Tavares Middle School swept the Lake County Cross-Country District Championship at Hickory Point, winning both the boys and girls titles and earning spots at the state championship at Holloway Park in Lakeland on Nov. 1.

The Patriots’ girls team has won four consecutive FLYRA State Cross-Country Championships, while the boys have captured back-to-back state titles. Since the inception of Lake County Middle School Cross-Country in 2007, Tavares’ boys and girls have combined for 27 district championships, cementing their dominance in the region.

“I’m privileged to coach these kids and they deserve all the credit,” says Tavares head coach Kevin Von Maxey. “I’m proud of the effort of our teams this season. After losing 13 of our top 15 boys from last year, this group’s improvement from a JV squad to a county championship team and state contender shows their hard work and belief in the process.”

Girls Race

Seventh-grader Alice Ilea led Tavares in the 2-mile distance with a win in 12:00.97, sparking a perfect 1-2-3-4-5 finish. Isabella Neal (12:34.61), Lindsey Mishler (12:40.21), Arieyahna Neal (13:14.57) and Lilliana Gutfreind (13:15.30) completed the scoring sweep, with Kayla Santos (13:22.83) and Meadow Sadlemire (13:27.79) also finishing in the top seven.

East Ridge, led by eighth-grader Sophie Galarza’s ninth-place result, placed a distant second with 63 points, well ahead of third-place Windy Hill (115).

Top 10 Girls Individual Finishers

1. Alice Ilea, 7, Tavares — 12:00.97

2. Isabella Neal, 8, Tavares — 12:34.61

3. Lindsey Mishler, 8, Tavares — 12:40.21

4. Arieyahna Neal, 7, Tavares — 13:14.57

5. Lilliana Gutfreind, 7, Tavares — 13:15.30

6. Kayla Santos, 7, Tavares — 13:22.83

7. Meadow Sadlemire, 7, Tavares — 13:27.79

8. Alana Matos, 6, Gray — 14:10.50

9. Sophie Galarza, 8, East Ridge — 14:16.41

10. Ava Misenhelmer, 7, East Ridge — 14:19.70

Girls Team Standings & State Qualifiers

1. Tavares Middle — 15 pts ✅

2. East Ridge Middle — 63 pts ✅

3. Windy Hill Middle — 115 pts ✅

4. Minneola Charter — 144 pts ✅

5. Oak Park — 188 pts

6. Imagine Schools at South Lake — 193 pts

7. Mount Dora Middle — 201 pts

8. Aurelia M. Cole Academy — 217 pts

9. Umatilla Middle — 220 pts

10. Gray Middle (Groveland) — 227 pts

11. Leesburg Carver — 251 pts

12. Lake Pointe Academy K-8 — 344 pts

“It’s wonderful to see how much our girls team encourages and believes in each other,” said Tavares associate head coach April Von Maxey. “They each have individual goals but always put the team first.”

Boys Race

Eighth-grader Emiliano Lozano led Tavares with a win in 10:41.68, just ahead of twin brother Navid Lozano (10:42.27). Sixth-grader Gabriel Garback finished fourth in 11:58.69, while Alejandro Hernandez (12:43.29) helped complete Tavares’ top scoring four.

Sebastian Antia from Lake Pointe Academy placed third with the top finish in the school’s brief history. Windy Hill, with 70 points, took the runner-up trophy led by seventh-grader Falcon Mesa, who finished fifth.

Top 10 Boys Individual Finishers

1. Emiliano Lozano, 8, Tavares — 10:41.68

2. Navid Lozano, 8, Tavares — 10:42.27

3. Sebastian Antia, 8, Lake Pointe Academy K-8 — 11:50.67

4. Gabriel Garback, 6, Tavares — 11:58.69

5. Falcon Mesa, 7, Windy Hill — 12:06.60

6. Noah Perez, 8, Minneola Charter — 12:09.30

7. Luis Henao-Fontanez, 8, Gray — 12:37.83

8. Alejandro Hernandez, 7, Tavares — 12:43.29

9. Eduardo Monteiro, 8, Windy Hill — 12:47.00

10. Duane Lightfoot III, 8, East Ridge — 12:47.13

Boys Team Standings & State Qualifiers

1. Tavares Middle — 27 pts ✅

2. Windy Hill Middle — 70 pts ✅

3. Minneola Charter — 93 pts ✅

4. East Ridge Middle — 96 pts ✅

5. Gray Middle (Groveland) — 149 pts

6. Lake Pointe Academy K-8 — 154 pts

7. Oak Park — 180 pts

8. Minneola Horizon Academy — 231 pts ✅

9. Aurelia M. Cole Academy — 235 pts

10. Imagine Schools at South Lake — 237 pts

11. Leesburg Carver — 303 pts

12. Umatilla Middle — 310 pts

“Our goal was to place fourth at districts to guarantee state qualification,” says Minneola Charter coach Rachel Mills. “We were excited and proud to see our boys earn third. And relieved our girls earned the last qualifying spot. Our focus all season was individual improvement, giving our best effort and staying competitive.”

For Minneola Horizon Academy, competing in its inaugural season, coach Katelyn Busowski says, “I went into the season with no expectations except for our runners to make progress. But my athletes truly exceeded my expectations. My team was small but mighty. Andres qualifying for state was exciting for all of us.”