Polson girls win team title; Ronan boys take fifth at Western A Classic

The Polson girls’ cross country team put together another dominant performance Saturday, winning the Western A Classic with 75 points behind a 1-3-5 finish led by sisters Morgan and Quinn Delaney.

"It feels great to be Western A Champs," Polson Head Coach Jason Delaney said. "It’s been really fun watching the girls celebrate their accomplishment. They set this as one of their team goals at the beginning of the season. That was obviously fairly ambitious, but they set their minds to it and went after it."

Morgan Delaney cruised to victory in 18 minutes, 50 seconds, while freshman Quinn Delaney placed third in 19:28. Kimora Scott followed in fifth (20:11), and eighth-grader Taryn Cochran was 16th (21:32). Reese Adams (50th, 23:56) capped Polson’s scoring as the Lady Pirates topped Columbia Falls (93) and Hamilton (101).

"The girls have put in a pile of work," Delaney said. "Not just running the miles, but putting the time in doing the extra things like the weight room, plyometrics, strides and resistance band work. They have consistently dedicated a couple hours a day, five or six days a week all fall."

On the boys’ side, senior David DiGiallonardo paced the Pirates with a third-place finish in 16:48. Wyatt Boogerd (35th, 18:50), Tayshawn Edmo (45th, 19:30), Sheamis Cobb (69th, 21:07) and Galen Berg (77th, 23:04) rounded out Polson’s scoring for a ninth-place team finish with 229 points.

Ronan’s boys earned fifth overall with 157 points, led by senior Jhett McDonald in 25th (18:15). Teammates Will Normandeau (27th, 18:19), Devon BigMedicine (31st, 18:35), Matiya Nenemay (32nd, 18:38), and Benjamin Running Rabbit (42nd, 19:19) helped secure the solid team showing.

For the Maidens, Annie Adams placed 37th in 22:54 to lead the way. She was followed by Gracie Heiner (40th, 23:10), Hayden Dusty Bull (51st, 24:03), Emma Heiner (55th, 24:46), and Bailee Woll (57th, 25:09), giving Ronan a 10th-place team finish with 240 points.

Polson runners will advance to the MHSA Class A Cross Country Championships in Missoula on October 25.

"The girls set their goal at the beginning of the season of bringing home team hardware from state," Delaney said. "They will need to race very well, but they have shown the past few weeks they are in the mix with the best teams in the state. It will be very exciting to see what we can do."

    Polson girl team winners were Morgan Delaney (1st), Quinn Delaney (3rd) and Koko Scott (5th) at the Western A Classic in Hamilton. (Jason Delaney Photo)
  

    Polson Pirate David DiGiallonardo takes third with a time of 16:48.45 in the Western A Classic at the Hamilton Golf Course. (Jason Delaney Photo)