Article by Tim Farrell, East Ridge Cross Country Knights
Photos by South Lake Photography
It was a steamy September morning at West Orange High School on Saturday with humidity reaching record morning levels. This also made footing a bit tricky which does not make for typical scorching fast times at the West Orange Invitational. Despite the heat and humidity, the East Ridge Boys Cross Country Knights put together a very solid outing placing fifth overall. The winner of the race was Powerhouse Hagerty High School with the runner-up being Geneva School, who won in a tie-breaking finish which goes to the higher of the sixth placing scorers for each team. The West Orange Invitational brings out the top schools in Central Florida and this year was no different.The star of the race and overall winner was super Sophomore Axel Sallault. Sallault ran a very smart race as he ran with the lead pack for over two miles of the race. He was perfectly content to let some of the other front-runners dictate the pace. Once those lead runners began to get tired legs, Sallault then made his move as he moved in front with over 800 meters to go and never looked back. It was another beautiful race by Sallault who continues to improve as a runner with every race he competes in. Sallault completed the course in a time of 16:26, almost 20 seconds faster than the previous year.
Sallault was not alone in running an extremely impressive race as his teammate, Caleb Walker also finished in the top 10, finishing ninth. Walker was able to mix in just behind the lead pack as he kept a solid pace throughout. Walker completed the course in a time of 17:05, almost 30 seconds faster than the previous year’s blistering times! Walker is another runner who continues to improve with each race, building that all-important confidence in his abilities.
Rounding out the scoring was yet again different, as the Knights have had a different scoring five with almost every race. The third-place scorer for the Knights was no different, though, as Gustavo Vargas once again ran a solid race in a time of 18:17 good for 32nd place. This was almost a full minute faster than 2023! Followed by Vargas was once again Sophomore Tyce Ertel who finished in 54th place in a time of 19:09. This was over TWO minutes faster than 2023! The final scorer and marking the first time he has scored in his East Ridge career was Junior James Laack. Laack ran an impressive 19:20 good for 57th place. This was 25 seconds faster than the year before and almost 30 places better!
The final two varsity runners were spearheaded by the future of East Ridge Cross Country. Aubin Sallault completed his first-ever West Orange Invitational in a time of 19:30, good for 66th place. Fellow freshman and making his varsity debut was Gavan Flaugher, who completed the course in a time of 20:08, good for 81st place. Both Sallault and Flaugher continue to improve with each race and the future is bright for both.
The Junior Varsity Knights replicated the Varsity Knights as they also finished 5th as a team. With several varsity runners out, forcing several JV runners to run Varsity, several JV runners had to step up. One Knight in particular stepped up in a big way, Junior Scott Bori. Bori guided the Knights to a 23rd-place finish in a time of 21:32. Second for the Knights was Sophomore Christopher Stuemke who finished the race in 21:44, good for 25th place. Just behind Stuemke was fellow Sophomore Eli Parks, running in a time of 22:08 and 35th place. This was over 30 seconds faster than the previous year at the West Orange Invitational. The fourth scorer for the Knights was Junior Evan DeAnnuntis in a time of 22:18, and 37th place. The final scorer for the Knights was Junior Andrew Conway, completing the race in a time of 22:55, good for 47th place. Rounding out the JV squad were Freshman Isaac Bori (23:27, 62nd place), Daniel Baggett (24:11, 75th place), Aiden Floudiotis (24:38, 83rd place), John Hall (26:00, 115th place), and Senior Jayden Ramjohn (26:11, 121st place).
The Knights will be back in action next Saturday as they will be hosting the 2nd Annual SSG Hammond Invitational. The Girls’ Varsity race will be at 8:00 am followed by the Boys’ Varsity race at 8:30 am, closing with the JV race at 9:00 am.
