Coffee County Cross Country attended their first state meet with both teams on November 5 2021. 

November 5 was a day in living history for CCCHS. Both the girls and boys varsity cross country teams attended the state meet at Sanders Ferry State park. 

Patricia Barrera led Coffee County’s girl’s team at the meet and all season long. Barrera tells us “I’m so thankful for everything this sport has taught me these past 8 years and the incredible people I’ve met because of it. I can’t wait to see what I’m able to do these next 4 years in college. High school XC has done so much for me and it kicked my butt this year and many times before.”

“The greatest memories and relationships have come from this sport. This sport has seen me at my worst and at my best. We always found a way to lift each other up when we had bad races. There is something beautiful about the countless prayers and hours of grinding through painful workouts with my teammates. My favorite memory will always be when the girls and I heard we got 3rd place as a team and punched our ticket to state at regionals.”

“And for us to be the first girls and boys team to make it to state for the first time in school history. It meant a lot to me for my senior year and shed some tears. These past 4 years have been a little more than just blood, sweat, and tears. I’m truly grateful for every moment of it, the good and the bad. I want to thank everyone who has cheered my team and myself on through it all.”

Coach Matt Rossman tells us about the season, “Overall the girls did better than last year. Last year they finished 7th in the region and this year they were able to claim a 3rd place finish in the regional Championship and Coffee County’s first ever berth in the State Championship The girls season this year was one of two different storylines though.”

“Senior Patricia Barerra was our rock all year long that we could count on. She had a great four year career at Coffee County. After Patricia though, there were many question marks that didn’t really get answered until late in the season.”

“Our #2 runner from last year, Kailee Rossman, dealt with some medical issues for a large portion of the season which really took a toll on her and her performance. Madison Rooker  starred on the soccer field and wasn’t able to join the team until the end of the season. Ava Mcintosh and Maddie Sullivan were newcomers that had great seasons, but for most of the season we just struggled as a team as a whole.”

“Fortunately we got Madison Rooker back and Kailee Rossman began to get her medical issues cleared up which gave us a strong top 5 that pushed us toward some end of the year success. I was so proud to see them come together at the end of the year when it counted the most and run their best race of the season at the Regional Championship.”

As the first time the girls have been to state, their performance was outstanding. However, one runner in particular returned to the state championship race this year. 

Senior Jacob Rutledge returned to the state championship race and led Coffee County’s boy’s team. Rutledge states, “Last year at state I had arguably the worst race of my high school career. I ran 17:36 and finished 99th. Improving to 16:30 and 27th in one year is something I’ll always be proud of. I’m very pleased with this year’s race.”

Rutledge continues, “It was a little bittersweet being my last cross country race as a raider, but it was a good way to go out. God blessed me in so many ways with this sport. I was surrounded by so many amazing people and had the ability to compete in the sport I love for the past 4 years and I’ll forever be grateful for those things.”

Freshman Fletcher Barnard placed behind Rutledge as second for the Coffee County team. Ending the season, Barnard tells us, “I wish it didn’t end so soon but I’m proud of the season. I didn’t think I would do well. I knew I was a runner, but I didn’t know how good. If it wasn’t for God, coach, and the team pushing me to succeed, I wouldn’t have. I can’t wait to see how far our team goes in the future as individuals and as a team.”

Coach Rossman says, “The boys team had a great season from start to finish. Like the girls, they had their most successful season in school history and were able to qualify for the State Championship.”

“Last year the boys had a strong team, but finished right out of the Top 3 in the region to make it to the State Championship. Led by some strong Senior leaders in Jacob Rutledge, Garrett Masters, and Landon Kenney, the boys team was able to win 2 races this year and finish 2nd in three others. As a team they had great success, but they also had a great amount of individual success. We had multiple top 10 individual finishes at various races and all of our top 8 runners set personal best times this year.”

The team made great strides all season long (which you can read about here) and made history while doing it. Coach Rossman leaves us with, “It’s been a historic year for Cross Country at Coffee County. With many on both the girls and guys teams returning next year, we are looking forward to continuing that success and building a program that will compete at the State level each and every year. We are in a great place right now, but are always looking to grow as well, so I would encourage any student that has an interest in running to think about coming out and joining the team.”