The Bainbridge High School and Middle School Bearcats and Lady Cats cross country teams turned in strong efforts Saturday at the Godby High School Cougars and Lady Cougars Cross-Country Challenge in Tallahassee.

The meet, held on a very challenging course at Tallahassee’s Elinor Kapp-Phillips Park, featured 15 teams from Florida and Georgia. The high school Bearcats finished fifth overall and the high school Lady Cats finished eighth in a 12-team field.

Yvette Greene, who coaches the high school Bearcats and Lady Cats, said the course was on grass, gravel roads and hard packed dirt, with a few flat sections, some undulating terrain and two challenging hills.

Greta Conner, who coaches the middle school Bearcats and Lady Cats, was very proud of her Bearcats team that finished third overall in a nine-team, 5000-meter field with a time of 11:07. The middle school Lady Cats also finished third in a nine-team, 3000-meter field.

Caleb Harris of the middle school Bearcats finished first overall in a time of 11:07 and earned a T-shirt.

“Caleb Harris has been a really strong runner for us at every meet,” Conner said.

The Bearcats and Lady Cats teams will return to action this Saturday when they travel to Leesburg to compete in the 17-team Lee County High Cougars and Lady Cougars Invitational Meet.

They will host the Bearcats and Lady Cats Invitational Meet Saturday, Sept. 30, in Bainbridge.