Blazers run to fifth place finish at state

After finishing second overall at the region one championship last week (behind Dobyns-Bennett), the Daniel Boone High School boys’ cross country team earned a place in the Nov. 5 state tournament.
The second place finish in the region came as a bit of a surprise for Boone, who had beaten the winner and fellow conference contender Dobyns-Bennett the previous week in the Big 8 championship.
At the Steeplechase Course in Nashville, Boone didn’t only outrun Kingsport’s Tribe, the Blazers finished in a solid fifth place, proving that they belong in a field of the state’s best teams.
The Blazers were led by sensational junior Roderick Bowman, who placed 11th on the afternoon, finishing the 5K event with a time of 16:25.05.
There were 189 individuals who took part in the run.
Also contributing for Boone was Chad Whitehead (17:04.23) placing 26th, freshman Adam Barnard (17:28.81) at 50th, junior Jordan Roth (17:38.26) at 60th and sophomore Jacob Cutshall (18:12.64) who rounded out Boone’s contributing times placing 112th.
Overall, it was a stellar afternoon for the young Boone runners.
Finishing ahead of the Blazers was state champion Brentwood, who compiled just 50 points in a dominant effort.
Bearden, Houston and Hardin Valley finished next to push the Blazers to fifth. Conference foe Dobyns-Bennett placed 10th.
After exceeding expectations this season, Boone returns all five placers next year and with such a young team, the Blazers won’t just try to get back to the state run, they will be competing for the state title.