GULFPORT - As Northeast's Matt Mott raced to the wire at the Boca Ciega Homecoming Invitational, he wasn't concerned about winning.
His attention was on the battle for second place, though Boca Ciega's Christian Braun was gaining ground. Mott held on to win by two seconds, but saw his twin brother, Jon, end up third. Matt Mott looked behind, watching the race for second as the runners entered the stadium for the final lap.
"I was just hoping my brother could stay close to me," Matt Mott said. "I tried to keep him close, but I had to run at the end."
The Motts and Northeast won easily. Matt Clark came in fifth to bolster the Vikings, just 30 seconds behind Matt Mott.
Lakewood placed second, followed by host Boca Ciega.
Matt Mott said he wasn't feeling well as he outran Braun down the stretch.
"I was just happy to finish," Mott said. "I was feeling pretty sick and knew I was about to get real sick."
Boca Ciega took the girls title. Sophomore Ali Crabb of Lakewood won the individual event easily, breaking the meet record with a time of 20:44.
Crabb said though she broke the record, she has not peaked.
"I don't think I was pushed hard today," Crabb said. "I know I can do much better. I still have a lot to improve."
Lindsey Brooks and Stephanie Helinger led the Pirates by finishing second and fourth, respectively. Helinger, a junior, won the event the past two years.
