Press Release

The East Ridge High School girls varsity cross country team participated in the Class 4A District 3 Championships on Saturday morning at Osceola High School in Kissimmee. Osceola High School was the host for last season’s district championships – where the girls team won their third district title.

The course at Osceola’s campus had two loops that took the runners from the stadium, out to the athletic fields, into a wooded portion, around a small pond, and back into the stadium for an approximate 100M track finish. Most of the course was on grass and compact dirt through a relatively flat campus, but with several turns that slowed the times down for the field of runners. As people may or may not know, time results are not nearly as important as placement results once you reach the postseason in cross country.

The course, even with turns and alternating terrain, is the great equalizer for all of the teams, as it tests each teams’ conditioning and preparation for tough courses. This time around the Knights were looking to make more history and potentially win their fourth consecutive district championship.

Girls from sixteen different complete teams competed Saturday morning in the Class 4A District 3 Championships.  The girls race went off at 8:00 AM.  The Knights charged the football field and rounded nearly 250M of the track to fight for an early favorable position in a large field of 129 runners.

Senior Rhyen Foley leads the Knights to their fourth consecutive district championship! photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

For the sixth time this season, senior Rhyen Foley was the first finisher for the Knights! Knowing how quickly the course narrows, Foley and her team rushed the starting area, putting themselves toward the front of the field. Around some athletic fields, out to the woods, and around the pond, Foley was spotted in fourth place as she neared the halfway point of the race.  Once more around the campus, Foley found herself in a tight race with the top runners from Boone High School and Lake Minneola High School – two teams who have been ranked higher than the Knights at different points throughout the season. She hit the track and sprinted in what was her final district race of her high school career. Foley finished in a swift time of 19:40 and placed sixth overall – earning a spot on the medalist podium! This was the third time in her career in which she medaled at the district championships! Additionally, Foley’s performance is now the seventh fastest district result in the school’s twenty-four year history!

Senior Veronica Peterson at the district championship race at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

The second Knight to finish was senior Veronica Peterson. Peterson, who finished in 19:51, put down her second fastest performance of the season at the district championship and placed eighth overall! Throughout the race, Peterson was able to keep herself ahead of Lake Minneola’s second scorer and Boone’s second scorer, which greatly added to the team’s success! With her performance on Saturday, Peterson has medaled at all four district championship races of her career! Her result at district this season is now the eighth fastest district performance in the school’s history! In fact, of the top ten district performances in the school’s twenty-four year history, four of those performances now belong to Peterson!

Freshman Hortance Sallault leads her teammates early in the district championship race at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

Running in close proximity to Peterson throughout the race was freshman Hortance Sallault. Sallault also kept herself in front of Boone and Lake Minneola’s second fastest runners, which gave the Knights the edge they needed to close in on victories against both teams. Sallault was the third Knight to finish, as she secured tenth place and finished in a time of 20:01!  Her performance earned her spot on the medalist podium with her upperclassmen teammates! In fact, Sallault was one of just two freshmen to medal at Saturday’s district race!

Junior Taylor Walker at the district championship race at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

The fourth Knight across the finish line was junior Taylor Walker. Walker placed seventeenth overall and finished in a time of 20:15! Walker’s performance at the district meet this season was nearly a minute improvement from her performance at the same venue at the district race last season!

Junior Jessie Volz at the district championship at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

Following Walker through the finish line was the Knights’ fifth finisher – junior Jessie Volz. Volz secured eighteenth place with a finish time of 20:16! Volz’s performance at districts this season was a near two-minute improvement from her performance at the same venue at last season’s district race! Both Walker and Volz kept themselves in front of Lake Minneola’s fourth finisher, which ultimately secured the team victory over their crosstown rival!

Junior Lexi Whitehead at the district championship race at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

The sixth finisher for the Knights was junior Lexi Whitehead. Whitehead placed 31st overall and finished in a time of 21:23 – an improvement from her performance at the district race last season by more than two minutes!

Sophomore Helen Robertson at the district championship race at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

Sophomore Helen Robertson was the seventh finisher for East Ridge and she placed 36th overall and finished in a time of 21:37!

Freshman Jamie Volz at the district championship race at Osceola High School; photo by Jeff Warren of South Lake Photography

Freshman Jamie Volz was the eighth finisher for the Knights. Volz finished in 39th place with a time of 21:51!

Freshman Hortance Sallault and Seniors Veronica Peterson and Rhyen Foley in the medal line after the district championship!

East Ridge High School secured their fourth consecutive district title at Osceola on Saturday! The Knights won the district title by placing their five scorers in the top eighteen overall positions, to include three scorers in the top ten!  Lake Minneola High School was the team runner up.  The overall individual winner for the girls district race was senior Addison Elwell from Viera High School. Elwell finished Saturday’s race in a time of 18:13.

Girls Varsity Team Four-Peats as District Champions!

For full results for the Class 4A District 3 girls race visit: https://fl.milesplit.com/meets/703504-fhsaa-4a-district-3-2025/results/1240850/formatted/.

The Knights will compete in the Class 4A Region 2 Championships on Saturday November 15 at South County Regional Park in Boca Raton.  The girls race is scheduled to start at 7:30 AM.