Burton Junior High kicked off their cross country season yesterday with the 2nd Annual Cotton Gin Race. The race was the first in a series of three races that the Panthers host at the historic Burton Cotton Gin. The Panthers raced a 1-mile loop through woods, along Indian Creek, around the Gin, before finishing across the pecan grove. Burton was joined by runners from Columbus, Snook, and Weimar.
The girls raced first and leading the way for the Panthers and finishing first overall was 7th Grader, Isis Schulte with a time of 7:13. Medaling for the Panthers were Harper Hodde in fourth and Rose Nail in tenth. Kadi Dees rounded out the Burton racers with an eleventh-place finish.
The boys followed, and the Panthers again led the way with a first-place finish by 8th Grader Justin Gonzales with a time of 6:41. Also earning medals on the day were Colton Vickers in fourth, Matty Countouriotis in sixth, and John Cleboski in ninth. Jacob Sigsbee ran as the Panther's fifth man and pushed the Panthers to a first-place team finish.
The Junior High Cross Country team will race again next Wednesday, September 11th at the Burton Cotton Gin. Girls will race a 1.5-mile course at 5 pm, followed by the boys at 5:30 pm.