Boys cross country takes third at state meet

The Herd of Turtles cross country team came out of their shells one last time for the State Class A Country meet in Billings Saturday.  The Columbia Falls boys would bring home some impressive third-place hardware, and every runner would end their season with a new personal or season’s best time.

“The course was blazing fast.  It was flat, firm, and a great running surface.  Race strategy was a lot like a track meet instead of a cross-country event.  To be successful, you needed to have a great sense of pace, but you had to stay aggressive throughout.  The course created a one-dimensional race-strategy.  You had to find position and pace early, and then just hold tight for the ride,” said coach Jim Peacock.

Hardin would race to the first place finish, followed by Corvallis in second, and Columbia Falls would end in third out of 21 teams.  Leading the way for the herd would be the season’s main front runner Connor Jordan.  He would set himself on a pace to secure a 12th-place individual finish out of 155 runners with a time of 16:17.  Eamon Schule would come in at the 22nd spot with 16:54, and following closely behind in the 29th position would be Gabe Coburn with a time of 17:18.  Seniors Keian Moran and Brayden Swope achieved not only a podium finish but crossed the finish line with their last cross country meet best times of 17:30 and 17:46, respectively.

“Having the boys bring home hardware was exciting.  The race was fast and electric.  A mile into the race, we were scored in sixth place.  At the second mile marker, we had moved up to third, and Fergus was only one point behind us.  We separated the last mile to secure the trophy spot.  They stayed proactive and continued to work through the field of runners all the way to the line,” Peacock noted.  “Jordan was outstanding.  He was determined, smart, strategic, and confident.  I thought he raced above his age.  He didn’t look like a sophomore out there.  He looked like a senior.  It was really fun to see him earn an All-State position.  I was also really happy with Coburn’s run.  He put in some solid off season training this summer and took a big jump in the sport with it.  His racing knowledge and confidence has improved.  Saturday, he put together a complete race.  He took the race out a little faster than he has been running and then ran almost even splits throughout the race and looked comfortable.  I look forward to seeing his future growth as a runner.  Seniors Moran and Swope have anchored our scoring all season, and they did the same thing again.  Along with Schule, they rounded out our scoring and did everything they were supposed to do in the race to earn their trophy.  Boden Dezzani and Miles Colliander were outside our scoring five, but both ran smart, fast, and confidently.”

Although the girls didn’t secure a trophy, they achieved an impressive seventh place out of 20 Class A teams.  The competition between the third and seventh place finish was tight, with only a margin of 30 points separating the five different teams.

“I’m beyond proud of the girls’ team.  Their place doesn’t necessarily reflect how well they did.  They all ran amazing races and rounded out a fantastic year of growth, teamwork, self-belief, and enthusiasm.  Polson and Hardin were a step better than the rest of the state, but the battle for the third-place trophy was tight.  Our girls were in it and gave it a solid shot.  My hat’s off to them.  They were fun to watch and ran really well.  They’re a pretty young team with a lot of future potential if they decide to put in some time and miles before next year.  If they take that next step, they’re going to be competitive in a hurry,” said Peacock.

Noelle Svennungsen would cross the finish line for the girls’ race in 19th place with a time of 19:43.  Tessa Pacheco and Gwen Watkins would be within a second of each with times of 20:23 and 20:24, and finish in the 32nd and 33rd spots.  Senior Chloe Williams would conclude her cross-country career with a  record time of 21:18, while senior Hazel Alexander would end her amazing comeback with a season’s best time of 21:46.

“As for individual performances, they were all amazing.  Svennungsen took it out aggressively and was trying to find an All-State spot.  She had a near miss, but she put herself in position to get there, and in most years her time would have guaranteed the spot.  

“This year’s Class A competition was ridiculously fast.  Sophomores Pacheco and Watkins are both first year, and I loved watching them grow all year.  They ran totally different race strategies, but they got essentially the same result, finishing less than a second apart.  Seniors Williams and Alexander rounded out the scoring.  Both looked extremely confident and were competitive.  Williams had a big PR.  Alexander had a season’s best, and she’s come so far this season.  She was only cleared to run about 12 weeks ago, and at the beginning of the season she was only doing the workouts that our kids that are brand new to running were doing.  She has gotten so much stronger this fall, and it is nothing but pure joy to watch her body recovering from the trauma of her accident last winter.”