Cross country stepping up

The River Run in Douglas saw some great placings by the Hot Springs County cross country team, with many placing in the top 10. For the high school girls, Tahja Hunt placed third. For the middle school girls, Jayda Griffin earned third and Mercedes Martinez was close behind in fourth. In the middle school boys race, Seth Needham placed seventh.

Coach Stephanie Metz said, “I’m very proud of how the team competed in Douglas. The girls are showing great improvements and leadership. Aspen (Jensen) and Dayna (Sandberg) are new to the team and did an excellent job getting out and racing. Hallie (Martinez) and Bekah (Johnson) ran last year and are improving their times tremendously, and are racing smarter. Tahja did a great job getting out and running well also.

“I’m looking forward to this season with this team. Everyone is giving it their all, and working hard day in and day out. We run in Afton this weekend to preview the state course, so I’m excited to see how they do there.”

As for the boys teams, Metz said, “Our boys are also off to a great start. We have a young team, with great dedication. We have three freshmen and one sophomore. Two of the freshmen, Cord and Corbin (Simeral) are new to the sport and are showing great promise. Isaac (Robinson) and Karsten (Hart) have ran in the past, but their hard work over the summer is paying off. The boys run well together and are improving daily.”

Times from the meet are listed below

HS Girls: Tahja Hunt, 21:18.23; Hallie Martinez, 23:48.06; Dayna Sandberg, 24:00.81; Aspen Jensen, 24:09.94; Rebekah Johnson, 25:45.74

HS Boys: Corbin Simeral, 20:02.69; Cord Simeral, 20:53.07; Karsten Hart, 23:01.69; Isaac Robinson, 23:58.56

MS Girls: Jayda Griffin, 12:55.16; Mercedes Martinez, 12:57.05; Kamryn Farrell, 14:45.53; Kadance Bowman, 14:47.10; Jayssie Owsley, 15:21.52; Madison Shaffer, 17:25.40; Lillian Johnson, 18:33.31; Makayla Moore, 20:39.80

MS Boys: Seth Needham, 11:35.21; Jesse Rodriguez, 12:16.98; Kanyon Gerber, 13:19.27; Brody Potter, 14:53.21; Cody Bomengen, 15:02.38; Joseph Crow, 16:49.34