Wrangell Cross country runner Sam Prysunka, right, passes the first lap of the 5K boys’ race at the Wrangell Invitational Saturday, in front of Christian George of Klawock High, left, and Jack White, center, of Juneau Douglas High. Prysunka placed 89th overall.
The top Wrangell High boys’ runner placed fourth among Division III and IV runners and 12th overall at Saturday’s Wrangell Invitational.
Wolf runner Bryce Gerald’s personal best of 18:12 was the high point of a race marred by a false start after several runners fell in the first 50 meters of the race. The next runner in a Wolves singlet, Robbie Marshall, placed 14th among division runners and 29th overall, with a time of 19:22. Marshall and Gerald represented the only two Wrangell runners to record times under 20 minutes.
After the false start horn sounded, almost half of the runners continued around the course.
The Wrangell boys’ team placed fifth among nine Division III and IV squarely in the middle of the pack, with a team score of 236 points.
Coach Monty Buness said his team met or surpassed his expectations.
“I think we ran well,” he said. “I’m very pleased with how we ran.”
The squad’s inexperience contributed to their largely mediocre times, Buness said.
“The rest of our boys are very young and trying to find their footing,” he said. “Only one runner of nine ran last year.”
To call the season a rebuilding year “is almost an understatement,” Buness said.
The false start didn’t give an advantage to any particular runner, he added.
“I think it did make some difference in terms of times,” he said. “I think the pecking order shook out about the same.”
The runners’ conditioning helped blunt the false start’s effect on the times, Buness said.
“Part of the reason is because these are 16 and 17-year old boys in the best shape of their lives,” he said.
After a 15-minute cool-down, the boys’ retook the field.
Juneau-Douglas runner Riley Moser set the overall pace for the Invitational, recording a blazing 17:06. Juneau Douglas runners took the top three places overall, followed by Sitka runner David Wilcox, who led the small schools’ division with a time of 17:31. Mt. Edgecumbe runner Cole Johnson placed fifth overall and second in the small school’s division.
Petersburg placed last with a team score of 297.
Girls’ Results
The Wolves also fielded two girl runners, a number too small to allow them to record a team score. Wrangell runner Kimberly Cooper posted 31st overall and 18th in the small schools’ division, finishing the five-kilometer run in 23:43.
Dora Voltz placed 60th overall with a time of 27:53.
Leg injuries have slowed the pace of the girls team in recent weeks, Buness said.
“Both girls did well,” he said.
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