Williams places first among Class A harriers

Columbia Falls' Derrick Williams was the top Class A runner at the Flathead Invitational on Saturday in Kalispell.

Williams clocked a 16:07 good enough for fourth. Zach Perrin, of Kalispell, ran the hot hilly course in 15:35 for the win.

"He ran very well," Columbia Falls coach Richard Menicke said of Williams. "The runners who were ahead of him are the top runners in the state. He hung with them longer than he would have last year. From top to bottom, the boys had a really solid day."

Williams was the only boy from Columbia Falls to be in the top-30 in a race that draws many of the best runners from the western half of the state.

On the girls' side, Jinise Osborne had a good race, taking 17th with a time of 21:25. Freshman Meredith Stolte also had an excellent race, taking 29th with a time of 22:35.

"We only ran four girls," Menicke said. "But they had a super solid effort."

Menicke was pleased with Osborne's performance, noting she was the second-fastest Class A runner in the race. Stolte also continues to impress him.

"As a freshman, she's doing awesome," he said.

Other Wildcat running times included James Ratzlaff, 32nd at 18:26; Austin Dumay, 40th, 18:55; Zayne Brunz, 41st, 18:56; and Kyle Hudson, 78th, 20:12.

For the girls, it was Tori Price, 39th, 23:14, and Cami Casazza, 57th, 24:19.

Menicke said the girls had fewer runners due to injuries and eligibility issues. They should be back with seven runners when both teams travel to Pablo this Saturday, he said.