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Lady Badgers bound for State |
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October 26, 2016 |
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| Photos by
Rachel Ellis |
| The Badger
girls team after finding out they
qualified for State: (l-r) Serenity
Fahey, Jordan Young, Abby Gorton, Ada
Bonnell, Rayan Naylor, Lauren Stidham
and Liz Cowley. |
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“Does it ever not rain at cross country meets?
Because literally every meet I’ve ever been to
it has rained,” said first year runner Brady
Bateman to his coaches at the Idaho 3A District
I Championship meet. Indeed the rain came down
hard all day long as Bonners Ferry, Coeur
d’Alene Charter, Kellogg, Priest River, and
Timberlake vied for the top team scores to
qualify for the 3A State Championships.
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| Abby Gorton
crossing the finish line. |
The meet was hosted by Priest River High School
on a course the Badgers ran on in late
September. Familiarity with the 5k course,
however, was hindered by slick conditions and
deep mud puddles. The phrase “true cross country
race” was heard around the meet at various
points.
Despite being underdogs for most of the season,
the Bonners Ferry Lady Badgers earned a coveted
berth to state by tying with Coeur d’Alene
Charter for second place.
“It’s one of those weird rules you never pay
attention to until you need it,” head coach
Tyler Warner said.
The Idaho High School Activities Association
rules state: “If a tie exists for the final
qualifying position, both teams shall advance.”
The scoring began with Jordan Young taking
second place with a time of 20:41 and Abigail
Gorton taking 4th with 21:03. Ada Bonnell, in
the key third scoring position for the Lady
Badgers, had a strong start to post a time of
23:52. Lauren Stidham also pushed herself to a
25:03. Liz Cowley, a senior, finished in 26:51
while freshman Serenity Fahey crossed at 28:14.
Rayan Naylor accounted for the Badgers seventh
runner at 28:31.
When the scoring was done both Charter and
Bonners Ferry had 60 points and both advanced to
State. Timberlake claimed first place with a
team score of 26.
“We kept telling the teams ‘there is always a
chance,’” said coach Catherine DelSalle.
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Austin Donn
led the way for the Badgers and
qualified for the trip to state. |
In their last regular season meet Charter edged
Bonners Ferry by two points at Kellogg. At
Sandpoint Bonners Ferry beat the Charter girls
by three. In every other head-to-head meet this
season, Charter bested Bonners Ferry, usually by
double digits. On Thursday, however, the Badgers
proved their equal and will compete at State as
a result.
The boys’ team put up a hard fight, but
ultimately fell short of their season goal.
Austin Donn, however, leading the way for
Bonners Ferry, came in 12th place for the last
individual qualifying position. Donn will
represent Bonners Ferry in the 3A State
Championships by virtue of a rule stating the
“top one-third of competitors in the district
race shall advance.”
Donn finished in 18:42. Behind Austin was Sam
Gorton with a time of 19:09, Eric Ellis finished
his senior campaign in 19:19. Dawson Thomas was
close behind at 19:28. Junior Ryne Rae finished
his season with a time of 20:15 while classmate
Nick Magdaleno crossed the finish at 20:30.
Brady Bateman, who often chose shorter distances
by running through mud puddles instead of
around, finished his first season as the last
scoring position for Bonners Ferry with a time
of 24:06.
Behind Bateman was junior Will Colson who ran a
season best 24:06.6. Alex Urbaniak was recorded
as finishing his season in 24:27 while Nathan
Olsen ended with a 25:20. Cameron Rae was on
Olsen’s heels with a time of 25:26.
In the end, Charter upset Timberlake with a
score of 29 points. Timberlake was second with
40. Priest River’s boys’ team took the final
qualifying position with 62 points, leaving
Bonners Ferry and Kellogg at home with scores of
94 and 137 respectively.
“The boys have a bright future,” said coach
DelSalle. “They are young and getting better
every year. We expect them to be competitive
again next season.”
Idaho 3A State Championships begin with the
ladies at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 29, at
Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello. Austin
Donn will race at approximately 11:45 a.m. after
the 1A and 4A girls’ races. |
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