Independence High School's boys cross country team earned the state runner-up trophy at the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Class AAA championships Nov. 5 at Shelby Farms in Memphis.
The Eagles fell short of a repeat.
Independence, the defending state champion, finished with 97 team points. That tied Dobyns-Bennett, but the Eagles claimed second place through a tiebreaker, according to the Columbia Daily Herald. Daniel Boone took the team championship with 85 points.
"I think I understand why they say it's hard to repeat. It's not a situation we'd been in before," Independence coach Luke Finley told Main Street Media of Tennessee.
Finley was named the 2025-26 TSSAA Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year after guiding the Eagles to the Class AAA team title in November 2025, according to Williamson County Schools.
The Thompson's Station school entered the state meet after winning the sectional qualifier by a wide margin. Independence scored 30 points at the sectional to Brentwood's 77, the Williamson Herald reported. Senior Dallen Milford paced the Eagles at the sectional with a personal-record time of 15:29.59. Keegan Hanzley, Asher Salmons, Callix Yelton and Channing Ruiz all clustered close behind him.
The runner-up finish extends a strong run for Finley's program. The Williamson Herald reported that Finley has built the Eagles into consistent contenders with third-place, first-place and second-place finishes over the past three seasons.
Maryville's Tommy Babbit won the individual Class AAA boys title with a time of 15:14.33, according to the Columbia Daily Herald. Siegel's Blake Pilkington finished individual runner-up in 15:27.08.
Independence's girls also competed at the state meet. The Williamson Herald reported that Finley's girls finished third for a second straight year. Finley said the group had been confident after pushing Brentwood at the state qualifier.
"… Just to be mentioned in the same breath means we're making a ton of progress," Finley said of competing with Brentwood's dynasty, in coverage published Nov. 7 by the Williamson Herald.
