COVID Cross Country

Some how, some way, the Southwest Florida high school cross country teams made it through the 2020 season, something quite a few of their football counterparts failed to do.  I think it's a credit to all of the coaches across Lee County that their teams made it to November with more than a half dozen squads making it to Tallahassee to compete at the State Championships.  It's nothing short of a miracle.

Ladies first.  Canterbury's Jessica Edwards, a superb middle distance runner, landed the highest finish of her fine high school cross country career by taking fifth in the Class 1A race.  Right behind her in seventh place was Ava Povich from ECS.  Only a sophomore, Povich made giant strides improving more than 30 spots at State this year.

The top girl in Lee County and Southwest Florida is Amy Meng.  The junior from Fort Myers High led her squad to a third place finish in Tallahassee while taking fifth as an individual.  She wasn't even on the Green Wave squad last year.  Meng has the work ethic to be one of the best runners to ever come out of Fort Myers High.

The hidden gem on the top girl's team in Southwest Florida was Fort Myers senior Anna Fischler.  A nagging hip injury kept Fischler from training until deep into the season.  She went from running 24 minutes in a JV race in early October to finishing 23rd at the State Championships.  Her heart and tenacity is something to admire.

Kudos go to the Estero girls led by Madison Hood for making it to State and to the girls of Bishop Verot, a young and promising squad that could give the Green Wave a run for its money next season for county bragging rights.

It's hard to pinpoint a single boy that dominated the season.  Lehigh Acres junior Evan Meyer had a terrific season although he appeared to run out of gas at the Class 4A race.  Senior Ogler Bartolon of Dunbar had a great season and led his team to State in Class 3A.  The same can be said of SFCA's Ethan Tank who also took his team to State while finishing 15th in the Class 1A race.

Bragging rights for the best team belongs to Fort Myers but by a razor thin margin over Dunbar.  Junior Colsen Palmer was consistent all season along with seniors Liam Holston and Paul Colsen in leading their team to a fifth place finish in Class 3A.

That being said based off his finish at State and his season resume Estero junior Kolton Pickard is the best of a good group. Pickard finished a respectable 13th in Class 3A.  He did it while overcoming some nagging mid-season injuries.

Pickard will be back next season along with Palmer, Meyer and Bishop Verot sophomore Cooper Banks.  Look for Povich to continue her improvement and for some epic battles with Meng next fall.  But lets hope those duals resume this spring and that Covid doesn't put the road block on high school track and field.

Home Stretch

Keep your fingers.  Florida could hold its high school State Cross County Championships in less than ten days in Tallahassee.  While its unlikely any Lee County teams will content for a state title, a few should be in the mix for high finishes.  The local teams must first conquer this weekend regional meets but I think by and large several local teams and athletes will advance.

I looked back upon the preview blog I wrote at the end of August and I will say I got a lot of things right, but there have been plenty of big surprises.  We'll start with Ava Povich.  The Evangelical Christian sophomore has been the biggest surprise of the fall.  She has shown steady improvement from her freshman campaign and could content for a state title in a couple of years.  Ava has a legitimate chance to finish in the top ten assuming she advances on Saturday.

Canterbury senior star Jessica Edward appears have broken through the mental barriers that have plagued her over 5,000 meters.  She's a beast over 800 meters but struggled at the challenge of racing at longer distances.  If she's on she should be in the top five in Tallahassee with an outside shot at the whole match at the Class 1A meet where Povich will also compete.

The Bishop Verot girls stand a good chance of making their annual pilgrimage to Tallahassee.  Jorge Fleitas has brought consistent excellence to the Vikings program.  The Verot pack is young and talent but appears to be one more year away from being a threat for the podium in Class 2A.  

The only other Lee County girl that has a legitimate shot at a top ten finish is Fort Myers junior sensation Amy Meng.  The only thing standing between Ming and a top five finish is confidence.  Amy has no idea how good she actually is.  She is a refreshingly humble athlete who exudes a love for running that you also see in Edwards and Povich.

Meng will lead a talented Fort Myers squad.  The Green Wave have seen incredible improvement from sophomore Oliva Olney and freshman Elizabeth McHugh.  But Fort Myers, clearly the best team in the county, needs a super human effort from the amazingly resilient senior Anna Fischler.  A hip injury kept Fischler sidelined for the bulk of the season yet in less than a month she has emerged as a force on her squad.  Fort Myers will need her if they have any chance at a top five finish in Tallahassee.

The only other girl's squad with a chance to punch a ticket to Tallahassee is the Wildcats of Estero.  They are a tactically strong team that knows how to race and senior Madison Hood turned some heads by taking the individual in leading her team to the District title.  Coach Brian Olitsky has a way of making magic with his Estero teams. 

That brings us to the boys side where more than a half dozen boys have a shot at top ten finishes at the state meet.  We'll start with the only 4A competitor Evan Meyer.  The Lehigh Acres junior has shown steady improvement through the year under the coaching of Ben Pignatone.  

Estero's best bet for a top 3A finish is junior Kolton Pickard.  The Wildcats will have to shine in Stuart this weekend to qualify as a team for state.  Pickard, nagged by some minor injuries, has a shot at a top ten finish in Tallahassee.  The question is whether the Wildcats can feed off Pickard and eke out a top four finish at Regionals and punch its ticket to Tallahassee.

The surprise squad in the county is Dunbar.  Ray Romero has molded a tough team led by senior Olgar Bartolome.  If the Tigers can duplicate their showing at Districts they will be a lock as a team for Tallahassee.  They took down a top five ranked Fort Myers squad last week.  The question is can they make magic two weeks in a row.  It will require a major effort from Bartolome who has the ability to make a top ten finish at State.

This brings us to a team that I still rate as the top squad in Lee County.  I think in a deeper Regional contest Fort Myers will be better served by its potent one-two punch of Colsen Palmer and Liam Holston.  Paul Kolsen has proven to be a pleasant surprise for Yancey Palmer's Green Wave.  Palmer and Holston have the ability to be top five finishers in Tallahassee.  Holston is due for a major breakthrough race to follow up on his outstanding junior season of a year ago.

That leaves us to the SFCA and the outstanding job coach Katie Abbott has done with her boys and girls team.  Both squads advanced to Saturday's Regional meet in Lakeland.  Her boys squad appear to be a lock to reach Tallahassee.  Senior leader Ethan Tank has shown steady improvement during his four years at SFCA.  A top ten finish in Tallahassee would be a fine way to cap off his career with the Kings.

Last but not least is Bishop Verot's Cooper Banks.  The talented sophomore slipped through my pre-season radar.  Banks has been a consistent performer all season and easily captured his District title.  A top ten finish in Tallahassee would be an excellent way for Banks to close out his season and set the stage for next year's season as a four way slugfest between himself, Palmer, Pickard and Meyers.