By Junious Smith III

Marina Castillo, South Lenoir, cross-country

Castillo had a personal-best time of 20:43 in the final EC2A meet before the conference championships Oct. 9. The senior outpaced second-place Stella Frisbie by 2:49 in the victory.

Favorite food: Mexican food

Favorite musical artist: Shawn Mendes

One place she would like to travel to: Paris

Follow her on social media: Instagram @marinacas1 and Snapchat @marinac1

What she likes about South Lenoir: the great people — especially on her cross-country team — and hanging out in Coach Carlos Dodd’s classroom

Wilkes Thomas, Arendell Parrott, football

Thomas threw for 402 yards passing and five touchdowns while rushing for a sixth in a 54-30 win over Faith Christian Oct. 11. The freshman helped the Patriots win their fifth straight game.

Favorite food: Chicken tenders

Favorite musical artist: Thomas Rhett

One place he would like to travel to: The Bahamas

Follow him on social media: Instagram @Wilkesthomas04 and Snapchat @wthomas756

What he likes about Arendell Parrott: The faculty and good people, along with the strong academics and athletics