The Blaine County Journal News-Opinion - We've Got The County Covered

The Chinook Sugarbeeters, Harlem Wildcats and Hays/Lodge Pole Thunderbirds were in Missoula this past Saturday competing at the Montana State High School Cross Country Meet. The meet was held at the University of Montana Golf Course and presented a difficult final challenge to the season to all runners competing. The Class AA girls and boys ran first followed by the Class A and the Class B. The Class C girls and boys ran last with their races starting midafternoon.

The weather was cold, rainy and the course setup was challenging but when all was settled the Chinook Sugarbeeter girls brought home a sixth place finish as a team and senior standout Anna Terry earned All-State Honors with a seventh place finish.

The Sugarbeeters were competing at the State Cross Country meet for the very first time in school history after adding the sport this past spring. To say their first season was anything but a success would be a huge understatement.

Terry finished seventh overall in the field of 115 runners with a time of 20:51.40. Terry was consistent in her run with her first mile pace being 7:09.1. She steadily maintained that pace over mile number two coming in at 7:09.0. Terry finished strong with her pace being timed at 6:44. Her cumulative time after the second mile was 13:27.5.

Chinook also got outstanding efforts from freshman Emma Klingamen and Kirbey Hofeldt. Klingamen crossed the finish line in 24:26.1 good for thirty fifth overall while Kirby was right behind in thirty eighth at 24:40.40.

The Sugarbeeters were all competing in cross country for the first time this year and with the exception of Terry everyone else was running competitively for the first time. Sophomore Jeni Mord finished in 24:52.7 while junior Riley Hofeldt completed her race in 26:24. 3. Harlem senior Amilia Blackcrow was the only Lady Cat in the field of the Class B Girls race finishing in 34:01.2.

The Class B boys race included 185 runners of which 182 completed the race. The Harlem Wildcat contingent included five runners with one being unable to complete the race. Senior, Landon Grey finished with a time of 21:22.3 followed closely by senior D'Lonte Farrar who crossed at 21:27.4. Junior Moses Lawrence completed his race in 22:36.8 while senior Marley Stewart completed the course in 24:41.9.

In the Class C boys' race 132 runners were in the field at the races start. Hays/Lodge Pole senior Daniel Henry was the first local athlete to cross the finish line, coming in at 21:57.1. The 'Beeter boys were led by junior Corey Bilger with a personal best time of 22:14.9. Sophomore Lance Pitkanen finished his race in 29:04.6.

Chinook Head Coach Kendall Harwood was very proud the way his team finished, "The state meet was a wet one this year. Luckily the runners on the course only had to deal with the cold rain. The Beeter girls were up later in the afternoon after the AA, A, and B races. Our girls were ready to go from the very beginning. They were amazed by the number of people attending the meet."

Harwood commented on his All-State senior, "Anna had a great race, she was surprised at the difficulty of the hill at the end of the second mile. But she finished strong, beating a girl from Whitewater in the last stride. Anna developed a kick at the exact right time in her running career." Harwood had plenty of good things to say about his freshman as well, "Emma ran a fantastic race as well. She pushed the pace the whole way. Kirbey, Jeni, and Ryley all had their strategies based off of keeping Emma close and pacing off of her. They did just that. Our second through fifth runners all finished pretty close to each other."

Harwood added, "Emma really elevated the rest of the team. We needed every runner to do exactly what they did to finish above our ranking going into the meet. The girls finished 6th by two points. We were ranked 7th going into the meet."

Harwood recognized the effort of top boys' finisher, "Corey ran a guts race. He had a slow start, by about the halfway point he was not where he needed to be, and he knew it. The second half of the race I saw Corey dig deep and fight to pass about 15 people, including four kids on the monster hill. Corey getting a personal record on that course is a feat in and of itself. Corey had massive improvements throughout the year. I hope he keeps training into the track season."

Terry was elated with how her season concluded, "Saturday morning I was very nervous. I was coming into state as an underdog because I wasn't as familiar with the course as other girls, and it was my first year of cross country. But after a while, all the negative energy was behind me. I knew that I was ready for the moment and was so excited for the opportunity to compete."

Chinook senior runs her race at the State C Cross Country meet in Missoula Saturday afternoon. Terry finished seventh to earn a medal and All-State recognition.

Terry was motivated from the time the team began their trip, "On Wednesday, we got an amazing send off from our fellow students, which was super awesome. On Friday, we arrived early so we could jog the course in attempt to get familiar with the course." When the time finally came to run it was a whole different story, "Frankly, the race was a blur. However, there was a hill halfway through the race which stretched for half a mile. It was brutal! But at the end of the race, I was thrilled to have finished with All State Honors."

Terry was thrilled from the day it was announced that Chinook would have a cross Country team and thinks moving forward it will be a huge success, "The future of the Chinook CC is definitely bright. I think that the team as a whole has put in so much work this season to ensure the longevity and success of this program, and I couldn't be prouder to have been a part of this amazing team. My advice to my younger teammates is to enjoy the process and be grateful for the opportunity to grow as a runner. I will definitely continue running, and I would love if my teammates would join me. I think the bond we all shared this season is something that I will cherish forever!