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An incredible season of first-place meets and a national ranking has come to a shining end with the FHS boys’ cross country team placing first at state, and the girls capturing second.
“It was really exciting,” said senior Anna Semple. “It was a great time to see the whole team coming together to cheer for each other.”
Both the boys and the girls upheld their hard-earned reputations in Helena, with the boys earning a score of 23 and the girls receiving a score of 67. The girls ran second only to CMR, which had a score of 54.
“One of our goals was to win,” said senior Jane Berry. “But another goal we were working toward was to just run as hard as we could, and I think we were able to accomplish that.”
Besides coming in second place, the girls team had a number of other accomplishments at the state meet. Junior Amber Arvidson finished first to become the girls state champion, and the rest of her team swept the race, meaning the Flathead girls finished in the first five places.
“I was really happy,” said Arvidson. “I met my individual goal and one of our team goals was to sweep the meet, and we did it!”
With the boys running away with a score of 23, the old state record of 26 was broken.
“Winning was neat,” said junior Pat Murphy. “But, it came from a lot of hard work, determination and a little bit of luck.”
For the boys’ team, the season is not over. In December, cross country runners will go to California to compete in the regional competition. The top eight runners will get the opportunity to go on to nationals in Orlando, Florida.
“We have high expectations for California,” said Vidal. “And we are hoping at least one person will go to Florida.”
According to the cross-country runners, it’s been a season to remember, and there’s been a tradition of excellence that they feel will be carried into next season.
For the seniors on the cross country team, this was an opportunity to end their high school careers with some of the best rankings they have ever gotten.
“Cross country is a great sport,” said Berry. “We have a really close team and great coaches; it has always been exciting to run for Flathead.” |
