The Clinton High boys and St. Andrew’s Episcopal girls were the top team finishers on Thursday at the Hansel King Sports Complex as the cross-country season kicked off locally with the annual Ole Brook Invitational put on by Brookhaven High.

Brookhaven High junior Coleman Knott was the second overall finisher in the high school boy’s 5K race with a time of 17 minutes, 18 seconds. Knott was just two seconds behind the race winner, Jackson Jumper of SAE.

Brookhaven High junior Isabella Iles crossed the finish line third in the high school girl’s 5K competition with a time of 20:45, trailing only a pair of runners from Clinton High.

Student-athletes from BHS, Clinton, SAE, West Lincoln, Loyd Star, Warren Central, Columbia High, Wesson, Sumrall, and Provine took part in the race.

Other local runners to finish in the top 25 were Ian Iles (Brookhaven High, 8th), Hayes Gabler (North Pike, 17th), Carson Sellers (Loyd Star, 18th) and Brooklyn Lee (Loyd Star, 22nd).

There were 100 total runners who entered the race in the varsity boy’s competition.

Top 25 runners in the girl’s competition from Southwest Mississippi included Rainee Martin (West Lincoln, 13th), Abby Slay (Brookhaven High, 15th), Bobbie Laird (North Pike, 20th), and Kailey Spencer (Brookhaven High, 25th).

A total of 85 runners completed the course in the varsity girls’ competition.

There were a pair of 2-mile junior high races that started the event.

Russell Case of West Lincoln was the top boys’ finisher from the area, coming in 6th with a time of 12:27. Other top ten finishers from West Lincoln were Garrett Evans (7th), Sawyer Smith (8th), and Kason Lofton (9th).