Varsity XC shows off at Kellogg invitational

PINEHURST — The Bonners Ferry boys and girls varsity cross country teams put on a show at this year’s Ben Castro Invitational, taking second and third, respectively. The Invitational took place in the rain and the fog on Thursday, Oct. 13, at the nine-hole Pinehurst golf course near Kellogg.

The boys ran hard and placed well in the 5,000 meter event, with Dawson Thomas scoring one of the top ten times of the meet: 18:20. Eric Ellis, Austin Donn and Sam Gorton also finished towards the head of their pack, crossing the line one after another: Ellis with a 18:39, Donn with a 18:42 and Gorton with a 18:44. The next best times for Bonners Ferry were Nick Magdaleno’s 19:46 and Ryne Rae’s 19:53.

The Badger girls set the bar in their 5,000 meter race, as the first two runners to cross the finish line were wearing blue and white. That would be Jordan Young in first place with a 19:55, the only sub-20 minute time in the category, and Abigail Gorton in second with a 20:30. Ada Bonnell (23:28) and Lauren Stidham (24:05) also posted times in the top 20, but outstanding team efforts by both Lakeland and Cour d’Alene Charter Academy pushed the Bonner’s Ferry girls to third place overall.

The two teams will compete in the District Championship races in Priest River on Thursday, Oct. 20.