Dexter XC squad off to running start

The Dexter High School boy's and girl's cross country squads pose recently at the Memphis Twilight Classic meet.

Photo submitted

The Dexter High School cross country boy’s squad had some question marks entering this season due to having a number of younger runners, who were new to varsity competition.

The Bearcats eased some concerns recently with a strong showing at the Memphis Twilight Classic to open the fall.

Dexter earned its top team finish at this meet ever by placing 12th out of 41 teams with a score of 357, which was also the best that the program had scored at this meet.

“This performance is a great first step,” Bearcat coach Josh Dowdy said in a release. “This should give the boys some confidence as we head into next week when we host some of our local schools.

“I am anxious to see where we stack up.”

Senior Cameron Bell paced Dexter with a 33rd place finish, as he ran a time of 17:11.0.

Bell was followed by classmate Ben Dowdy (50th, 17:31.78), juniors Jaxon King (70th, 18:04.66) and Blake Lee (92nd, 18:32.32), freshmen Daniel Williams (140th, 19:33.58) and Gabe Proctor (209th, 21:02.34), and sophomore Peyton Ballance (279th, 23:36.84).

“For Daniel, a freshman, to come out of the gate and finish around 19:30 was definitely a good showing,” Josh Dowdy said. “His finish helped our team finish with an average of 18:11 – the lowest we have ever had down here.”

In the girl’s race, lone Bearcat runner Quincey McLaughlin finished 215th overall in a time of 30:25.10.

Josh Dowdy was as impressed with his team’s performance outside of its running as he was with the actual competition.

“Immediately after the race,” Josh Dowdy said, “our upperclassmen mentioned that Daniel Williams was the highlight of the evening. Anytime you have a group that celebrates the success of their teammates, especially in a sport where there is an individual component, tells me these boys truly grasp the team concept.”

The Bearcats will host the Dexter Invitational on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.