XC runners honored at state
—Photo by JACK WADE Abigail Gorton and Jordan Young (left to right) secured their place among the state’s elite cross country runners when they were recognized at this year’s state meet as part of the Dirty Dozen, which is a group of the 12 best girls distance runners in all of Idaho District One. Gorton and Young are pictured here at Travers Park in Sandpoint at the William Johnson Invitational, which took place in early October.
The rains finally let up on Saturday at the Idaho State Cross Country Championships at the Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello. Here the journey ended for eight members of the Bonners Ferry High School team.
After barely gaining entry into the championships, the Bonners Ferry girls’ team was joined by Austin Donn representing the boys.
The 5k course was made up of almost entirely natural surfaces, but steady rain the previous day left the course swampy and slick, leading to slower overall times across the board.
Girls 3A was the first race of the day at 9 a.m.
As they have all season, Jordan Young and Abigail Gorton led the way for Bonners Ferry. Racing at a much higher altitude did not seem to slow the duo from Bonners Ferry, especially since all other competitors were also hampered by the conditions.
Gorton finished in 21:22, not her best mark of the season, but enough for 11th place in the state competition.
Young was just behind Gorton, crossing at 21:25 for 12th place.
Both girls received medals and look to be the anchors of a young girls team that should return most of its varsity members.
At 24:27, Ada Bonnell crossed the line for Bonners Ferry, while Lauren Stidham crossed at 25:48. Serenity Fahey ran her best time of her season by finishing at 26:56. Senior Elizabeth Cowley finished in 27:49 and junior Rayan Naylor finished in 28:35.
In total team scoring, Bonners Ferry finished 7th out of 11 teams. The girls team from Shelley claimed the championship while Sugar-Salem took second. Inter Mountain League foe Timberlake would finish in third.
Austin Donn finished 56th in the 3A boys race, crossing the finish line in 19:32.
In the 3A boys championship, Sugar-Salem rode a strong pack to the top place. Shelley finished second in that race while IML team Coeur d’Alene Charter took 3rd. Landon Chang of Coeur d’Alene Charter took the 3A individual championship by cruising to an easy 16:39.
In addition to receiving medals for being top 20 at state, Jordan Young and Abigail Gorton of Bonners Ferry were recognized Wednesday night as being among the 12 best girls distance runners in all of Idaho District 1. “The Dirty Dozen” as the group is called, is chosen by the District 1 coaches annually and determined largely by performance at the state competition.
Coaches Tyler Warner, Catherine Delsalle, and volunteer Tess Rae would like to thank the community for their continued support this season, especially those of you that stopped for them when they were crossing the streets during practices, and especially the athletes’ parents for their unwavering support of their kids and the cross country program.