If you think the best way to win a cross country meet is to send each runner out and tell them to run their hardest as individuals, you have no business being a cross country coach. Teams that train together throughout the year tend to have better success. And although there is opportunity to have a runner excel at the state level without a team behind them, most coaches will agree that a team championship means more to a school than an individual one.
The Tift County High School girls cross country team is a prime example of a group who may not have the fastest individual runner, but can take the gold as a team. They took the crown last season in Moultrie, Ga., by winning the 1-AAAAAA Championship. They expect no less in the 2015 season and expect to continue to dominate the region while creating a threat at the state championship in Carrolton, Ga.
“Everyone of the girls who scored in last year’s region championship meet are returning this year, and I have a few new faces that are strong that we recruited from other sorts,” head coach Marci Honeycutt says. “Minus a couple of injuries that are on the mend, we are poised to go for our second-straight region championship.”
Besides their strong team tradition and former successes, the program has also recently added another secret weapon to the mix. A running legend in the Tifton community, Mike Beeman, took over a coaching position with the Blue Devils cross country teams.
“Beeman is the best thing our cross country team has had in years,” Honeycutt says. “He brings to the table of wealth of running knowledge and coaching experience, as well as a love for the kids. He also brings a male perspective to the boys’ team and is able to challenge them to get to the next level.” Beeman, featured in the November 2014 issue of In the Game, has completed 39 Boston Marathons and holds the eighth spot for most consecutive BMs.
“The team has heart and tradition. They also have expectations of themselves; that are not spoken but are obviously on display when they run,” Beeman says. “I think they appreciate me being out there sweating and swatting gnats with them.”
At the time of this writing, the Lady Blue Devils are running strong and maintaining an average finishing time of around 23:40, but they will have to continue to lower that average to hang on to their region title another year, as Lee County High School and Lowndes High School are making the competition tight. By the time this issue is printed, there will be a 1-AAAAAA champion. No matter the outcome, it seems to hold true that the terrain in Carrolton will shake things up for these South Georgia girls.
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This year, a larger than usual group of senior girls are toeing the line. Most of these runners have been competing together since their middle school racing years.
“I can’t imagine the void our team will have next year as they move on to college,” Honeycutt says. “I can only hope that XC and running has made as much a mark on their lives as they have made on mine.”
This year’s seniors include: Madison Honeycutt, Bethanni Carroll, Davah Mullis, Haley Burgess, Victoria Ponder, and Jordan Hill.
Lady Blue Devils Don’t Divide the Glory
Tifton, Ga.
South Georgia – November 2015
Written by Sarah Turner
Photography by Micki K Photography
