As Georgia MileSplit releases its pre-season Class 5A rankings evaluating programs based on top returning 5K times, Johns Creek High School Cross Country enters the upcoming campaign with strong standing across both its girls and boys programs.
The Johns Creek girls team enters the year riding momentum after finishing as the GHSA Class 5A State Runner-Up last season, boasting one of the most cohesive returning cores in Georgia. Meanwhile, the Johns Creek boys squad is primed for a major bounce-back year; after narrowly missing the state meet last fall, the Gladiators return an experienced varsity roster determined to make a postseason run.
Girls XC: Reigning State Runners-Up Driven by Pack Running
Building on last year's State Runner-Up trophy, the Johns Creek girls program returns with exceptional pack density and consistency. According to Georgia MileSplit's returner rankings, the squad features a tight 1:12 (72-second) spread between their No. 1 and No. 5 runners, alongside a 19:32.02 team time average.
Leading the charge for the Gladiators is junior standout Ava Reames, who posts the squad's top returning 5K time of 18:50.83. Reames anchors an experienced varsity scoring lineup:
Ava Reames – 18:50.83
Riley Beaton – 19:20.68
Tasneem Ahmed – 19:25.49
Hayden Huston – 20:00.06
Amber Rossi – 20:03.02
Varsity Depth: Molly Lovelace (20:48.00) and Korin Delfavero (20:51.50) provide reliable depth behind the top five.
Boys XC: Formidable Core Ready for Postseason Redemption
While the Gladiator boys missed qualifying for the state championship meet last fall, Georgia MileSplit's pre-season Class 5A returner rankings spotlight Johns Creek as a major team to watch.
Driven by strong summer mileage and an intact returning varsity lineup, Johns Creek boasts a formidable top five with an impressive sub-17-minute team average of 16:55.10 and a tight 1:06.12 split.
The boys' top returning varsity lineup includes:
Clarke Boy – 16:17.21
Stryder Jones – 16:33.52
Lincoln Hipp – 16:59.09
David Laughlin – 17:22.35
Caleb Coffman – 17:23.33
Varsity Depth: James Uptegraph (17:53.07) and Chase James (18:47.64) give the Gladiators strong secondary coverage.
Season Outlook
With the girls squad looking to stay dominate and win a trophy for a 3rd consecutive year, and the boys squad is eager to return to the state meet and win a trophy themselves, Johns Creek High School is positioned for a memorable fall cross country season.
