from JV up to varsity. I thought it was a good team spirit we had overall.”
The team includes all ages, from freshmen to seniors. Seven runners get on the course for state.
“While I didn’t get to race at state as a sophomore, it was so fun to be able to be there to cheer on the team. We all put glitter in our hair and Marietta Ms on our faces,” Sarah Kate Branham, said. “After the top five finished, Coach Gambrell had me plug in the places to see whether or not we beat Harrison, and [we were] so excited. We won for the sixth year in a row. It was amazing to get to stand on the podium with the team, get our champion shirts, and the trophy. It was all so fun.”
The bond among the runners on both the girls’ and boys’ teams is what makes the team so special.
“One thing I want people to know about cross country is it’s not really the running that makes people love it, but the friends you make along the way and all the fun memories you will never forget,” Abby Jane Gross, a senior on the state championship team, said.
“I want people to know that, as individual as running may seem, we care a lot about each other and love spending time as a team,” Abel Hoffman said, a sophomore on the boys’ team.
In the end, the championship showed the hard work and dedication that the runners had to have throughout the season.
“I would just like our program to be known as the hardest working team in the state. That’s the biggest thing that I shoot forward with the team, is that we are the hardest working team in the state, and hopefully it shows year after year,” Coleman said.
While it is a bittersweet season because of seniors leaving and the season ending, it was a very exciting season especially with the variety of different grades.
“I am proud of the team this year. There were a lot of younger girls and they really stepped up and helped us in so many ways this year,” Mary Nesmith said. Nesmith has served as the team lead all four years, capturing state titles along the way with old and new teammates. “This whole season it was so fun to lead with the other senior, Abby Jane. She has been my really close friend all of high school, and I think being able to be the only seniors running together this year made us even better friends,” Nesmith said. “I think we both were so happy and sad on state day, there have been so many memories there, but the team has a great day so we left just feeling very full.”
Even though the season has ended the memories of winning state will stay forever.
“Our amazing upperclassmen have taught me so much about how to be successful in high school, cross country and life,” Mary Kate Ninness, a freshman runner on the state team, said. “They are such role models for our team and every race I thought of them.”
On Friday, Dec. 5, the girls’ cross country team had celebrations throughout the district, starting at MHS. They walked the halls at every school in the Marietta district. On the victory tour, they took pictures with the elementary students, teachers, and principals. Finally ending their day back in the MPAC where Superintendent Dr. Rivera spoke to the team, and Mayor Tumlin issued a proclamation. While there were many highlights throughout the season, there was also adversity to overcome.
“It felt great to see the hard work pay off. Even though we had multiple injuries, the reward was worth all the struggles,” Bailey Turner, another freshman runner on the team, said. “My favorite memories are all the time we got to spend together as a team, whether it was at practice, pasta dinners, or just hanging out. Those moments made the season even more special and something I will always remember.”
