Pope cross country

Walton boys win state cross country title; Pope teams excel

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The Walton boys cross country team placed two runners in the Top 10 of the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state meet on Saturday, and that helped the Raiders claim the team title. Walton all-sports champion

Walton finished with 98 points, ahead of Lambert, West Forsyth and Marietta, on the course in Carrollton.

Connor Old of Walton was 5th with a time of 16:18, and teammate Zac Shaffer was 7th with 16:21. The other Raider team includes:

  • Sam Balboa, Brick Conway, Evan Sommer, Wylie Bingham and Harrison Waddell.

The Walton girls finished in 3rd place, behind Hillgrove and South Forsyth. In the individual standings, Walton’s Sarah Burwell came in fourth, with a time of 19:31. The Raiders girls team also includes:

  • Isabella Bazan, Hannah Walker, Ellen Chamberlain, Arden Keeter, Emily McNiece and Riley Michaud.

On Friday, Pope’s teams finished among the top teams in the Class 6A state meet, also in Carrollton.

Pope softballThe Greyhounds boys were seeking a second state title in a row, but finished second behind Cobb rival Harrison. Three Pope runners finished in the Top 10:

  • Cole Heron (2nd), Will Brown (4th) and K.C. Heron (8th).

The Pope boys team also includes:

  • Zane Pizutti, Nicholas Corso, Carter Spohn and Alec Wark.

The Pope girls finished third, behind Cambridge and Allatoona, and their team members include:

  • Charlotte Dunn, Sophie Boice, Lorel Golden, Rachel Dodsworth, Isa Blair, Bella Hock and Sarah Juhn.

 

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East Cobb sports update: Pope and Walton volleyball cruise to state titles

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For Walton, a 13th state championship in volleyball was entirely expected. For Pope, which hadn’t claimed a title in seven years, getting back into the winner’s circle was a new experience for current players and coaches.pope volleyball

On Saturday, the East Cobb teams finished up the Georgia High School Association volleyball finals at Marietta High School with convincing performances.

The Greyhounds toppled Cobb rival Allatoona in four games, 25-17, 15-25, 25-18 and 25-21, to win the 6A championship match. Pope finished with a record of 40-9 under coach Shawn Darling, who is in his second season.

Some of the team leaders for Pope this season were Stella Dees (370 kills), Zeren Yesilova (467 digs) and Eliza Dees (855 assists). While Eliza Dees is one of four seniors on this year’s team, the Greyhounds will have many of their regular players back for the 2019 season.

Other members of the Pope team include Lily Harvey, Alyssa Linde, Madison Mims, Ella Burris, Madison Cross, Ava Vikovic, Sophie Gould, Caroline Wiseman, Adair Hutchinson, Mackenzie Kahill, Renee Bissel and Brianna Dempsey.

Walton Volleyball teamAfter that, Walton took to the court against Milton, and the Raiders won in three straight games, 25-14, 25-15, 25-14, to claim the Class 7A championship. In winning a fourth consecutive state title, Walton was 41-3 on the season and did not lose to an in-state opponent.

Walton’s seniors were dominant, especially Gabby Gonzales and Riley MacNeill, who will be attending Ohio State for college.

The other Raiders seniors this season were Riley Spurlin, Jordan Rush, Caroline Cheney, Molly Pember, Meghan Froemming and Lauryn Burrows. Other team members include Madison Morey, Phoebe Awoleye, Katie Strickland, Kendall O’Brien, Sydney Barrett, Catherine Cheney, Chandler Parker, Emery Dupes, Caroline Kiehnau, Greta Hans and Aviah Miller.

This is the seventh title for Walton under head coach Suzanne Fitzgerald, who is in her 13th season.

The Pope community had another team to celebrate this weekend, as the boys cross country squad brought home the Class 6A GHSA title at the state meet in Carrollton on Friday.

The Greyhounds collected 51 points, with Harrison coming in second with 77 points (like golf, lower scores are better). Four Pope runners finished in the top 14, led by by Will Brown (8th), KC Heron (10th), Axel Mateo (11th), Cole Heron (13th) and Anthony Parisi (14th).

Also competing in the 5K race for Pope were, Conor Krause and Nicholas Corso.

The Pope girls were 4th in the Class 6A meet, which was won by region rival Cambridge. Sophie Boice of Pope finished fourth and Lorel Golden was 11th.

The Walton boys came in third in the Class 7A cross country meet. The top finisher for the Raiders was Zac Shaffer, who was 16th.

The Walton girls also were third in Class 7A, which was won by Marietta. Abigail Robertson of Walton finished in seventh place.

 

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