Hopkinsville senior Chase Atkins has capped his high school cross country career with an All-State nod from the Kentucky Track and Cross Country Coaches Association.
Atkins finished seventh at the Class 3A State Cross Country Meet over the weekend in Paris in what was the final race of his high school career. Because of COVID-19 concerns, the race began in three different waves based on the team’s finish at region. That meant Atkins began in the third wave and didn’t run head to head with the top runners in Class 3A.
“I think he would have been second or third in the state if the top runners ran together,” said Hoptown coach Pablo Sanchez. “The times would have been better across the board. If you look at the past 20 years, there have been 18 or 19 state winners [in all classes] win the state title. They should have added 4-5 more boxes at the start and let the runners choose.”
Atkins won the Warren East Raider Twilight Invitational and the Fast Cats Classic in Owensboro this season before his region runner-up finish.
