The cross-country team had a strong showing at the 6AAAA Region meet at Marist High School on Monday Oct. 8, with both the boys and girls teams finishing in second place behind Marist.

Gracie Griffith and Grace Powers got medals for finishing in the top 10. The boys team secured second place with a strong team run. Archie Kinnane, Carter Guensler, Hank Persons, Adrian D’Avanzo and Axel Olsen all finished in a row, placing 13th through 17th.

Nicholas Pittman ran a strong race in the JV division, setting a personal record with a time of 19:18, which was equivalent to the 19th overall runner in the varsity race.

The girls team had six runners place in the top 25, which gave them a sizable lead over Chamblee, the third-place team. There were no standout runners on either team, as Grady focuses on “pack running,” a strategy that helps improve team scores and encourages all the runners to push each other.

Both teams, along with three others from the region, qualified for the state meet, which will be held at Carrollton High School on Nov. 9.

Last year, the girls placed sixth at state. The runners expect the state meet to be much more competitive than the region and hope to finish in the top 10.