Banquet Honors McKenzie Cross Country Runners

McKENZIE (December 7) — The McKenzie High School girls’ and boys’ cross country teams met at Hometown Hangout Sunday for an end-of-season banquet, celebrating both individual and team accomplishments.

Coach Beth Mathis spoke to the teams, acknowledging their self-discipline, grit and determination.

“I want to remind you of something I hope every runner takes with them long after tonight: Cross country is hard,” said Mathis. “You train when you’re tired, run when conditions aren’t perfect and fight battles in your head that no one else gets to see. My hope is that this season taught you that you can do hard things. You are stronger than you think, and you have already proven it.”

Mathis first recognized the girls’ cross country team for their overall success.

The team finished third in the state of Tennessee in the TSSAA Class A State Cross Country Championship in November, a feat Mathis said was “an unbelievable accomplishment built on months of hard work, pushing each other and believing in what was possible.” The team’s average time in the state meet was 22:42.

Abigail Wallace set records and finished as the State runner-up with a time of 19:16. She received the “Most Valuable Runner” Award.

Autumn Haywood finished eighth at State, and set a personal record of 21:03. She received the “Guts and Grit” Award.

Bella Sass finished eighteenth in the state while balancing soccer season. She received the “Heart of a Champion” Award.

Gracie Aird ran 25:35 at the regional meet despite tearing her ACL last year. She received the “Leadership Excellence” Award.

Sophie Dameron made an almost six-second improvement during the season, with her fastest time being 23:35. She received the “Most Improved” Award.

Ava Hastings dropped her time from 28:11 to 25:25 by the end of the year. She received the “Never Quit” Award.

Lillian Brown improved by almost three minutes across the season.

Mathis also praised Morgan Little, Avery Cantrell, Shayleigh Lewis, Mary Ryan Morris, Katelyn Prather and Ryleigh Rogers for their improvements over the season.

Before recognizing the boys’ team, Mathis made a strong prediction:

“I fully expect to take this boys’ program to state next year,” Mathis said. “The times don’t lie, and the progress from Dresden to Martin shows a team on the rise.”

Cal Fawcett finished the season with a 19:25 time. He received the “Fastest Freshman” Award.

Tristan Vela ran a fast time of 20:44.

Liam Moore dropped his time from 26 minutes to 20:43 by the end of the season. He received the “Most Improved” Award.

Marshall Vinson finished the season with a 22:48 time.

Eian Gibson finished with a 21:06 time.

Carter Chow improved from a time of 24:21 to 23:04.

Brody Berryhill improved to a time of 23:15.

Mathis also praised Tobey Brooks, Reed Little, Diego Hernandez and Jony Hernandez for their determination and improvements over the season.

This was the final cross country season at McKenzie High School for seniors Tobey Brooks, Morgan Little, Brody Berryhill, Gracie Aird and manager Carlton Townes. The five seniors each received a 2025 Senior Award plaque.