By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

LAGRANGE – They’re running strong.

LaGrange High’s boys’ cross-country team has participated in two meets this season, and it has excelled in them both.

After a strong showing in the season-opening Bob Blastow Early Bird race, the Grangers placed third in the Class AAAA and Class AAAAA division of the Carrollton Orthopedic Invitational on Saturday.

LaGrange’s Alex Bowie and Joshua Turman were fifth and eighth, respectively, and John McDonald, Cameron Thomas, Matthew Callaway, Logan Lopez and Charles Arrington rounded out the varsity lineup.

“We have a pretty solid group,” LaGrange coach Chase Wilson said. “It seems like we have pretty defined roles so far. Alex Bowie, he’s probably our top runner, and Josh Turman, he’s pretty consistently going to be the second one. John McDonald is going to stay about our third runner. We’re trying to see if we’re going to get a little bit more production out of those fourth and fifth runners. If we can do that, I think we’ll be good to go.”

Bowie, a sophomore who was fourth in the Bob Blastow race, finished Saturday’s 3.1-mile race with a time of 18 minutes, 16 seconds to place fifth.

Turman was eighth with a time of (18:29). McDonald was 15th.

Next for LaGrange was Thomas (19:25) in 23rd place, Callaway (19:49) finished 35th, Lopez was 36th, and Arrington came in 39th.

In Saturday’s girls’ race, LaGrange finished ninth.

Zamya Rhaney (24:49) was LaGrange’s top finisher in 31st place, and Anna Doerr (25:02) was 34th.

Zenay Rhaney (25:40) and Brianna Stansbury (25:50) were 45th and 46th, respectively, and Chloe Morman (26:20) placed 50th.

Mary Claire Bakarich (27:51) and Mary Beth Callaway (32:18) were LaGrange’s final two varsity runners.