Etowah’s cross-country team is on a roll, winning two out of the four races held at the Cherokee County Championships, which took place on Oct. 8 at Boling Park. The Eagles raced against all the teams in Cherokee County, including Creekview, Sequoyah, Cherokee, Woodstock, and River Ridge—and yet, they still dominated.  

“The season is going great so far. We have one of our biggest meets coming up and there are high expectations on both the guys’ and girls’ sides. The varsity boys and junior varsity girls crushed it at county, both earning first place while the varsity girls and junior varsity boys took second place,” Katie Aycock, senior varsity runner, said. 

This is Etowah’s second year securing the boys’ varsity title and the fourth year in a row of the junior varsity (JV) girls winning first place. Additionally, five Etowah runners accomplished races that placed them in the top 10 finishing times: Dru Moore (first place), Andrew Balogh (second place), Dj Oakes (seventh place), Seth Eye (eighth place), and Tomas Maluf (tenth place). Seniors Dru Moore and Andrew Balogh were predicted to place behind Creekview runners; however, Moore won first place in the 5000-meter run after securing a 50-meter lead, with Balogh following close behind.   

“I think we have honestly had a really good season considering we have lost some of our fastest people that graduated last year. We have also had new runners this year that have really exceeded everyone’s expectations. I also think this year we have bonded and have really acted like a team, which played a part in it in my opinion,” Mia Duplantis, sophomore JV runner, said. 

Etowah’s teams have a busy schedule ahead as the Eagles continue to dominate the course. Keep up with their future races here.