PREP XC: Priest River boys qualify for 2A State Championship for second straight year

by MAX OSWALD
Sports Reporter | October 24, 2023 5:15 PM

GRANGEVILLE — The Priest River boys cross country team finished in second place at the District 1-2 2A cross country championships held at the Grangeville Golf Course on Friday, qualifying for the 2A state championship for the second year in a row.

Juniors Colm McLaimtaig and Brayden Lamanna led the way, posting third and fifth place finishes, respectively. McLaimtaig finished with a 5K time under 18 minutes, which is notable considering the district course is notoriously hilly. Senior Caeden McLaimtaig ran to a seventh-place finish while Jacob Sateren cracked the top 10 for Priest River, finishing in 10th place. Rounding out the Spartans’ top 5 was Devon Banning who finished 13th out of 24 runners. Priest River fell to Grangeville by just three points, but defeated Kellogg by nine points to advance to the state championship meet.

Kellogg’s Makai Peak won the race with a time of 17:39.

On the girls side, only 11 runners participated in the district race this year. Freshman Alannah McLaimtaig and sophomore Hailey Long finished back-to-back in fifth and sixth place while Hannah Leitch finished in eighth for the Spartans. Grangeville was the only school to field a full team, so the Bulldogs automatically qualified for the state championship meet.

Grangeville’s Kylie Rasmussen won the race with a time of 22:55.

The 2A cross country state championship will be held Saturday, Oct. 28, in Pocatello at the Portneuf Wellness Complex.

BOYS

TEAM SCORES – 1, Grangeville 35. 2, Priest River Lamanna 38. 3, Kellogg 47.

WINNER, Priest River Top 5 – 1, Makai Peak, Kellogg, 17:39. 3, Colm McLaimtaig, Priest River, 17:56. 5, Brayden Lamanna, Priest River, 18:39. 7, Caeden McLaimtaig, Priest River, 19:06. 10, Jacob Sateren, Priest River, 19:27. 13, Devon Banning, Priest River, 20:35.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES – 1, Grangeville 15. Priest River, Kellogg – no team scores.

WINNER, Priest River Top 3 – 1, Kylie Rasmussen, Grangeville, 22:55. 5, Alannah McLaimtaig, Priest River, 28:02. 6, Hailey Long, Priest River, 28:15. 8, Hannah Leitch, Priest River, 31:05.