Beddingfield’s Rebecca Balkcum finished second among the girls during a Neuse Six 2A cross country meet held at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park on Wednesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
North Johnston’s Haley Epps emerged as the girls’ top finisher during a Neuse Six 2A cross country meet held at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park on Wednesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Bertin Avilez sprints toward the finish line and a top-7 finish during a Neuse Six 2A cross country meet held at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park Wednesday afternoon. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Alex Mesa Morales wound up third overall during the Neuse Six 2A cross country meet. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Beddingfield senior Nolan Gamwell claimed runner-up honors during a Neuse Six 2A cross country meet at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s James Cabrera posted a first-place time of 18 minutes, 11 seconds during a Neuse Six 2A cross country meet held at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Maria Melchor finished fourth among the girls during a Neuse Six 2A cross country meet held at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
SEVEN SPRINGS — A little bit of deja vu. During last week’s Neuse Six 2A cross country meet, Spring Creek’s James Cabrera found himself running step-for-step with Beddingfield’s Nolan Gambell.
The duo chased North Johnston’s Devin Phillips throughout the first mile.
In their meet Wednesday afternoon at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, Gambell took the early lead after the starter’s gun sounded. Phillips and Gambell were just a step behind as the runners headed into the woods toward the lake trail.
And, like a week ago, Cabrera eventually took the lead — and not surprisingly — cruised to his fourth individual win of the season.
Cabrera ran the up-and-down, 3.1-mile course in 18:11 seconds. It wasn’t close to his personal record set last week, but he easily cleared the finish line before Gambell crossed in 18:55.
Spring Creek’s Axel Mesa-Morales placed third in 21:50. Phillips claimed fourth in 22:29, followed by SC’s Edgar Jimenez in 24:26. North Johnston’s Sean Smith seized sixth in 24:34 and the Gators’ Bertin Avilez ended up seventh in 24:23.
The girls’ race played out differently.
North Johnston’s Haley Epps emerged as the top finisher in 25:08.
Beddingfield’s Rebecca Balkcum finished 17 seconds behind Epps, while Princeton’s Kaylon Braswell took third in 28:18. Spring Creek’s duo of Maria Melchor and Marjorie Aguilar crossed the line in 28:47 and 30:32, respectively.
Goldsboro had two runners place among the top 10, which led to a nail-biting team-scoring finish. Nine points separated meet-winner Spring Creek (36), Princeton (39) and Goldsboro (45). Beatrice Cabrera’s 12th-place effort sealed the outcome for SC.
