Geneva Classical Packs Top 10 to Win SSAA Boys Cross Country State Championship
| Place | Participant | Place | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | 1 | 23 |
| 2 |  | 2 | 113 |
| 3 |  | 3 | 129 |
| 4 |  | 4 | 152 |
| 5 |  | 5 | 162 |
| 6 |  | 6 | 189 |
| 7 |  | 7 | 205 |
| 8 |  | 8 | 223 |
| 9 |  | 9 | 236 |
| 10 |  | 10 | 249 |
| 11 |  | 11 | 261 |
| 12 |  | 12 | 265 |
| 13 |  | 13 | 277 |
| 14 |  | 14 | 313 |
| 15 |  | 15 | 371 |
| 16 |  | 16 | 407 |
| 17 |  | DNP | null |
| 18 |  | DNP | null |
| 19 |  | DNP | null |
| 20 |  | DNP | null |
LAKELAND, Fla. - Geneva Classical Academy placed all five scoring runners in the top 10 to win the 2026 SSAA Boys Cross Country State Championship on Sept. 19 at Holloway Park. Geneva finished with 23 points in the boys 5K, 90 points ahead of runner-up Legacy High School and 106 ahead of third-place Merritt Island Christian.
Sophomore Ryder Dempsey led Geneva's title performance by winning the individual championship in 16 minutes, 59.7 seconds. Teammate Benaiah Lawton followed in 17:05.8, giving Geneva the first two finishers. Sarasota Christian junior Gabe Milliken broke up Geneva's front pack with a third-place time of 17:23.1.
Geneva's depth then secured the team championship. Sophomore Kayanni Walters placed fourth in 17:25.1, senior Jude Stainsby finished sixth in 18:13.6 and sophomore Jeremiah Casper crossed 10th in 19:06.4. Casper's finish completed Geneva's scoring total, with the five runners accounting for places of first, second, fourth, sixth and 10th.
Legacy scored 113 points behind two top-10 performances. Kyle Pillay took fifth in 18:09.5, and Asher Anderson placed ninth in 18:55.4. Patric Taylor finished 32nd in 21:56.1, Jacob Simon was 40th in 22:23.4 and Johan Martinez placed 42nd in 22:43.6 to round out Legacy's scoring five.
Merritt Island Christian finished third with 129 points, led by Adam Baggett's eighth-place time of 18:47.0. Garrick Bush placed 14th in 20:18.2, Samuel Schermbeck finished 21st in 21:05.3, Chris Allwood was 44th in 22:54.6 and Luke Schermbeck took 55th in 23:48.5. Classical Academy (Sarasota) followed in fourth with 152 points, and Canterbury (SP) completed the top five with 162.
All Saints' placed sixth with 189 points, followed by Sarasota Christian with 205, Life Christian with 223, Burns Sci-Tech Charter School with 236 and Calvary Christian (PtStL) with 249. First Academy (Leesburg), Bell Creek, Bell Shoals Academy, Bradenton Christian, Independence Classical and Master's Academy (VB) completed the 16-team scoring field. Geneva's five top-10 finishes, capped by Dempsey's individual title and Casper's championship-clinching fifth score, produced the decisive 23-point total.
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