SEE GAME PHOTOS

Photo Credit: Josann Lien (Coeur d'Alene photo); Monica Seward (Rigby photos)

 

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For quite possibly the first time ever, Idaho claimed the top two spots on the podium of the invitation only boys elite race at the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational on Oct. 10 in Arlington, Wash., north of Seattle.

Coeur d'Alene, No. 14 in DyeStat.com's Oct. 1 U.S. boys team rankings and No. 4 in DyeStat.com's Oct. 8 Northwest regional boys team rankings, won the boys elite team title for the fourth consecutive year, victorious with 79 points, and Rigby placed second with 208 points. The Vikings placed four in the top 25--senior Wyatt Carr (fifth place in 14:51.1), junior Rowan Henry (ninth place in 14:53.5), junior Wyatt Morgenstern (11th place in 15:03) and senior Gabriel Heule (21st in 15:26.1).

Rigby senior Jonas Porter led Idaho finishers upon placing fourth in 14:49, and was joined in the top 20 by teammate and sophomore James Chandler (16th place, personal best 15:21.8).

"I'd assume that's the first time that's happened," Coeur d'Alene head coach Emry Carr said by phone. "Idaho to come away 1-2, that's fantastic."

Rigby head coach Monica Seward said after awards took place, she witnessed what she called a wonderful moment of camaraderie.

"The Coeur d'Alene boys came up to our boys and asked if they wanted to do a cool down," Seward said by phone. "It was a six-mile cool down. Our boys, they just admire (Coeur d'Alene) as runners. They respect who they are."

Coach Carr said the Vikings competed with heavy hearts at Hole in the Wall. Approximately two weeks earlier, 2024 Coeur d'Alene graduate and member of the 2023 Idaho 5A state champion, Nike Cross Regionals (NXR) Northwest champion and Nike Cross Nationals (NXN) qualifying Vikings, Lachlan May, died by suicide. May, a student at Tulane University in New Orleans, was one of two seniors on Coeur d'Alene's 2023 cross country team and had made multiple visits back to Coeur d'Alene since graduating two years ago. Coach Carr said the news about May hit especially hard for current seniors, his son Wyatt Carr and Heule, who were freshmen teammates to May during his senior cross country season.

"Amazing kid," Coach Carr said of May. "It was bigger than just a race for us this weekend. It's been a pretty rough few weeks for us. Just been pretty heavy dealing with that and some sickness. It was more just, we wanted to perform really well in honor of Lachlan."

Coach Carr and Seward both described a highly competitive boys elite race. Seward said Porter, who competed with illness and an injured hamstring, led through the 2-mile mark. One of Rigby's team dads who is also a physical therapist massaged and taped Porter's hamstring before the race.

"He's been super sick the last two or three weeks," Seward said. "Head cold. He was in the lead for the first two miles. He still did amazing."

Coach Carr said Wyatt Carr, Morgenstern and Henry had a strong start to the race, with Heule also in the mix and junior Blaise Howard behind Heule. He added that Howard, like Porter, was dealing with a hamstring issue on race day and that Heule had 'the best race of his season thus far.'

"Our whole intent was to just to try to be somewhat patient that first half mile, mile and a half," Coach Carr said. "Right as we're coming to two miles, try to change the mentality into hunt, attack mode. The front group, they were battling each other. It's a work in progress for us. I think we're moving clearly in the right direction. There's still some things we have to shore up. The goal is to have everybody hit the day it matters which is NXR, NXN. Of course, if we can all run great on the same day, we're gonna scare some people."

Seward said the Trojans were initially unsure where they placed. When the results were finalized, however, any lingering nerves were replaced with excitement.

"To say we were shocked was an understatement," Seward said. "It was a pretty fantastic moment when we pulled up the results. They're really looking forward to state, hoping to trophy at state. Coeur d'Alene's got a great team."

Coach Carr said the invitation extended to Rigby's boys team for a cool down was entirely the own doing of the Viking boys.

"I saw them cooling down together," Coach Carr said. "It was not orchestrated. Our boys, they're ambassadors of the sport. They're great teammates. They're also I think really good humans. They are great sportsmen. They share in the joy of running and racing. Obviously when you're in the race, you're highly competitive and doing everything you can to win and compete but afterward there's always tons of respect for your competitors. Everybody goes through the same turmoil, excitement and heartache."

Rigby came away with two podium appearances at the meet, as the girls placed third in the varsity silver division with 99 points. Oak Harbor (Wash.) won with 71 points and Sehome (Wash.) was second with 80 points. Sehome's top seven varsity girls, who are No. 9 in DyeStat.com's Oct. 1 U.S. girls team rankings and are defending NXR Northwest champions, won the girls elite team title with 91 points.

Senior Payson Maiers led Rigby in the varsity silver race, finishing in second place in a personal best 18:59.6. Freshman Addie Jaynes and sophomore Zoey Price joined her in the top 25 with respective 23rd and 24th place finishes in 20:04.8 and 20:05, both personal bests.

"They've been working hard to get there," Seward said of Rigby's girls, who had not competed at Hole in the Wall before. "We were just telling them, 'It's sea level up there. You're gonna feel good. You're gonna run great. It's a different experience, different weather, different altitude.'"

In the girls elite race, Eagle placed fifth with 199 points and Coeur d'Alene placed seventh with 213 points. Eagle freshman Adalyn Bello led Idaho finishers, placing second in a personal best 17:23, Coeur d'Alene junior Anna Christman placed 12th in a personal best 17:58.2, Eagle senior Betsy Reeder placed 18th in 18:05.5 and Coeur d'Alene sophomore Victoria Howard placed 22nd in a personal best 18:10.3. Christman is the fifth Idaho girl thus far this season to break 18 minutes, and Bello's new personal best is the fastest time thus far this season by an Idaho girl.

In the girls varsity gold division, Sandpoint placed fifth with 195 points, led by senior Elizabeth Storms (45th place, 19:48). Idaho Falls junior Eliza Peck led Idaho runners with a 10th place finish in 18:44.6.

In the boys varsity gold division, Hillcrest senior Luke Frandsen led Idaho runners with an eighth place finish in a personal best 15:52.2. Idaho Falls senior Jackson Bushman finished 16th in 15:57.9 and fellow senior and teammate Carter Boyle finished 23rd in a personal best 16:02.2.


On the Horizon

This week concludes the final meets before districts.

The state meet is two weeks from Saturday. District championships begin Tuesday with the 4A District 3 championships in Eagle and continue through Saturday across Idaho.