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Photo: Coeur d'Alene's Wyatt Car (bib #329) and Sugar-Salem's Darrel Dickson (bib #2583) compete at the Bob Firman Invitational in Spokane, Washington. (Photo Courtesy of Brett Hill, Sugar-Salem head coach)

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WEEK ONE

WEEK TWO

WEEK THREE

After a year's hiatus, the Bob Firman Invitational and its shoe shaped trophies and Nike backpacks returned to the cross country schedule on Sept. 26.

Of the 115 teams registered for the meet at The Course Spokane Valley, 21 were from Idaho.

This was the first year the meet took place in Spokane, Wash., after decades of being hosted at Eagle Island State Park outside of Boise. The venue for the meet, The Course Spokane Valley, is also the new home of November's Nike Cross Northwest Regionals (NXR).

Coeur d'Alene, ranked No. 9 in DyeStat's Sept. 17 U.S. rankings and No. 4 in DyeStat's Sept. 24 Northwest regional rankings, took second to U.S. No. 4 Summit (Ore.) in the Bob Firman boys elite race while Rocky Mountain (No. 24 in DyeStat's Sept. 17 U.S. rankings, No. 5 in DyeStat's Northwest regional rankings) placed second in the girls elite race to defending Nike Cross Northwest Regional champion and U.S. No. 8 Sehome (Wash.). Coeur d'Alene junior Wyatt Morgenstern led Idaho finishers in the boys elite race, finishing in third in a personal best and No. 2 Idaho all-time 14:30.4. He is the first Idaho boy to break 15 minutes this season. Senior Solana Lucas, whose shoe came off during the girls elite race, led the Rocky Mountain girls with a 24th place finish in 18:14.7. Timberlake senior Lola Eggleston led Idaho finishers in the girls elite race, finishing 14th in a personal best 17:49.6, while Coeur d'Alene junior Anna Christman joined her in the top 20 with a 19th place finish in a personal best 18:05.4.

In varsity division II at Bob Firman, Timberlake won the boys title while Sugar-Salem placed third. Timberlake had four top-20 finishers: senior Caleb Royce (third place, 15:56), senior Jonathan Barnhart (fourth place, 16:00.6), junior Joseph Sateren (12th place, personal best 16:20.4) and sophomore Eli Royce (15th place, personal best 16:25.9). Sugar-Salem had top-20 finishers in senior Adam Willis (seventh place, 16:06.5) and junior Henry Baker (16th place, 16:28.7). Sugar-Salem was without junior Darrel Dickson, who opted to compete in the boys elite race (22nd place in 15:04.5). North Fremont senior Ben Reinke (13th place, 16:21.5), North Fremont junior Grant Palmer (19th place, 16:41.5) and Firth senior Bentley Wood (20th place, personal best 16:51) were other Idaho top-20 finishers in varsity boys division II.

Logos won the varsity girls division II title, getting top-20 finishes from junior Livia Longshore (fourth place, 19:55), junior Emma Darrah (seventh place, 20:13.7) and junior Livvia Rench (10th place, 20:32.3). Idaho also had top-20 finishes from North Fremont junior Eliza Bingham (third place, 19:28.7), Timberline (Weippe) senior Nya Bonner (eighth place, personal best 20:19.4), North Fremont sophomore Bentley Corbett (12th place, personal best 20:35.4), Timberlake senior Emily Wright (13th place, 20:35.5), Timberlake senior Kayla Hyle (14th place, 20:38.2) and Firth senior Allie Nielson (16th place, 20:40.3).

Rocky Mountain won the Bob Firman freshman girls team title and placed third in the freshman boys race. Kendall Dawson (second place, personal best 20:22.1), Audrey Gardiner (fourth place, personal best 20:41.5), Mae Bennion (fifth place, personal best 20:45.6), Kamryn Williams (sixth place, personal best 20:56.6), Brittin Thomas (eighth place, personal best 20:57.3) and Miley Grimmett (10th place, personal best 21:32.9) medaled for the Grizz freshman girls while Tanner Miller (second place, personal best 16:47.4), Kyle Uechi (10th place, personal best 17:22), Benjamin Pinegar (11th place, personal best 17:22.3) medaled for the Grizz freshman boys. Lake City's Charolette Snow (12th place, personal best 21:42.4), Lake City's Parker Carlson (14th place, personal best 21:52.3), Firth's Kinzlie Yates (16th place, personal best 21:58.6) and Lewiston's Carly Ball (19th place, personal best 22:14.9) also medaled for Idaho in the freshman girls race while North Fremont's Krew Johnston (seventh place, personal best 17:01.6) and North Fremont's Hunter Stosich (eighth place, personal best 17:08.1) medaled in the freshman boys race. Kuna junior Adric Tait (fourth place, 15:54.6), Twin Falls junior Luke Lyda (sixth place, 15:59.2), Moscow senior Orion McClory (17th place, 16:13.6), Twin Falls senior Cayson Burcham (18th place, 16:14.9) medaled for Idaho in the varsity boys division I race while Lake City senior Madison Zimmerman (19th place, 19:38.3) medaled in the varsity girls division I race.

A day earlier and a bit farther to the south in Mesa, Ariz., DyeStat U.S. No. 36 and Northwest No. 3 Boise came away with fifth place in the girls sweepstakes race at the Desert Twilight XC Festival at Toka Sticks Golf Course. In the next-to-last race of the day, taking place after 9 p.m., the Brave were led by sophomore Isla Remington, who finished 12th in a personal best 17:59.4. Capital senior Sage Powell also had a top-20 finish, placing 19th in 18:14.4. Niwot (Colo.), DyeStat's U.S. 6 team and Southwest No. 2 team, won the girls sweepstakes title for the seventh consecutive time. Boise junior Austin Johnston (17th place, personal best 15:16.4) led Idaho finishers in the boys sweepstakes race. Additionally, Boise placed third in the large schools varsity boys race, led by sophomore Owen Chojnacky's 19th place finish in a personal best 17:00.3, and won the large schools varsity girls race over Niwot, getting top-20 finishes from senior Natalie Carlson (fifth place, 20:07.7), sophomore Hazel Hurley (18th place, 20:37.9) and sophomore Olivia Helfer (19th place, 20:40.2).

In addition to Eggleston and Remington, Timberline junior Nadia Kouskov also became the latest Idaho girl to break 18 minutes this season with her 17:47.3 to finish eighth in the Danner Championship girls race on Sept. 26 at Nike Portland at Blue Lake Regional Park, Ore. Mountain View placed third in the Danner Championship girls race, led by junior Jeweliet Pence (14th place, 18:01.1) and senior Greta Crawford (20th place, personal best 18:11.2). Kouskov and junior Kailyn O'Connor (19th place, personal best 18:11.1) led fifth place Timberline. Mountain View placed second in the varsity boys gold division, led by senior Kenan Gardner (seventh place, 15:54.8) and fourth place Timberline was led by sophomore Bryson Lock-Smith (10th place, personal best 16:05.6) and junior Kyler VanWart (12th place, personal best 16:07.7).


On The Horizon

With October's arrival comes the final meets of the season before district championships.

The annual Bob Conley Invitational takes place today at Portneuf Wellness Complex, the site of this year's state meet, in Pocatello. A total of 76 high school teams are registered.

Pocatello will also be host to the Blake Stephens Invitational on Oct. 8 at Idaho State University's home course. As of Tuesday, 27 high school teams are registered.