Badger harriers work out rust in first meet

September 2, 2016

Tess Rae photo Badger harriers Eric Ellis and Dawson Thomas in the boys varsity race in the season opener at Libby. Badger cross country racing began on August 27 at J. Neils Park in Libby, Montana. The flat, three-mile course made for great times and an early learning experience for young Badger teams. This year the Badgers return seniors Eric Ellis and Alex Urbaniak as well as gaining senior Elisabeth Cowley. A strong Junior group includes Ada Bonnell, Rayan Naylor, and Jordan Young for the girls and Dawson Thomas, Nick Magdaleno, Ryne Rae, and Will Colson for the boys. Lauren Stidham will be the lone representative of the sophomore class for the ladies while Sam Gorton is also the only sophomore boy. The teams are anchored by a strong group of freshmen runners such as Austin Donn and Nathan Olsen. The ladies also grew with the addition of Serenity Fahey, Mia Hosterman, and Abigail Gorton. “We’re very young this year,” assistant coach Catherine DelSalle said of the teams. “They are a great group with a lot of potential, but they are inexperienced, especially on the girls’ side.” It was this inexperience, in addition to early season injuries, that led coaches to place the girls team in the junior varsity race. The boys faced difficult competition in the varsity race and struggled to shake off early season rust.   Tess Rae photo  Badger Jordon Young  was way out front in the girls JV race. In the girls JV race Jordan Young led the way, blazing a time of 20:30. In her first high school race, Abigail came in third with a time of 22:49, just five seconds behind second place. Ada Bonnell was the third Badger in with a time of 24:06. Lauren Stidham, Rayan Naylor and Elisabeth Cowley posted times of 26:46, 27:36, and 27:44 respectively. Serenity Fahey would come in 24th overall with a time of 29:13 and Mia Hosterman finished in 31:28. In team scoring the girls finished second to Kalispell’s Glacier High School, who owned six of the top 10 finishing spots. Three runners participated in the boys JV race. Junior Will Colson crossed the line at 24:15 and will move up to varsity for the next meet. The next finishers were Alex Urbaniak at 25:06 and Nathan Olsen at 25:18. Boys varsity runners faced powerhouses like Kalispell schools Glacier and Flathead, Columbia Falls, and Intermountain League rival Timberlake. With a winning time of 15:53 by a runner from Columbia Falls, the Badgers quickly fell behind in scoring. Sam Gorton would not come across the line until 18:36 in 24th place as the first Bonners Ferry runner. “Sam has improved greatly from last season to now,” DelSalle said. “He is still improving, but has put himself in a good position for someone so young.” Next across the line for Bonners Ferry were Eric Ellis with a time of 19:40 and Dawson Thomas at 19:52. Freshman Austin Donn was next with a time of 20:00, an impressive showing for a first official race. Ryne Rae was not far behind at 20:11 while Nick Magdaleno finished in 21:37. In team scoring the Badgers finished eighth out of eight complete teams. Coach Warner, however, is not concerned yet. “It’s early in the year,” he said. “I keep telling the team that the most important races aren’t until late October. We’re still learning, still getting in shape, and still have a chance to be more competitive. These northwest Montana schools are tough, and I think we gained a valuable experience in Libby.” The Badgers next race will be their home invitational at Naples, taking place Saturday, September 3. Races begin at 9 a.m. at the Stampede Lake ORV area on Plantation Drive in Naples.