Lady Dogs XC 2nd at Western A meet

Just a single point separated Corvallis and the Lady Bulldogs in the run for the Western A Divisional crown.

In the end the favorite Blue Devils had just enough to edge a feisty Whitefish team that is peaking at the right time.

Whitefish coach Sarah Brist said she couldn’t be more impressed with her team’s effort from top to bottom.

“Corvallis is tough,” Brist said. “It’s good to know where we stand. This is the toughest conference in the state.”

Whitefish had three runners in the top 10, led by Barrett Gray, who placed second with an 18:57.84. That marked the first time Gray bettered the 19-minute mark this season.

“She’s been wanting to get under 19 minutes,” Brist said. “She was really excited to get there.”

Whitefish’s Sarah Perez was sixth, 19:53.38 — her first time dipping below the 20-minute mark.

“That’s a great achievement for her,” Brist said. “She’s been a big asset to the team.”

Braya Hobson was ninth, 20:07.03 and Laurel Davidson was 11th, 20:32.84.

Brist said taking second at divisionals is a big confidence boost heading into the State A meet next weekend at Great Falls.

“Our goal is to get a trophy at state,” she said. “We want our best day to be next weekend.

“To be that close to Corvallis, which is a favorite — maybe we do have shot at winning state,” she added.

The boys team placed fourth, led by a strong showing from Ethan Potthoff.

Potthoff clocked a 16:42.14 to place in the top-15.

“Ethan got under 17 minutes — that was a good race for him,” Brist said.

Ethan Lannaghan, 17:16.32, and Marshall Birk, 17:43.82, rounded out the top-3 for the boys with marks below 18 minutes.

Brist said the boys have improved each week throughout the season.

“We have a good group,” she said. “They’ve been getting better each race and we’ll see how it goes at state. There are a lot of good class A boys out there.”

The state meet is at Eagle Falls Golf Course in Great Falls.

Girls

Team Totals

Corvallis 56, Whitefish 57, Polson 65, Hamilton 100, Columbia Falls 120, Dillon 128, Frenchtown 163, Stevensville 189

Whitefish varsity girls

2. Barrett Gray, 18:57.84

6. Sarah Perez, 19:53.38

9. Braya Hobson, 20:07.03

11. Laurel Davidson, 20:32.84

29. Annika Gordon, 21:48.88

41. Kate Ehrenberg 23:02.75

42. Kennah Fuller, 23:04.12

Boys

Team Totals

Corvallis 32, Frenchtown 76, Hamilton 96, Whitefish 139, Columbia Falls 145, Polson 147, Dillon 159, Stevensville 200, Butte Central 221

Whitefish varsity boys

13. Ethan Potthoff, 16:42.14

19. Ethan Lannaghan 17:16.32

30. Marshall Birk 17:43.82

38. Sage Cornelius, 18:04.84

39. Eric Holdhusen 18:09.87

40. Joshua Weller, 18:11.40

50. Brandon Monday, 19:13.15