Cross county keeps up in Powell

The Bobcat Cross Country team started their season off last weekend in Powell with several on the team meeting or exceeding their previous season times.

Coach Stephanie Metz said there were about five of the athletes that weren’t able to compete on Saturday due to illness or injury, but the team was still able to keep up with tough competition from Cody, Worland and Powell.

On the girl’s side, Jayda Griffin and Ruthanne Johnson both competed in their first high school varsity meet and Metz said they did amazingly well.

“They didn’t mess around at the start of the race and got right in the middle of the competition,” she said. “Jayda (Griffin) exceeded throughout the race and really pushed herself. Ruthanne (Johnson) also pushed herself beyond what she thought she was capable of and passed multiple girls in the last half mile.”

Hallie Martinez and Bekah Johnson also began their season on a positive note.

“Not having ran this course before its hard to compare times,” Metz said, “but both girls improved their splits from a similar looking course. They raced well by pushing their limits and staying tough on the uphill.”

On the boy’s side, Metz said there were a few injuries and illnesses that kept some of them from competing or being able to compete at their highest level.

“Jesse Rodriguez had his first varsity race and did great,” Metz said. “His splits were consistent and he never gave up. Same with Corbin Simeral, who is a sophomore this year.

“He came out strong, running under a six-minute mile to start the race and continued to fight to hold his spot throughout.”

The full team will be competing in Buffalo this weekend and Metz said she is looking forward to watching how the kids run together with new competition.