The Bainbridge cross-country trails were raced on by 661 runners last Saturday at the Bearcat Invitational, and the home teams gave a strong effort in defending their turf.

The varsity Bearcats came in third overall out of 17 teams, and the varsity Lady Cats took sixth place out of 13 teams.

“Our runners are progressing each week,” assistant coach Lisa Enfinger said. “We are excited to see them continue to set personal records each week.”

Efrain Diaz led the Bearcats with his fastest time this season for a 5K at 18:45. As he crossed the finish line, Stokes Moore came around the final bend and beat the 19-minute mark with a time of 18:57.

Nathaniel Lambert and Wright Cook were close behind, clocking in at 19:06 and 19:10, respectively. Haydn Griffin sprinted into the finish with a time of 20:07, followed just over a minute later with Andru Matthews at 21:09. John Willis Maples closed the Bearcats out with a time of 23:23.

Uriyah Davis finished 19th overall out of 120 runners in the varsity Lady Cats race, leading the team with a quick 23:10.

Camry Fillingame came around just under a minute later and clocked a 24:04, followed by Aida Diaz at 25:24 and Lani Jackson jus steps behind her at 25:28. Alaiya Schuyler finished with a 27:54, Chloe Enfinger recorded a time of 30:53, Caitlin Shepherd hit 28:07 and Julie Wells crossed the finish line at 28:35.

Makayla Ingram and Megan Hyatt rounded out the Lady Cats’ effort with times of 34:31 and 39:25, respectively.

The Bainbridge Middle School Bearcats grabbed fourth place out of 13 teams, with Aiden Matthews leading the way in the two-mile run at 13:11.

Ashton Matthews was right behind with a time of 13:19. Landon Watts finished with a time of 14:08, Connor Poitevint came in at 14:44, Titus Porter logged a 15:09, Jared Davis came in at 15:50 and Hunter Matthews finished the race with a 15:59.

The BMS Lady cats were short one runner and were not scored as a team, but posted some impressive times, nonetheless.

Vivian Schuyler led the way with a 15:17, followed by Emma Briggs at 15:55, Anna Marie Hall at 17:11 and Nyla Dumas with a 19:12. Schuyler was the only runner to medal for her seventh place finish.

Grace Christian Academy

Grace Christian Academy competed hard, finishing 15th in the boys varsity, 13th in the girls varsity and 8th in the boys middle school race.

Caleb Carr was the leader for the Cougars with a time of 19:51, coming in 39th place. Jack Holden followed with a time of 21:17, with Seth Parker right behind him at 21:29. Chasen Wood came in at 22:24, Clay Wells logged a 23:12 and Sam McRae recorded a 24:24.

Jeb Smith came in at 26:14, John York had a time of 27:33, Spencer Butler clocked a 31:01 and Garrett Donalson closed out the Cougars with a time of 35:17.

The varsity Lady Cougars were led by Lilah Widner with a time of 28:27. Lilly Reynolds followed with a time of 29:13, Caroline Wells had a time of 31:45, Kate McRae clocked a 33:06, Harsimran Singh had a 33:55 and Abby Bodrey had a 39:12.

Wyatt Carpenter was lightning fast for the middle school Cougars, coming in third place overall with a 11:52.

Daniel Jones grabbed ninth place with a time of 12:46. Behind him was Jackson Davis with a time of 15:19, Jay Lanier with a time of 19:31, Ben York with a time of 19:33, Mason Flowers with a time of 22:23 and Sam Emmons finished with a 25:31.

The BHS JROTC assisted with parking throughout the day. The BHS Anchor Club helped with the course, and  Bainbridge runners helped with the finish line.