Tallulah Falls runners posted several strong finishes Saturday morning at the North GA Championships in Commerce, led by top-10 individual performances from the varsity girls and middle school teams.
The Lady Indians varsity girls placed fourth as a team. Ida Patterson led Tallulah Falls with a time of 22:04, good for 10th overall. Naomi Russo finished 24th, and Avery Keim was 27th.
Other Tallulah Falls varsity girls finishers were Leyre Martinez in 42nd, Lily Denard in 54th, Eloa Barbosa in 55th, Veronica VerBerkmoes in 167th and Sofia Alderfer in 168th.
The Tallulah Falls varsity boys finished 15th as a team. Teagan Penland paced the Indians with a 21st-place finish in 19:08. Lincoln Penland was 72nd, and Hudson Penland was 101st.
Other Tallulah Falls varsity boys finishers were Sebastian York in 115th, Terou Bannister in 155th, Caleb Kelly in 162nd, Jett Davis in 192nd and Kaden Purcell in 194th.
The Tallulah Falls middle school boys placed seventh in a field of 15 complete teams and 247 total runners. Kai Hanifan-Wagner finished second individually in 10:48, while Elliott Echols crossed the line 22nd.
Other Tallulah Falls middle school boys finishers were Luke Russo in 56th, Emory Echols in 58th, Parker Bryant in 92nd, Nolan Smith in 102nd, JT Horn in 120th, Oliver McFaddin in 132nd, Cody Palenzuela in 159th, Deuce Ramsey in 212th and Jack Van Diest in 246th.
The Tallulah Falls middle school girls placed second officially after losing a tiebreaker to Taylor Road MS. Marylane Dickey finished fourth in 12:50.33, and Adaline Erdahl was fifth in 12:50.77. Fern Johnson added a 10th-place finish.
Other Tallulah Falls middle school girls finishers were Tigerlily Singletary in 24th, Aubrey Lew McAllister in 48th, Audrey Roy in 67th, Naomi Watson in 78th, Remy Haydn in 87th, Emmeline Penland in 99th and June Orr in 100th.
