Calhoun, Sonoraville runners pick up honors at area banquet

At Friday night’s All-Area High School Cross Country Banquet, which honored the 2016 All-Area Team, a pair of Gordon County runners were honored.

Drake Johnson from Sonoraville High was named the John McCord AllArea Male Runner of the Year, while the All-Area Male Coach of the Year award went to Justin Lindsey of Calhoun High.

(For complete results, go to www.romehalf.com)

The featured speaker for the banquet was U.S. Cross Country National Champion Sarah Hall, who met with runners and award winners.

For Calhoun, Esvin Garcia and Jonathan Santana were first team picks for the boys, with Esvin Garcia becoming the first Calhoun runner to be nominated for four consecutive years. For the girls, Ashley Hartness and Mari Morales of Calhoun also picked up first team honors. Julio Lopez and Jason Sosa were named honorable mentions.