State Champs! Fannin County Middle School Cross County Team Takes First At State Meet

Your Fannin County Middle School Cross Country Rebels are State Grand Champions!

Grand Champion is the title given to the school whose both girl’s and boy’s teams combined for the top score in their division, and thanks to some impressive performances, the Middle School Rebels are the 2022-2023 Division 2 Grand Champions.

That wasn’t the only title taken home that day by the Rebel girl’s runners, however, as they won the girl’s State Championship as well. The boy’s team also found themselves among the top finishers, as they took home fourth place in the state meet.

On the girl’s side of things, Sadie Patton had the best individual performance at the state meet finishing 6th in the state in her first year running. Annaleigh Cheatham and Lola Temples finished 16th and 17th, respectively, while Jacquelyn Cline rounded out the top 25 with a solid 22nd-place finish.

As for the boys, Koen Verner tore it up in his first year on the team. The eighth grader won five races this year, including the Mountain League Championships, and finished on the podium at the state meet with a third-place finish. Cayson Mitchell (29th), Rylin Davis (39th), Austin Prieto (45th), and Mason Sandefur (46th) all finished in the top 50 for the boys.