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Boys run to 1st-place finish at Wesleyan
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In the third meet of the season, the Dawson County High School boys cross country team ran to a first place finish at Wesleyan in Norcross on Saturday.

The Tigers edged out second place finished Wesleyan and Spaulding County High School by capturing 85 points on the tough course in Norcross on a day when the heat and humidity were taking their toll on the runners.

"I was extremely proud of them and today's win excites me for them for the future of our boys going forward," said Coach Charles Beusse.

Leading the Tigers was Jacob Poston with a time of 18:48 and a 6th place finish.

Freshman Christopher Shelp posted the second best time for Dawson County with a time of 19:15 to secure a 10th place finish.

Rounding out the scoring for the Tigers were Brandon Barker (20th), Owen Jordan (21st) and Ethan Clark (28th). Ben Umberger, Garrett Carlisle, Jacob Sinclair and Chris Lafontaine also competed.

"All of these young men ran great races, being aggressive and moving well through the field as the race developed," Beusse said. "To be able to go into a race with three freshmen and a sophomore in our top five and picking up a win against some very solid private schools as well as a former AAAAAA state championship team was huge and speaks volumes of the talent level we have among our underclassmen."

Saturday's win followed the boys' seventh place finish last Tuesday at West Hall, where Posten also led the Tigers with a time of 18:12 and a 23rd place.

Armando Jimenez also ran a good race with a 28th place finish and a time of 18:24.

North Hall won the team title, followed by Gainesville in second place.

Beusse said while the Tigers did not clock great finishes, "the level of competition we were exposed to was extremely beneficial to us. I tell the runners often that if we want to improve, we are going to have to get out there and race with top teams."

The Lady Tigers placed sixth overall at West Hall. The girls also competed well at Wesleyan with freshman Marley Hamby taking home an 11th place spot with a time of 23:20.

"Our girls ran well," said Beusse. "If we continue to stay healthy and improve, I believe that these girls have a shot at being on the podium at state in November."