CROTON — She did it again.
Fredericktown’s Emily Roberts ran away from the competition — literally — to come in first place in the girls’ high school race at the Centerburg Invitational at Hartford Fairgrounds on Saturday.
Roberts’ time of 19:15 beat second-place Mackenzie Butler of Licking Valley by 33 seconds. It was her best time all season, despite the unseasonably cold temperatures, gusty winds and thick, muddy course.
Perhaps, underneath the “F” on her uniform, there’s a red and yellow “S.” All she’s missing is a bright red cape.
“It was muddy,” said Roberts after the race. “Muddy and breezy. Very breezy. You couldn’t get a good sprint.”
Roberts’ first-place finish wasn’t Fredericktown’s only highlight. Rebekah Haip finished 10th with a time of 21:19, sprinting ahead of Mount Gilead’s Maychel Gress at the finish.
“We had some good workouts,” said Roberts. “We were still sore from the Fredricktown meet.”
Chloe Stalnaker (23:04), Halla Jones (24:25) and Cassidy Goble (24:37) helped Fredericktown place fourth as a team. Second place went to the Freddies’ chief rivals — the Trojans from Centerburg.
Torrie Purdy (20:28), Alyssa Burton (21:00) and Kayle Bosworth (21:16) all finished in the top nine, helping give the Trojans 68 points, one point ahead of Westerville Central for third.


