November 11, 2024
East Ridge High Boys Cross-Country Team Make State Finals For First Time In School History
By Kyle Coppola
East Ridge High Boys Cross-Country Team Make State Finals For First Time In School History
BOCA RATON, Fla. — The East Ridge Boys Cross Country team made history this weekend, securing the program’s first-ever berth at the Florida Cross-Country State Championship Meet. Finishing in sixth place at the FHSAA 4A Region 2 Championship at Burt Aaronson South County Regional Park, the Knights advanced by placing within the top eight teams, marking a significant milestone for East Ridge cross country.
The Knights’ achievement was powered by standout performances from sophomore Axel Sallault and senior Caleb Walker, who each finished in the top nine and were instrumental in pushing the team to the sixth spot. Sallault continued his impressive season, finishing fifth overall with a time of 15:58, marking his third sub-16-minute race this year. This time ranks as the third fastest in East Ridge history. Walker followed closely, clocking a personal best of 16:04 to secure ninth place, marking the fourth-fastest time in school history and the two fastest East Ridge times ever run at a regional event.
Behind their top-two finishers, the Knights’ depth proved crucial. Junior Gustavo Vargas turned in a strong performance, finishing 42nd in 17:13, his second-fastest time and one of the top 10 regional finishes for East Ridge. Freshman Aubin Sallault, younger brother to Axel, ran the course in 17:25 to place 48th, recording the second-fastest regional time by an East Ridge freshman. Rounding out the scoring team, sophomore Tyce Ertel completed the race in 18:31, finishing in 75th place, while junior Dylan McCleary added depth, crossing the line in 18:40 for 78th place. Freshman Watson Dunham, battling a leg injury, showed resilience to complete the race with a time of 20:29.
The Knights will now prepare for the season’s final challenge at the FHSAA State Championship Meet, set for 8:35 a.m. Saturday at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
