Oliver Finishes Strongest as DMS XC Shines at Kya State Championship Meet

Any good runner or cross-country coach will tell you, it isn't how you start a race that matters rather it is how you finish. 

Dresden Middle School's Peyton Oliver proved the old adage true on Saturday afternoon. 

Oliver, who trailed the lead runner for 90 percent of Saturday's two-mile race at the Knoxville Youth Athletics All-Division State Championships, overtook the exhausted pace-sitter in the final tenth of the race, to claim the first-ever individual state championship in the history of the storied Dresden Middle School cross country program with a time of 12:34.

Oliver's efforts headlined a third-place finish for the Lady Lions - who already have the MSAA Class A-AA State Championship on their resume this year. The third-place team finish was the highest for any DMS team at KYA State, trailing only meet winner West Collierville and Houston - both schools with upwards of 900 students.

Two other DMS ladies claimed medalist honors in the girls' varsity race with eighth-grader Hudson McDaniel crossing the finish line with a time of 13:07 in ninth overall and classmate Sasha Rodriguez 17th with a time of 13:23. 

Others contributing for the varsity Lady Lions were sixth-grader Nella Wilhite (60th out of 284 girls with a time of 14:20), seventh-grader Maggie Robinson (14:35 for 72nd place), sixth-grader Emzy Collins (14:46 for 91st place), and seventh-grader Kinsley Smith (14:53 in 95th position.)

“This girls’ group has been a joy to coach,” said DMS co-head coach Kenneth Coker, who alongside Todd Maxey comprises the middle school Lions’ program coaching staff. “Today was like a dream. I'm not sure we ever thought we would have a girl or boy win this particular race because of the level of competition we face here against schools ranging from Class A to Class 3A with private schools included, but it happened and I'm glad I got to witness it. All of this happened because of the hard work of these student-athletes. There have been a lot of 7 a.m. long runs and late practices to get to this point.

“We’ve said it for three years now and today it was again proven that this girls’ team is the best single A cross country team in the state. They've proven it time and again by beating the state champions from other sanctioning bodies that have classifications unlike the KYA.”

After the varsity girls’ race was completed, the Dresden Middle School boys' team - consisting of four sixth graders and two eighth graders who earned the Class A-AA state runner-up trophy from MSAA last month - finished 20th as a team at KYA against single-A to triple-A teams. 

The DMS boys' team placed one on the podium at KYA and two within the top 25. 

Dresden sixth-grader Benjamin Pettit finished 20th overall to earn the final available medal at the KYA finale. 

Dresden Middle School eighth-grader Miles Cary was just five spots away from medal contention on Saturday. Cary's time of 12:12 was good enough for 25th position.

Other Lions sinking their paws into the course at Victor Ashe Park in Knoxville were eighth-grader Wyatt Craig, who finished in 13:55 for 174th out of over 300 boys along with sixth graders Dax Rainey with time of 14:46 in 246th, John Robert Jolley with a time of 14:54 in 254th and Sebastian Hubbard with a time of 21:10 in 309th.

“These boys had to scratch and claw for everything they got this season,” Coker said. “We as coaches and they as runners knew it was going to be an uphill battle just to get here this season, but they fought dug in and committed to earn the right to compete on this grand stage.”

Earlier in the day, the DMS junior varsity girls’ team took center stage as sixth-grader Gwendolyn Bounds won the junior varsity state championship with a time of 14:51.

Lady Lions JV runners Emilee Ferrell and Maci Jo Buckley - both sixth-graders - placed 36th and 65th respectively with times of 16:42 and 17:39. Dresden eighth-grader Megan Walker needed 18:39 to complete the course in 91st while junior varsity teammate Willow Erwin - a sixth-grader - came in at 107th with a time of 19:40.