The first annual Buffalo Creek Run, hopefully only the first of many cross country races to be held in Clay County, was held at Dundon on Saturday.

High schools and middles schools from around the state brought teams to compete.  This course, as you can imagine, is a true cross country course. Many of the events are just grass tracks with a little gravel and maybe some blacktop. Not this race; it was a race that had it all – mountainous terrain, dirt, mud, uphill, downhill, sand, water, and paths in the woods.

All of those involved in the event put on an excellent race, and many of the people in attendance said they would definitely be back next year and bring other schools with them. This race tested the best runners with a grueling competition and the last 200 yards requiring crossing Buffalo Creek and a sprint to the finish line. The middle school competitors ran first, and as you would expect, the CCMS Mustangs in their first year of competing weren’t going to stand by and let the other teams win without a fight. The Mustang girls placed 5^th in the competition with Ashlee Butcher being the lead runner for the Mustangs and placing 17^th with a time of 15:00.91.  Not a bad finish at all. It was the boys’ team that kicked the competition in the butt and placed first, making a statement that the Mustangs are here to stay. Two of the Mustangs were in the top five.

Placing third with a time of 10:59.59 was Ben Morton. Grant Young was 5^th with a time of 11:03.53. Owen Bass was a close 7^th place with a time of 11:11.90. Congratulations to the boys for their first place and to the girls for their 5^th place; you have proved beyond doubt that cross country begins at Clay County Middle School from here on. CCHS was up next, and their course was a little longer than the middle school run. The girls were up first, and they ran their legs off placing second just behind the always tough Sissonville team. Maddie Kilpatrick was the lead runner for Clay placing third in the competition with a time of 24:28.75. Clay placed nine girls in the top 20. It was a good run for the Lady Panther team. They just get better and better. The boys were up next, and from the start, it was all for bragging rights. They began with a blistering pace and the pack was led by David Tanner. When the race finished, the boys took first place with three in the top five. David Tanner came in second place with a time of 20:01.03, Hunter Jones was in at third with a time of 20:23.38, and Tanner Faulkner was in at fourth with a time of 20:31.38.  This was a great race that will likely draw schools from all over the state next year.

The middle school coaching staff, along with their army of volunteers, were on the scene early getting everything set, laying out the track, parking cars, and making sure the event went off without a hitch. The high school coaches kept track of all the scores and kept everything moving once the high school teams ran. It was a well oiled event with all the people involved making it a race that schools will want to come to in the future. Once again, congratulations to both the CCMS and the CCHS teams on their finishes. Both  CCMS and CCHS teams will be at the Big Ditch Invitational in Webster County on Tuesday.