Area athletes represent region well at state meet in Kernersville

BY NICOLE BOWMAN-LAYTON

KERNERSVILLE — The 2025 NCHSAA Cross Country State Championships took place Oct. 31 – Nov. 1 at the Ivey Redmon Sports Complex, where runners from across northeastern North Carolina competed for championship honors.

There were a total of eight divisions of schools competing, four each day.

John A. Holmes

For John A. Holmes High School, this year’s state meet marked a significant milestone. According to coach Matt Goetsch, 2025 was “the first year in a while that the school had full teams for both the boys and girls.”

That achievement paid dividends, as the Aces qualified their entire girls team for the state championship, while sending two individual qualifiers on the boys side.

Senior Robert Layton led the way for Holmes, finishing 22nd overall in the 2A boys race with a time of 17:51.12. The performance represented dramatic improvement from his previous state appearance.

“Robert, last year, I believe his time was a 19:06 last year at the state meet,” Goetsch said in an interview before the competition. “We’re really looking for him to build on that. I would love to break 19 and maybe even break 18 if we can.”

Layton exceeded those expectations, shaving more than a minute off his previous year’s time. Goetsch noted that Layton “has been running in the 17s pretty consistently this year and getting second place basically all throughout the conference season.”

The coach attributed much of the competition to Camden County’s Noah Davis, who “ran a 15:58 or something like that a few weeks ago.” Davis went on to finish third overall at states with a time of 16:35.37.

Freshman Rommel Cortezano joined Layton at the state meet, finishing in 20:12.49. Cortezano comes from a running family — his sister, Amaya Cortezano, was a senior standout on last year’s team.

“He’s been breaking 20 pretty consistently towards the end of the year,” Goetsch said.

The John A. Holmes girls team qualified as a complete squad, finishing 18th in the 2A girls championship with 569 points. The team was led by Jessica Lopez-Bonilla, who finished 121st with a time of 27:03.86.

Other scorers for the Aces included Emma Toney (135th, 29:53.21), Skylar Biggs (138th, 31:04.91), Oniya Wynn (139th, 31:11.74), and Elizabeth Ayers (140th, 33:35.09).

For many of the runners, the state championship experience was brand new.

“The first time any athletes run (in the state meet), we just want them to have fun,” Goetsch explained, and noting Layton was the only runner to have competed there before. “The other six runners, we’re just looking for them to enjoy the competition, enjoy the atmosphere. I always say the state championship cross-country course is a way different of a meet than any other meet. There’s music playing, there’s announcers, there’s scoreboards. Some years, the whole thing is just a big spectacle really.”

Area Schools Shine

First Flight

First Flight High School put on an impressive showing in the 4A women’s race, with junior Kayla Folkes capturing the individual state championship with a time of 18:33.63.

Freshman Kiah Smith added to First Flight’s success by finishing as state runner-up in 19:15.17, helping lead First Flight to a fifth-place team finish with 134 points.

Other First Flight scorers included Cadie Kidd (44th, 22:08.63), Ela Saunders (47th, 22:16.31), Kate Seremet (49th, 22:24.85), Liv Yinger (52nd, 22:29.65), and Quinn Wisecarver (63rd, 23:00.30).

NCSSM Durham’s Josh Harvill Finishes Runner-Up

NC School of Science and Math Durham’s Joshua Harvill, who attended John A. Holmes and holds the current Aces’ cross-country record, turned in an outstanding performance in the 3A men’s race, finishing second overall with a time of 16:48.54. The Edenton native’s performance helped lead NCSSM Durham to the team championship with 60 points.

Northeastern

Northeastern High School competed in the 1A men’s classification, finishing 10th in the team standings with 290 points. The Eagles were led by junior Jerimiah Carpenter, who finished 27th with a time of 18:10.71.

Other Northeastern scorers included Seth S. Peele (56th, 20:09.45), Barnabas Wadsworth (72nd, 20:47.54), Dayton D (93rd, 22:00.19), Hunter Andrews (99th, 22:23.33), Collin Close (88th, 21:48.36), and Jessie Davidson (106th, 23:12.37).

Manteo

Manteo High School qualified complete teams in both the boys and girls 2A races.

The Redskin boys finished 15th with 376 points, led by senior Luke Stevens, who placed 29th overall with a time of 18:04.27. Other scorers included Solomon Cooper (46th, 18:32.55), Bennett Jones (117th, 20:19.50), Nicholas Kiser (121st, 20:27.63), Malachi Daniels (135th, 21:55.63), and Alan Sanchez Garcia (142nd, 23:08.35).

Manteo’s girls team finished 14th with 311 points. Senior Meredith Gaskill paced the team with a 13th-place finish in 21:06.34. Other scorers included Jennifer Pena-Munoz (39th, 22:32.51), Sophia Cooper (98th, 25:31.59), Cora Martin (110th, 26:02.01), and Leslie Alvarez (115th, 26:17.01).

Camden County

Camden County was represented by standout runners in both races. Junior Noah Davis finished third in the 2A boys race with an impressive time of 16:35.37, earning his first state championship podium finish.

“I was second place at the second mile,” Davis said after the race. “And then I don’t know what school—a kid in a purple jersey, purple and black—came and got me in like the last, I want to say 400 meters, 800 meters, give or take.”

Despite the challenging course conditions, Davis remained positive about his performance while setting his sights on next year.

“It was not easy. It was not fun, I’ll give you that,” Davis admitted. “The hills do not help. A lot of switchbacks, a lot of hills. Wind didn’t help either, but you know, it is what it is. I’ll take it. First time podiuming at states.”

As a junior, Davis has one more opportunity to compete for a state title. “I’m hoping that next year I’ll be good enough to claim the gold for myself,” he said.

Kamryn Rowe placed 20th in the girls race with a time of 21:28.52. The Camden girls had several other finishers, including Camila Rosado-De Leon (48th, 22:58.92), Kaelyn Windham (58th, 23:22.62), Aurora Hicks (59th, 23:23.07), Chloe Johnson (118th, 26:45.33), Grace Lynch (126th, 28:16.90), and Audrey Kramer (133rd, 29:20.17).

Gates County

Gates County had two runners compete at the state level. Jy’zhire Watford ran in the 2A boys race, finishing with a time of 21:30.00, while Emily Broughman competed in the 2A girls race with a time of 24:09.06 with Addie Boone at 26:10 — congrats!

Perquimans County

Perquimans County was represented by Nakayla McArthur, who competed in the 2A girls race with a time of 24:55.14.

Championship Highlights

The 2025 state championships featured strong performances across all classifications:

• 1A Boys: NC Leadership Academy won the team title, while Avery Roberson of Northside won the individual championship in 16:26.72
• 1A Girls: NCSSM Morganton captured the team title, with Fern Crayton of Tri-County Early College winning individually in 20:04.55
• 2A Boys: Bishop McGuinness won the team championship, while Drew Pacholke of Bishop McGuinness took individual honors in 16:09.73
• 2A Girls: Christ the King Catholic won the team title, with Kenadie Baker of South Stanly winning individually in 18:17.44
• 3A Boys: NCSSM Durham won the team championship, while Craig Webb of Charles D. Owen won individually in 16:20.72
• 4A Women: Carrboro won the team title

The meet showcased the depth of talent in North Carolina high school cross country, with local athletes representing the region with distinction on the state’s biggest stage.

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