Area cross country teams PR at state in Kalispell

KALISPELL — The Ronan High School boys cross country team didn’t place as high as they had hoped because of extenuating circumstances at the Class B state cross country meet Saturday at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell.

The Chiefs’ top-runner Jackson Duffey fell ill the night before the state meet with the flu.

“Things did not go as well as planned,” Chiefs Maidens’ Coach Noelle Decker. “Jackson ended up with the flu on Friday night and was up all night sick. We weren’t even sure if he was going to run yesterday. The flu bug hit our family Thursday and Friday night and didn’t go as well as planned.”

Duffey still finished with all-state honors finishing in 11th place, but according to Decker, Duffey was “disappointed.”

“Duffey was disappointed in light of what happened with him being sick and everything,” Decker said. “He had time to contemplate not running and it was just eating at him. His team needed him and he ended up coming up (in time) a little later. He ran and still made all-state after being sick all night. That’s not too shabby and we can’t be disappointed.”

Decker said the entire family struggled with the flu this week.

“Most of the whole family ended up with the flu, there was no way I could run in that scenario, and I am just trying to feel his pain,” Decker said. “He ended up running pretty well and the team needed him to be here. We needed a couple more things to happen and it just wasn’t in the cards for us this weekend.”

Decker said she was “impressed” by runner Daniel Fuller.

“Daniel Fuller is another senior boy who had to basically stop running because of some ankle and foot problems, and he turned in one heck of a race,” Decker said. “James (our freshman) has been running second most of the season and I couldn’t believe he had a phenomenal race and came through for us big yesterday. Because of his performance, we gained another 20 points we weren’t expecting to gain.”

According to Decker, her boys’ team will be solid for years to come despite losing two seniors.

“Oh yeah, we are looking pretty solid for several years to come and with the loss of Jackson and Daniel, we will have huge shoes to fill,” Decker said. “We have some pretty solid kids. There will be lots of return runners along with middle school and 8th graders that are coming in and that are competitive and decent. We will be pretty good for years to come. I was thinking this morning it was disheartening that the boys were 6th but you have 30 teams in Class B. It wasn’t really a surprise.”

Decker credited her team’s character all season.

“The boys finished their race and I was trying to get down to them,” Deker said. “They were handing kids water and congratulating them. That is what cross country is really about. We are pretty fortunate to have the kids we have and work with them as well as we do. The parents are supportive and they are a great group of kids to be around. Everyone is so supportive and it’s an easy thing to coach when you have the support of your parents and the kids. It’s a pretty good atmosphere to coach those kind of people to work.”

The Ronan girls couldn’t compete as a team but they had solid individual performances from Ashley McCready.

“You know they did great and I felt bad for Ashley because she finished 20th overall,’ Decker said. “She was sitting in 12th place (at the start of the race) and she just didn’t have one of her better days. Her PR was high and she had a great season. She just works so hard and was very focused. I am just very proud of her.”

Class C

Scarlets, Warriors finish strong

The Arlee High School Warriors cross country girls team finished strong, according to their coach Brett Sproull.

Natalie Yocum came out in the first portion of the race and ran “extremely well,” according to Sproull.

“It’s hard to knock (running your fastest) the first mile of the race because the course of completely flat,” Sproull said. “Our entire team’s first mile was quite fast. She was injured for about a month and I was a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to finish the race. I look up while waiting at the mile marker and there she was in the lead. I thought it was a good strategy to stay with the lead pack because you can sometimes get bottle necked in the pack.”

Yocum, who has been in cross country since the 6th grade, practiced hard, according to Sproull.

“I can’t imagine doing everything that she’s done since the 6th grade,” Sproull said. “She had cross country practices every day and would switch off. She mostly does volleyball. She just kind of runs by herself quite a bit at our practices and runs with the same determination behind her. She’s an all-star student and is a part of every club that you’ve ever heard of. She’s a well-balanced, happy go-lucky kid that isn’t a stress ball.”

Sproull said he felt his girls team performed “exceptionally-well” at the biggest event of the season.

“Our gals, as a team, scored really well and they were either a within a few seconds of their best time or had their best time,”Sproull said. “That is what I was happiest about.”

Scarletts’ Shawntaya Nelson had the second fastest time on the Scarletts team placing 19th overall.

“She looked really strong and the whole time was one of most consistent runners mile-to-mile,” Sproull said.

Melaia Matt was one of the Scarletts that had her personal best, according to Sproull.

“She had a minute over her personal best and just had a great race,” Sproull said. “Allie and Frankie were sick and injured most of the last month, and both were within 10 to 15 seconds of their best time. Performing at state means so much to them they still put out a really good performance (despite the pressure).”

Warriors turn in solid performance at state

The Arlee High School Warriors' cross country runners Jason Miller and Ivory Brien traded places all season.

“Jason almost broke 20 minutes and each of them have done that once at a time trial,” Sproull said. “They were so determined and you could see that even when their legs were dead, they were just pushing themselves so hard the entire way. They really did a great job and were just motivated.”

Sproull said he was “pleased” with the amount of effort his team exerted this season.

“Oh yeah, last year I was a junior high coach and I was really pleased with how much effort they put in all season,” Sproull said. “Even when it was really rainy and cold these last couple of weeks, they would go outside and run three or four miles on the hills and into the rain. They just did what they were expected to do. I would see them smile and run through mud puddles, and those really became our favorite practices. Running becomes your lifestyle and I am sure for some of them it will seem weird to just going back to school or going home or trying to do some other sport.”

Bulldogs, Lady Bulldogs PR at Kalispell

The Mission High School Bulldogs’ cross country team had three personal records Saturday at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell.

Troy Matt placed 61 out of 185 runners by running 18 minutes, 13 seconds.

“He did an awesome job for this freshman who also played a tough football game the night before against Ronan,” Bulldogs’ cross country Chris Eichert said.

Lady Bulldogs’ Karolyna Buck placed 57 out of 167 runners and had a personal record 22 minutes, 20 minutes.

“Also, another dual athlete who ran and then drove to Loyola and played a volleyball game,” Eichert said.

Freshman Yvonne Baty placed 97 out of 167 runners and finished with a personal record of 23 minutes, 56 seconds.

“That was a great job for her first year of running,” Eichert said.

Lady Bulldogs’ sophomore Elsa Kylen crossed in 25 minutes, 51 seconds.

“She is a foreign exchange student and this is her first-ever year as a runner,” Eichert said.

Amy Dillard set a new personal record with a time of 26 minutes, 41 seconds.

“Amy is another dual-athlete who has played volleyball and run cross country for me this season,” Eichert said.

Keisha Dillard ran the course in 30 minutes, 45 seconds falling just short of her personal record.

“She is a dual-athlete that put in a lot of time playing volleyball and running cross country this season in her first-ever year running,” Eichert said.

MHSA All-Class State Cross Country Meet

Saturday, October 22, 2016