Submitted by Grant Mollett, M.Ed., East Ridge High School
The East Ridge High School girls cross country team’s official practices began on Monday, July 30. The runners have several weeks of practice to get themselves ready for their first cross country meet of the 2018 season. Many of the runners have come off of a successful track season and a summer full of conditioning. The Knights will continue to work hard this season to reach their team goal of qualifying for the regional meet at the end of the season.
Last season the Knights only had one runner qualify for the regional meet. Reagan Parks, who is a returning junior for the Knights, qualified for the regional meet last season when she placed eleventh overall at the district meet last October. Reagan is determined to qualify for the regional meet again this season. The Knights will also be led by four returning seniors, including last year’s team co-MVP Alexis Hill and her teammates Cassidy Carroll, Eliya Anderson, and Haley Dykstra. Additionally, sophomore Mackenzie Hill, who was just one position shy of qualifying for the regional meet last season, will return in hopes to help her team push onto the regional meet this season. Two additions to the Knights include sophomores Emerson Wells and Olivia Peine who hope to make their mark on the team and help move the Knights beyond districts this season.
This season the East Ridge Knights will compete in Class 4A Region 1 District 3. The other teams in the district will include Lake County rival Lake Minneola, Apopka, Evans, Ocoee, Olympia, West Orange, West Port, Wekiva, and Windermere. Last season Lake Minneola won the district title and advanced to the state meet where they placed twelfth in Class 4A. This season the district will be competitive, and the Knights will be working hard to improve beyond last season’s fifth-place district finish.
The Knights will compete in their first meet of the season on Saturday, August 25 at 8:00 AM at the Whispering Pines Invitational held at Whispering Pines Park in Inverness, Florida. Below is the schedule of meets for the East Ridge Knights for the 2018 season:
| Boys and Girls |
| 2018 Cross Country Schedule |
| Day/Date | Time(s) | Opponent/Event | Location |
| Sat, August 25 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Whispering Pines Invitational | Whispering Pines Park – Inverness |
| Sat, Sept.1 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Mount Dora Christian Invitational | MDC School – Mount Dora |
| Sat, Sept.8 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Astronaut Invitational | Chain of Lakes Park – Titusville |
| Sat, Sept 15 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Early Hawk Invitational | Lake Minneola HS |
| Sat, Sept 22 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Apopka Darter Invitational | Northwest Recreation Complex – Apopka |
| Sat, Sept 29 | TBD | FLRunners Invitational | Holloway Park Invitational – Lakeland |
| Sat, Oct 6 | OPEN | ||
| Sat, Oct 13 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Sebastian River Invitational | Sebastian River HS – Sebastian River |
| Sat, Oct 20 | First Race: 8:00 AM (GIRLS) | Trinity Catholic Invitational | Trinity Catholic School – Ocala |
| Fri, Oct 26 | First Race: 8:45 AM (BOYS) | District Race | West Orange HS – Winter Garden |
| Fri, Nov 2 | TBD | Regional Race | Santa Fe College – Gainesville, FL |
| Sat, Nov 10 | TBD | State Race | Apalachee Regional Park – Tallahassee |
