Girls cross-country second at State A meet
Whitefish and Corvallis had combined to win the previous eight State A girls cross-country titles. So when the two dynasties faced off Saturday in Great Falls at the 2015 championships, the only question was which team would come out on top this year.
The Lady Dogs put in their best effort with four girls finishing in the top-21, but it just wasn’t quite enough to dethrone the fierce Lady Blue Devils.
Corvallis finished with 103 points to edge Whitefish’s final tally of 114 for their fifth consecutive title. It’s the third consecutive time the Whitefish girls have placed second at state.
“Our goal was to come home with a trophy,” said Whitefish coach Sara Brist. “A lot of teams want one of those trophies and we got one.”
The Lady Dogs were led by senior standout Barrett Gray who clocked a 19:15.97 to finish second overall. Jaycie Schmalz of Hamilton won with a 18:26.22.
“Barrett’s goal was to be in the top-5 at state,” Brist said. “She was out there running all by herself for most of the race. It was a good way to end her high school career.”
Sara Perez placed 12th overall with a solid time of 19:56.87. Braya Hobson was 19th at 20:22.35 and Laurel Davidson was 21st at 20:26.42. Annika Gordon placed 60th with a 21:45.76 to round out the top-5 for Whitefish.
The boys team finished 11th with junior Ethan Potthoff leading the effort. He clocked a 17:01.58 to finish 30th overall.
“The boys ran their smartest race of the season,” Brist said. “There was just a lot of tough kids out there.”
Brist said Potthoff has the potential to be a top-15 runner next season if healthy.
“The team improved a lot this season,” she said. “It was a good group of kids.”
Brist said this will be her final season leading Whitefish cross-country. She is planning to join her husband Bill Brist who is coach of the University of Great Falls cross-country team.
Brist said she is truly pleased with how her final season wrapped up.
“My goal was to go out with a trophy, too,” she said.
“The last three years have been great. I hope the kids keep on with the tradition we’ve built and keep having fun. They know I’ll still be watching for their results.”
GIRLS
Team scores — 1. Corvallis 103; 2. Whitefish 114; 3. Hardin 152; 4. Polson 156; 5. Hamilton 164; 6. Miles City 191; 7. Dillon 207; 8. Browning 211; 9. Lewistown 232; 10. Glendive 255; 11. Columbia Falls 258; 12. Belgrade 299; 13. Livingston 346; 14. Sidney 354; 15. Frenchtown 360; 16. Havre 70; 17. Laurel 380; 18. Stevensville 421; 19. Billings Central 430; 20. Butte Central NS.
Whitefish girls
Barrett Gray 2 19:15.97
Sara Perez 14 19:56.87
Braya Hobson 19 20:22.35
Laurel Davidson 21 20:26.42
Annika Gordon 60 21:45.76
Kate Ehrenberg 91 23:03.22
Kennah Fuller 9 23:16.64
BOYS
Team scores — 1. Corvallis 70; 2. Lewistown 104; 3. Hardin 104; 4. Glendive 145; 5. Hamilton 161; 6. Frenchtown 186; 7. Laurel 209; 8. Dillon 266; 9. Browning 283; 10. Livingston 304; 11. Whitefish 312; 12. Havre 319; 13. Belgrade 330; 14. Columbia Falls 334; 15. Polson 375; 16. Sidney 424; 17. Stevensville 444; 18. Butte Central 472; 19. Miles City 510; 20. Billings Central 526.
Whitefish boys
Ethan Potthoff 30 17:01.58
Ethan Lannaghan 59 17:35.38
Marshall Birk 60 17:35.72
Sage Cornelius 78 18:07.68
Eric Holdhusen 85 18:19.75
Joshua Weller 90 18:28.03
Brandon Monday 118 19:49.73