Athletes approach the hay bales at the 2019 Greenhill Luke's Locker 6 Mile Relay
- Press Releas by Coach Jason Yaffe
When the 6 Mile Relay race started back in 1985, under the guidance of Greenhill's cross country coach Tom Holodak, few would have imagined it would become one of the longest standing meets in North Texas. Plano Senior and E.S.D. were the top boys teams in their divisions in that inaugural race, while Garland and North Lamar led the girls divisions. Teams have come and gone over the years, with hundreds of state champions kicking off their season at Norbuck Park. After a year off due to COVID, the event is back for its 36th version on Saturday, August 28, 2021.
In the girls competition, it looks like Flower Mound would have been the cream of the crop. Coach Andrew Cook's team enters the race as the defending 6A state champions, but it's unlikely they will run their top teams in the relay. That could leave the door open for a new champion. Highland Park finished 2nd in the 5A race at states last November. Coach Susan Bailey has five of her top seven back from that squad and will likely be led by Charlotte Hudson. They won the team title at last weekend's Waxahachie Woodhouse Invitational with a 19:05 average time over 5K. Decatur, St. John's, Kinkaid, Hockaday, HSAA, Sanger, and Greenhill will all be vying to win the 4A and under race. Decatur's Jentry Lamirand placed 7th individually at states last year and Kinkaid has sophomore Tori Livingstone leading the way. Hockaday is competing in the relay for the first time in many years and they will be paced by another strong sophomore, Margaret Thompson.
The boys competition could very well end up being a dual between schools such as Flower Mound, Norman (OK), and Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) powerhouses Dallas St. Mark's School and Houston St. John's. Don't overlook our neighbors to the north as Norman High School is a perennial top 10 team at the 6 Mile Relay. Where the varsity race could get very interesting is how the two SPC schools will mix it up. St. Mark's and St. John's boast two of the best runners in the state. Sahil Dodda from St. Mark's won the TTFCA Meet of Champions in May with an impressive 9:10 in the 3200 meter run. His rival from St. John's in Houston, Emmanuel Sgouros, has eye popping personal bests of 4:12/9:01! For each of those runners, they will be looking for three other teammates to step it up as they challenge the large schools. Look for those two teams to hook horns with the larger public schools in the varsity race. Also, watch out for David Park's Decatur boys team and their top runner Derrick Bible.
The hay bales will be in place when the starting gun goes off at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the JV races will be divided into two. Let's get it on!