Cartersville High School’s boys’ and girls’ cross country teams both finished third overall at the Class 5A Sectional 2 meet Saturday at Sam Smith Park in Cartersville and earned spots in the state championships. The teams also placed second among Region 7-5A squads. They advance to the Class 5A State Championship meet Friday in Carrollton.
Woodland’s girls’ team secured its state berth with an eighth-place finish. The top 12 teams advanced.
Maynard Jackson High School won both the boys’ and girls’ team sectional titles. Allatoona edged Cartersville for the region championships in both races.
Molly Hensel of Allatoona won the girls’ individual race in 19:33. Brener Schattenberg of Maynard Jackson took the boys’ title in 16:14.
Sofia Burns led the Lady Canes with a fifth-place finish in 20:42. Carson Robinson finished runner-up in the boys’ race in 16:16, just two seconds behind the winner, and teammate Ethan Empie placed third in 16:21.
Allison Snead and Rylee Maxwell paced Woodland’s girls with seventh- and eighth-place finishes. Woodland’s boys finished 14th. Cass High’s boys placed 20th, while Adairsville’s boys finished 16th in the Class 4A sectional.
The Cartersville and Woodland teams now prepare for the state meet in Carrollton this Friday.