JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Parker Adams thought it was going to be a smooth cross-country season.
Adams, a senior at Bolles, was feeling good coming out of the spring track and field year. He was healthy and running as the clear No. 1 for the most established boys program in the area. And then, a freak injury happened that threw Adams’ season into question.
Adams recovered for the most important part of the season, won the only individual title by an area runner and brought home All-News4JAX Varsity 4 boys cross country runner of the year honors. It just didn’t follow the script as expected for Adams.
“It started out a little bit, not how I wanted to. I got a little sick, and then I got a little injured. … That definitely wasn’t expected for me because I had a pretty solid track season,” Adams said. “And I was kind of hoping to continue that, into the fall. And it kind of messed up a little bit with that.”
Adams said that he tore partially tore the FHL (flexor hallucis longus tendon) in the bottom of his foot and hyperextended his big toe. An injury like that out of season wouldn’t be as tricky to navigate, but Adams wanted to get healthy to try and help a young Bolles lineup as much as possible. Adams, Alexander Ruge and Julian Barre were the only three seniors in the mix on the underclassmen-heavy team.
Adams was the headliner. Bolles’ top runner in 2023, Christopher Joost, graduated, and the mantle for the lead runner fell to Adams. He knew what that entailed. Adams had grown up in the Bolles pipeline, and had seen runners like Charles Hicks and Aidan Ryan lead the team as the face of the program.
Adams had an injection in his foot to help in his recovery, but he missed roughly three weeks of running before starting a low-volume return. By the time the postseason arrived, Adams was healthy enough to start picking up the intensity.
“I got lucky that my coaches were able to really work on me really well. I didn’t really race how I wanted to before the postseason, but come postseason, come district, region, state, I was where I needed to be,” he said.
Adams won the Duval 5K Cross County Challenge on Sept. 14 and didn’t finish his next race until the District 2-2A meet on Oct. 28. Adams won that in 15 minutes, 30 seconds, won region a week later and then won the 2A state meet on Nov. 16 with a PR of 15:24.6.
“Obviously, I wanted to also be like them,” Adams said of Hicks and Ryan. “… So kind of having that legacy to want to uphold was definitely a really big motivator to me.”
All-News4JAX Varsity 4 boys cross country runners of the year
2024: Parker Adams, Bolles
2023: Matt Ryan, Nease
2022: Aidan Ryan, Bolles
2021: Rheinhardt Harrison, Nease
2020: Rheinhardt Harrison, Nease
2019: Rheinhardt Harrison, Nease
All-News4JAX Varsity 4 boys cross country team
First team
Runner, school, class, notable
Parker Adams, Bolles, Sr.
Varsity 4 All-News4JAX runner of the year. Lone individual state champ. Ran PR of 15:24.60 to win 2A state meet. Won four of the five meets he entered.
Tanner Andrade-Brinsko, Ponte Vedra, Sr.
Had three sub-16 runs, with a PR of 15:28 at the New World Fall Spectacular. District runner-up. Had five finishes in the top nine.
Jackson Lafser, Creekside, Jr.
Had five finishes in the top eight this year. Saved his best for last, PRing in the 4A state meet with a 15:40.70 for a fifth. District champ.
Bryce Motycka, Bartram Trail, So.
Went for PR of 15:38 at New World Fall Spectacular. Third at district.
Juan Pablo Castillo-Zima, Bishop Kenny, So.
PR of 15:30 came in New World Fall Spectacular. Had a pair of finishes inside top five. Fourth at district.
Alexander Ruge, Bolles, Sr.
Season-best time of 15:35.90 came at Great American XC Festival. District runner-up and seventh at region.
Cole Swesey, St. Augustine, Jr.
Went sub-16 three times, including a PR of 15:40 at the New World Fall Spectacular. Won district and took fourth at region before 11th at 3A state meet.
Second team
Runner, school, class, notable
Andrew Boyer, Fleming Island, Jr.
Ended season strong with four top-six finishes in his final six races. PR of 15:54 was at the New World Fall Spectacular.
Jacob Campbell, Fleming Island, Sr.
Had a pair of wins this year. Third-place finish at region (15:41.72) was his PR.
Charles Loftin, Providence, Jr.
PR’d at the New World Fall Spectacular (15:42). Fourth at district, seventh at region and 11th in 1A state meet.
Jack Liuzzo, Bishop Kenny, Sr.
Had a pair of sub-16s, including a PR of 15:51 at the New World Fall Spectacular. Third place at both district and region before a seventh in the 2A state meet.
Joseph Lupinski, Bartram Trail, Sr.
Had a PR of 15:51 at the New World Fall Spectacular. Added four finishes in the top nine this season.
Braden Motycka, Bartram Trail, Sr.
Went sub-16 once (15:48) at the New World Fall Spectacular for the Bears.
Eli Scharf, Creekside, So.
Had PR (15:47) at the New World Fall Spectacular. Next-best run (16:12.70) came in 4A state meet.
Honorable mention
Runner, school, class, notable
Marcus Alloway, Fletcher, Sr.
Charles Carlson, Nease, So.
Samuel Cassiani, Creekside, So.
Nate Corkran, Nease, Sr.
Sean Cunningham, Providence, Jr.
Kenneth Folkenroth, Tocoi Creek, Jr.
Matthew Ishee, Nease, Fr.
Ishir Jha, Creekside, Jr.
Colby Johnson, Menendez, Jr.
Harrison Kozlowski, Providence, Jr.
Jevin Luna, Flagler Palm Coast, Sr.
Jake Officer, Episcopal, Sr.
Jack Reich, Nease, Sr.
Jack Strombeck, Oakleaf, So.
Asa Swope, Creekside, Jr.
Robert Trinnear, Fletcher, Sr.
Charley West, Mandarin, Jr.
Walker White, Ponte Vedra, Jr.
Miles Wicks, Ponte Vedra, Jr.
Gavin Voils, Nease, Sr.
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