IDAHO FALLS - Led by a pair of top-10 finishes from sisters Mikhaela and Rainey Woodward, the Sandpoint girls cross country team won a 4A state championship by the narrowest of margins on Saturday at Freeman Park.

It was the second state title for the Bulldog girls, who also won in 2002 under coach Cheryl Klein. Despite edging runner up Preston by just one point, Sandpoint head coach Matt Brass wasn't all that surprised that his team won.

"We knew we had a shot," said Brass. "On a good day, second or third was in the cards. On a great day, we thought we could win it."

It was a great day indeed for the Bulldogs, as junior Mikhaela Woodward clocked a 20:11 to finish sixth overall, and freshman Rainey Woodward a 20:23 to finish eighth, the lone Bulldogs to earn medalist honors. The team featured strong pack numbers all season, and in the biggest race of the year, every place mattered.

Assistant coach Angie Brass said the championship was the result of a ton of hard work, beginning at the state meet last year, when the team finished eighth.

"That's where the seed was planted. Since last year, they've had their eyes on the trophy," said Angie Brass, noting the team is driven and already looking ahead to next year. "They have such good chemistry and they love each other. A lot of hard work and cohesion, and they're all after the same goal."

Senior Sam Levora ended his career on a high note, finishing second once again to one of the northwest's top distance runners, Elijah Armstrong, of Pocatello. Levora finished third as a sophomore, second as a junior and now second as a senior, and in a different era, might have a couple of state titles under his belt by now.

Levora, who is being recruited by Washington State, Boise State and the University of Montana, among others, ran a tactical race to ensure that he finished second in a dangerous field of runners. He paced himself in the first mile, while the other top runners tried to keep pace with Armstrong and ultimately burned themselves out.

"He wanted to see how close he could get to Armstrong, but also get second," described Matt Brass of the strategy. "Elijah looked like he was shot out of a cannon at the start, and Sam let him go. Sam established a 20 second gap between third and gave it (catching Armstrong) a try. He ran lonely, but he gave it everything he had. When he finished, he was tired."

The boys team finished ninth, but a core group of sophomores and juniors got their first taste of state competition.

"They were wide-eyed," said Matt Brass. "They said that's where they want to be next year."