Wrangell cross-country runners Tyman Teat and Riley Blatchley participate in the Ketchikan Invitational on Sept. 19. See story on Page 12.
The boys prepare to run their 5K in Ketchikan on Saturday. Wrangell's runners, led by Bryce Gerald at the center right, took fifth place overall at the meet.
Wrangell runner Reyn Hutten sticks to the head of the pack during Ketchikan's high school cross-country tournament. She placed fourth out of 73 contestants, with a time of 20:18.
Wrangell's Wolves made a good showing at the Cross-Country Invitational at Ketchikan's Ward Lake track on Saturday.
Cumulatively, the high school boys team took fifth place, with 164 points. Juneau and Sitka tied for first, with 38 points each, followed by Ketchikan, Thunder Mountain and Petersburg.
Wrangell's Bryce Gerald took third place in the 5,000-meter run, finishing in an impressive 16 minutes and 53 seconds.
"It's a personal record for him, and just an amazing time as well," explained coach Jenn Davies.
Jacob Hammer finished in 35th place, with a time of 18:48. Teammates Riley Blatchley finished in 63rd at 20:03; Tymon Teat in 67th at 20:08; Kellan Eagle in 102nd at 22:31; and Ashtyn Hayes in 123rd at 26:00.
Although 15 schools fielded female runners, only five teams were counted for having more than five girls. Juneau came in first place with 37 points, followed by Petersburg with 62. Ketchikan and Thunder Mountain tied for third with 80 points, followed by Mt. Edgecumbe.
Despite the team's size, the Lady Wolves' runners were contenders in the race. Reyn Hutten came in fourth place at 20:18. Amy Jenson edged out competitors from Ketchikan and Mt. Edgecumbe for 22nd at 22:50. Helen Decker finished in 46th place at 25:24, and teammates Abigail Gerald and Kiara Meissner finished in 64th and 65th place, at 29:36 and 29:42.
"It went great," Davies said of the meet. "I'm really happy with the results."
As the cross-country season winds down, Wrangell's team has been preparing for its showing at Region V in Juneau this weekend. There the top 15 finishers qualify for the State meet at Bartlett on Oct. 3, and several Wolves are expected to be among them.
"I can't wait to watch them race," Davies said. "Juneau has some killer hills, but we're ready."
The coach reflected that the season has been a good one for her runners. "They've all made impressive gains and they all have something to be proud of."
Wrangell also got to play host for a meet the previous weekend, with residents and businesses volunteering time and resources to host more than 200 visiting students.
"I really want to thank Wrangell for all of their support," Davies said. In the off-season, she said she will begin raising money for a new timing system for the high school.
"It's kind of a long-term goal," she explained. Currently, volunteers at the finish line collect the bibs from runners as they cross, with designated time-keepers logging placements manually. What Davies would like to have ready for the next meet Wrangell hosts a couple of years from now is a modernized system that reads microchips located inside the bibs and automatically logs runners' times.
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