Every week we’re spotlighting a program from around Lincoln County for our Team of the Week, presented by Bank of Brookhaven.

There will be runners from around the state competing on Saturday at Choctaw Trails in west Jackson. That’s the site of the annual Watson Cross-Country Classic, an event put on by Mississippi College that draws in high school cross-country teams from around Mississippi and surrounding state.

In that group of teams on Saturday you’ll find the West Lincoln Running Bears, as the cross-country team from Flea Hop has long been participants in the event.

WL head cross-country coach Jay Case was a runner in his day and he comes from a family of runners, as the love of the sport at the school was also nurtured by his father Jason during his time as principal at West Lincoln.

Prior to Jay Case coming back home to coach West Lincoln, the Running Bears were led by Greg Allen, another coach who helped grow a passion for the sport within the community.

West Lincoln fields high school and junior high teams each season and in 2025, it’s been the junior high boys’ team that’s been experiencing the greatest success.

Earlier this week, that group finished second overall at the MHSAA Middle School Classic in the Small School Division.

Myrtle Grove Middle School finished first, West Lincoln second, and Bogue Chitto was the seventh placed team in a field of 10 schools.

Eighth grader Kason Lofton was the first finisher for WL and came in second overall with a time of 11 minutes, 25 seconds on the 3K course.

He was closely followed by West Lincoln seventh grader, Russell Case (11:29) in third place. Other runners for the Bears were seventh grader Garrett Evans (11:47, 10th), seventh grader Sawyer Smith (12:38, 20th), eighth grader Brice Wilson (14:02), seventh grader Tanner Huey (14:05), seventh grader Kolten Beeson (15:30), and eighth grader Dameion Cannon.

Aubrey Maxwell (14:42, 19th) was the top finisher for West Lincoln in the girls’ race. Other competitors for West Lincoln included Karleigh Wallace (17:03), Haylen Yawn (17:15), Alaina Wilson (17:58), Zailey King (18:15), and Miriam Myers (20:12).

The varsity team most recently ran at the Cathedral Invitational, where sophomore Elizabeth Vadnerslice was the top finisher for the girls’ team (27:15, 20th) and sophomore Gavin Evans was top finisher for the boys’ team (26:59).

Those West Lincoln runners that qualify for the 1A state championship meet will run that race on Thursday, Oct. 30 at Choctaw Trails.