CROSS COUNTRY

JJ MORRIS

JJ Morris was unfortunate, yet also fortunate, to live in the shadow of Commerce great Brandon Martin. That meant not a ton of first-place finishes for Morris, but also meant he was driven to compete like the best. Morris was solid and a vital member of the state champion Commerce cross country team. He was a 3-time top-10 runner in region, twice was top-10 at state (including 5th in 2019), and had a handful of 1st-place finishes. His PR was 17:27, very respectable. (870 votes)

KATHERINE LAW

Katherine Law is one of the top runners we’ve seen in north Georgia. She guided the Jefferson program to multiple hardware at the region and state level. She was a state champion as a junior and 3-time top-10 finisher, and was the region champ each year from her sophomore to senior year. She was runner-up as a freshman. Her 17:55 PR was set in her junior year, and she was the top runner 12 times in her cross country career in various meets. She even placed sixth in the Meet of Champions in 2020, of which she was three times invited to. (565 votes)

BUCK LEDFORD

Buck Ledford paced the Banks County boys team for several years. The Leopards standout distance runner was the state runner-up as a senior in 2021, and three times finished in the top-10 at state. He won the region title twice as a junior and senior, won four races, and put up a 15:42 PR. Ledford was twice invited to the Meet of Champions, and placed 12th as a senior. (547 votes)

MATTHEW SCHROEDER

Matthew Schroeder was a region champion in his senior year in 2021. He was fifth at state that season, giving him a trio of top-10 finishes there. His PR of 16:09 came in his final season, and he won a pair of races while also being a three-time invite to the Meet of Champions. (546 votes)

EVAN PRINCE

U.S. Naval Academy distance signee Evan Prince goes down as one of the hardest-working individuals in cross country in the state. Prince built a phenomenal career for the Indians, and was a two-time region champion (junior and senior year). He was third as a senior and fifth as a sophomore at state, and three times was invited to the Meet of Champions, placing 10th and 19th in the two times he actually ran it. He had nine 1st-place finishes in his stellar career. (540 votes)