PREP XC: Sandpoint girls, boys capture district titles

ATHOL — The Sandpoint boys and girls cross country teams both won the 4A IEL District Championship held at Farragut State Park on Thursday. The boys won their 11th straight title while the girls won their 10th title in the last 11 seasons, getting revenge on Moscow after falling to the Bears by just one point last season.

Sandpoint’s girls, even though down a runner, pulled off the upset over Moscow, 31-33 to reclaim the district trophy. Lily Richardson, Grace Rookey, and Elizabeth Storms finished 2-3-4 to help secure the victory. Terra Bode, the teams’ usual fourth runner, was absent from the start line Thursday, but freshman Sienna Todd-Murray stepped up, finishing in ninth place. Hannah Ricks rounded out the top five with a 13th place finish.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Richardson said. “We came into today with a bit more confidence than I thought we were going to have as a team, which is super awesome. It was super close and I wasn’t exactly sure of our final result until coach came over and told us. It’s neat to see all the work we have put in pay off, especially our underclassmen, they really pulled us through today.”

For the boys, Sandpoint’s Nathan Roche won the individual district title with a time of 16:43.1. Daniel Ricks and Paul Kent finished 3-4, which was crucial to the Bulldogs' success. Kasten Grimm finished in seventh place while Jimmy Cornelius rounded out the top five with an 11th place finish. The boys defeated Moscow by 16 points and Lakeland by 33.

“I’m feeling pretty good about it,” Roche said. “The team did well. The competition was tough. They really came out and challenged us, but we got it done though and that’s what matters. I’m excited for states, it's a tougher course and we’re going for a trophy.”

First-year head coach Mike Ehredt was excited with results and agreed that the team has a good chance of picking up some more hardware at the 4A state championship which will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello.

BOYS

TEAM SCORES – 1, Sandpoint 26. 2, Moscow 41. 3, Lakeland 59.

WINNER, Sandpoint Top 5 – 1, Nathan Roche, Sandpoint, 16:43.1. 3, Daniel Ricks, Sandpoint, 17:00.8. 4, Paul Kent, Sandpoint, 17:27.4. 7, Kasten Grimm, Sandpoint, 17:51.9. 11, Jimmy Cornelius, Sandpoint, 18:18.2.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES – 1, Sandpoint 31. 2, Moscow 33. 3, Lakeland 69.

WINNER, Sandpoint Top 5 – 1, Cora Crawford, Moscow, 20:01.5. 2, Lily Richardson, Sandpoint, 20:09.6. 3, Grace Rookey, Sandpoint, 20:38. 4, Elizabeth Storms, Sandpoint, 20:58.0. 9, Siena Todd-Murray, Sandpoint, 22:08.4. 13, Hannah Ricks, Sandpoint, 23:03.5.