‘He put the hammer down’: Lexington junior dominates to win boys cross country title
Lexington High School cross country coach Bailey Harris thought Zander Jeffocat had the makings of a state champion as far back as seventh grade.
That moment finally came Friday as Jeffcoat, now a junior, won the Class 5A boys state championship at the Sandhills Research Center. Jeffcoat (15:24) blew away the competition and won by 20 seconds over Northwestern’s Mason Thomas to become the school’s fourth state champion and first since Zack Langston in 2013.
“As a seventh-grader, you knew he was going to be special — all the grit and determination you’ve got to have to go with the talent,” Harris said. “Was a little worried because he missed a month of training and racing early in the season. … The last two or three weeks he started to round into shape. Ran really well and really smart today.
“Once he got to the mile mark, it was pretty much over. He put the hammer down and got it done.”
Jeffcoat said he battled hip problems before the start of the season followed by knee and calf injuries during the season that forced him to miss a couple weeks of action. Those injuries and last year’s runner-up finish helped him get back determined to win a state title.
“Getting back from those injuries was definitely a mind game,” Jeffcoat said. “I was thinking, I got second last year and didn’t want to get second again. So I cross-trained and cross-trained and did as much as I can to stay in shape.”
And now being a state champion, Jeffcoat is humbled that his name can be mentioned with some of the greats of the Lexington program.
“Being compared next to Zack Langston is unbelievable because he was probably one of the best runners to walk through South Carolina,” Jeffcoat said. “Me knowing I am up there with those names is a blessing.”
Lexington junior Owen Harries finished fifth as the Wildcats came in fourth place, the top finishing team from the Midlands.
Dorman captured the team championship. Fort Mill was second.
Lexington’s girls had four earn all-state honors — made up of the top 15 runners in the race — in helping the Wildcats to a second-place team finish. Lexington finished with 55 points, 12 behind champion J.L. Mann.
Chapin freshman Abigail White (18:37) was third in helping the Eagles to a fourth-place team finish. It was White’s second straight all-state finish.
Nation Ford’s Katie Pou (18:27) won her fourth-straight individual championship.
In Class 2A girls, Pelion’s Yessenia Castellanos (20:14) earned all-state honors with a sixth-place finish. St. Joseph’s Caroline Linen (19:39) won the individual race and Greer Middle College won the girls and boys championships.
Phillip Simmons’ Noah Ward (16:16) won the Class 2A boys individual title.
Southside Christian’s Grayson Gibbons (16:41) won the Class A boys race while Dixie edged Southside Christian by three points for the team title.
Lexington individual state champions
Joshua Walker - 2006
Tony Morales - 2012
Zack Langston -2013
Zander Jeffcoat - 2020
This story was originally published November 6, 2020 at 12:09 PM.
