SALISBURY – Kyle Gillis had a hard time describing what he felt when he stepped onto the bridge at Dan Nicholas Park with no one in front of him. Of all the scenic sights the park had to offer, the finish line provided the nicest view of all.
“I had butterflies in my stomach,” said the Carson junior. “I wanted to finish strong for my team.”
Jacob Fink, who won the pre-county meet last month, was out with a foot injury so Gillis filled in as the Cougars’ top finisher in 16:39 to win the boys county cross country meet Wednesday.
“I told Jacob that I would dedicate this race to him,” Gillis said. “I try to go a good, honest pace for the first two miles and then I’m pretty set in. My last mile-and-a-half, I’ll go harder than usual.”
Conor Honeycutt was in front of Gillis before the mile mark and Gillis passed Honeycutt and Cal Meyers to end any swapping.
“It’s a hard course to start out with because of all the sand and asphalt,” Gillis said. “I thought it was hard last year, but I think it’s pretty easy now.”
Gillis gained separation around the mile mark and crossed the finish line several strides ahead of runner up Myers (16:48) of East Rowan. East had five top 10 finishes to win for the fifth straight year. Honeycutt (17:04) placed third for East with Jason Basso fifth at 17:32. Graham Lyerly (sixth, 17:33), Angel Ruiz (seventh, 17:36) and Justin Allen (10th, 17:40) were strong for the Mustangs, who had a 26 team score.
“It’s an honor to be associated with great runners and great kids like we have,” East coach Rick Roseman said. “They show a lot of heart. We’re not going to do anything but get better. I’m very proud of the guys.”
Carson’s Zachary Marchinko finished fourth in 17:16 to help Carson place second with 38 points. Nick Thornton placed eighth for the Cougars in 17:38.
West Rowan’s Cody McNeely (17:40) finished ninth to lead the Falcons, who were third with an 88 score. Angel Ruiz placed seventh for South Rowan. East’s Justin Allen, West’s Scooter Gabriel and Carson’s Daniel Sherer placed in the top 12 to earn All-County honors.
South Rowan, Salisbury and North rounded out the team standings.