Oxford’s varsity cross country team raced against fellow OAA red division teams in the second Jamboree of the season on Sept. 25, which was held at Lake Orion High School.

The runners held the higher placement they earned last week, with the boys making particular improvement in moving near the top of the pack.

Seniors John “JJ” Bagans and Hunter Green again ran Oxford’s fastest times of the day. Bagans crossed the finish line of the men’s 5,000 meters race in eighth place with a time of 17:07.0. Green ran in not far behind Bagans with a time of 17:21.1, which landed him 10th place.

Juniors Scott Masterson and Shane Ross also finished the men’s race near the front of the pack. Masterson ran in not far behind Green and landed 12th place with his time of 17:39.7. Ross was the 21st finisher and ran a time of 18:16.8.

The lady Wildcats also ran near the front of the women’s 5,000 meter competition. Sophomore Lauren Schiller was the fastest Wildcat, who was 10th to cross the finish line with her time of 20:55.0.

Not far off from Schiller, a cluster of Oxford runners crossed the finish line to claim high placements for the Wildcats. Junior Paige Miller finished 17th with a time of 21:20.0. Molly Long and Alaine Cusick finished neck-and-neck, finishing in 18th and 19th with times of 21:25.8 and 21:26.6, respectively.

With state finals looming closer with each week, the Wildcats will be looking to prove themselves next at the Oakland County Championships, which will be held Saturday, Oct. 6 at the Kensington Metropark.