MOULTON- The James Clemens cross country team has started off the 2020 season on the right foot as the girl’s squad took first place while the boy’s crew finished third in the Pepsi Cross Country Challenge held at Alexander Mini Park in Moulton.

The Lady Jets edged second place Lawrence County 31-33 and both far-distanced third place Scottsboro which scored 96 points. In boys, Scottsboro was tops with 24 points followed by Huntsville with 60 and James Clemens with 70 points. The junior high Jets took fourth in girls and third in boys.

The state’s No. 1 ranked Lady Jets were led by eighth grade sensation Kylie Gero who placed third in the individual race with a personal record time of 20-minutes, 9-seconds. She was followed by the fifth place finish of junior Sydney Freeman who also posted a PR time of 20:39. Claire Deaton (6^th, 20:40, 10), Kayla Willett (8^th, 20:52, PR, 9) and Sarah Vaughan (11^th, 21:37, PR, 11) each gave support performances for the Jets.

In boys, the fifth ranked Jets claimed the bronze trophy only behind No. 1 Class 7-A Huntsville and No. 1 Class 6-A Scottsboro. Junior Tyler Gohlich led James Clemens with a fifth place finish with a PR time 17:02. Senior Matt Hill was eighth overall at 17:16 while Dylan Dryer, a freshman, was 15^th overall at 17:25.

In Junior High girls, Ella Carter was seventh with her personal best time of 13:34 in the 2-mile race. In boys, the Jets celebrated their third place trophy with a strong finish by John Luke Stovall who came in fifth (11:38) and Cole Robinson, who took 10^th place with a 11:54 PR.

The James Clemens program is led by longtime head coach Drew Bell.