Johns Creek's girls cross country team finished second at the GHSA 6A State Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Carrollton, claiming the State Runner-Up trophy for the second year in a row.
The Lady Gladiators scored 146 points, according to results reported by Cobb County Schools. Pope won the team title with 46 points. Milton placed fourth with 181 points, according to Patch.
Saturday's finish extended Johns Creek's podium streak to three consecutive state meets, according to the Johns Creek Athletics website. The school said the Lady Gladiators "convincingly outpaced major region and state rivals Creekview and Milton."
Ava Reames led Johns Creek with a 16th-place finish in 20:12.49.
Behind her, three teammates ran as a pack. Isabella Skeens placed 30th in 20:50.65, Hayden Huston 31st in 20:55.92 and Tasneem Ahmed 32nd in 21:00.23. All three crossed the line within 10 seconds of each other.
Molly Lovelace (50th, 21:27.47), Amber Rossi (52nd, 21:28.20) and Riley Beaton (78th, 22:00.04) rounded out the scoring to seal the runner-up finish.
Boys battle through illness and injury
The boys' squad faced a different kind of test. Illness and injury hit the roster heading into championship weekend, according to Johns Creek Athletics. Every runner finished.
David Laughlin led the way, finishing 70th in 17:51.57. Lincoln Hipp followed in 98th at 18:16.83.
Freshman Jaden Krieger was the team's top freshman finisher, placing 138th in 18:52.65. James Uptegraph (19:00.33), Clarke Boy (19:01.74), Chase James (19:05.21) and Caleb Coffman (19:35.41) completed the scoring effort on what Johns Creek Athletics described as Carrollton's "punishing hills."
Pope's Aislynn Dunn won the individual girls title in 18:27.15, defending her 2025 championship. Pope teammate Kate Rytlewski finished second.
The state meet concluded the Gladiators' 2026 cross country season.
