DAPHNE, Alabama - Daphne High hosted it's annual Invitational Cross Country Meet Saturday at Al Trione Park for 144 varsity and more than 50 junior varsity runners from Baldwin, Mobile and other counties including Lawrence County High from northern end of the state.

Hailing from the county home of Olympic champion Jesse Owens, LCHS showed why they hold so many state titles in the sport of running with a boy-girl sweep in the varsity 5-k races. The Lawrence County ladies won the girls team title by defeating second-place Bayside Academy's Lady Admirals 29-60 and third-place Baker High which scored 81. The Lawrence County gentlemen then nudged Baker out of the top spot 45-49 while the hosting Trojans of Daphne took third (91).

Baker High swept the individual titles with Collin "Teddy" Wood and Carsandra Pickens leading at the tape for the 6A Hornets. LCHS girls Lexie Burfield and Duranna Thomas were second and third while their boys-team counterpart Justus Montgomery was second and Mobile Christian's Anthony Hall was third. Woods' winning time of 17 minutes, 12.51 seconds was 11 seconds ahead of Montgomery and the top eight boys closed quickly under 18 minutes each. Pickens turned in a personal best of 20:38.98 with the top-three girls each running under 21 minutes for the 3.1-mile course.

Daphne's Kaleigh Akers and John Alan Walker swept the girls and boys fourth-place spots and their DHS teammate Alex Guillory was eighth. Baldwin County High's Cody Parker was fifth to round out the local top-10 boys. Bayside's Molly Pinnix was sixth, Gulf Shores' Margaret Lloyd seventh and Katy Hines of Foley eighth in the local girls medal group.

"It was a great day for a run," said Daphne coach Joe Hutchins. "Great turnout. The times were pretty good. Happy Lawrence County could join us. They ran well as usual. Baker had the two best individuals and, just in general, the competition level was high and I think the kids responded. I'm proud of how our kids (Daphne) responded. We had top-10 finishers. The boys took third. And of course there were other kids from different schools sprinkled throughout the top-10 times."

Other local top-10 teams included Foley's Lady Lions fourth, Daphne sixth and Gulf Shores seventh. Rounding out the boys were McGill-Toolen Catholic fifth, Foley sixth, Bayside seventh, Baldwin County High ninth and Gulf Shores 10th.

Daphne and a number of Baldwin schools are taking part in the "Racing for Angelo," CC meet to benefit former McGill-Toolen star athlete and coach Angelo Harris this Saturday at Walters Park in West Mobile located just past the Coast Guard Base on Tanner Williams Road near Faith Academy. Baker High is the host team.

Harris, for whom the track and field complex at McGill-Toolen is named, is battling lymphoma. All proceeds from the event will be donated to him to help offset any medical expenses.

"Coach Harris has meant so much to the sport of track and field and cross country and done so much for so many kids," Hutchins said. "Not just at McGill, but all over. We plan to be there and show our support and all our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family."

Harris retired from McGill-Toolen but has stayed active in the sport in part as a volunteer assistant coach at Spring Hill College since 2009. He will be inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame class of 2012.

A Yellow Jacket alumnus, Harris was a member of the 1963 McGill Institute State Champion Cross Country Team. He later ran for the Crimson Tide at the University of Alabama and was selected to the All-South-Eastern-Conference Cross Country Team three times, set and held UA records for seven events and set an SEC 2-mile record in 1968.

As a coach at Mc-T he led his Jacket teams to 13 State Championships and 16 State-Runner-Up finishes. He was inducted into the McGill-Toolen High School Hall of Fame in 1980.

Races start with middle school boys/girls 2-miles 8:30 a.m. JV races start at 9 a.m. and the first varsity 5K starts with the girsl at 10 a.m. and the boys follow at 10:30 a.m.

Optional donations can also be made. For more information visit: http://al.milesplit.com/meets/123521-racing-for-angelo-cross-country-meet