Join the Priest River cross country family
Graden Hanes competes in a meet for the Spartans last season. Hanes is one of four athletes currently on the Priest River cross country team. The Spartans are looking for runners and anyone interested is encouraged to reach out to head coach Lance Clark.
(File photo by MARY MALONE)
PRIEST RIVER — Fall sports practices kicked off on Monday and all of the Priest River teams are still searching for athletes.
The Spartans cross country team had four kids show up to their first practice of the season — Ethan Korff, Dylan Lord, Graden Hanes and defending girls district champion Annika Rantala. Following a run, assistant coach Steffie Pavey handed out some healthy treats and head coach Lance Clark cooked some hot dogs. It was just another day for a cross country team that is like a family.
Clark is entering his 17th season as the Spartans coach. He is looking for kids that are eager to tackle a challenge while being a part of a fun and supportive environment.
“Our goal is to provide great experiences throughout the season while being there for our athletes when they need us,” he wrote.
Lance hopes to provide the athletes that join his squad with a bit of normalcy as we wade through these uncertain times.
Last year, the girls squad finished seventh at state while the boys fell short of making it. As long as enough runners join the team, Clark is expecting the girls and boys to contend for a trip to state this fall.
Outside of scheduled practices and races, the team does trial runs every Sunday at locations around North Idaho and the Spartans are trying to plan a trip to Silverwood Theme Park.
Kids interested can email LanceClark@sd83.org. The Spartans first meet of the season is Saturday, Aug. 22 at Bonners Ferry.
Any athlete interested in learning more about the five fall sports Priest River offers can reach out to Athletic Director Matt George at MattGeorge@sd83.org.