Nick Steele is all focus and concentration as he crosses the finish line Wednesday against Pullman.
Smoke from regional wildfires limited action for Cheney’s cross country teams to one meet last week, a relatively easy pair of wins Wednesday over visiting Pullman.
The Blackhawks’ boys finished in the top nine spots – only five to score – in downing the Greyhounds 15-50 in a combined varsity/junior varsity race while the girls tightened up their gaps among the varsity seven en route to a 20-38 win on the home turf at Salnave Park. Cheney was to have traveled to Yakima Saturday for the Sunfair Invitational, but smoke from wildfires burning to the west postponed the meet to Oct. 6.
Kyle Lerch and Corey Klotz-Brooks led the boys’ team, going sub-17 minutes for the first time this season in a 1-2 finish, Lerch first in 16:51 and Klotz-Brooks eight seconds behind in 16:59. Nick Steel was third in 17:10, Jesse Hallstrom fourth at 17:23 and Steaven Zachman fifth in 17:28 to wrap up Cheney’s scoring.
“Having two of our guys get under 17 was an accomplishment,” head coach Jay Martin said.
Derek Denenny and Matt Duray were sixth and seventh at 17:31 and 17:53 concluding the varsity results, while JV runners Kameron Galm and Andrew Horton finished eighth and ninth, with Pullman freshman Matt Winchell 10th to get the Greyhounds on the board.
Sanne Holland led the Cheney girls, easily outdistancing the field by 50 seconds for first in 19:32. Mariah Brenton was second in 20:42 with Kelsey Schwendiman fourth in 21:01, six seconds back of Pullman’s Pamela Henderson.
Johanna Sherman finished sixth in 21:58 with Anika Kuula completing the girls’ scoring in seventh at 22:02. Mattie McNair was eighth in 23:00 with Vanessa Fricker 13th in 24:10 to wrap up Cheney’s varsity results. Martin said the girls had a more “solid finish” last week than they did the week before against Deer Park and East Valley.
“I thought we started to look a little bit more like a team,” he said of both squads.
The wins gave both Cheney teams 2-1 records in Great Northern League competition. Even though the Sunfair postponement sidelined the Blackhawks teams last weekend, one runner managed to hit a competitive cross country course.
Holland traveled to Pasco for the Bulldog Invitational Saturday, placing second in a varsity field that featured runners from 37 teams among all six Washington classifications. The senior turned in her best 3.1-mile time so far this season, 18:57.6, finishing just 5.5 seconds behind winner Megan Beauchene of Kamiakin.
While the Sunfair Invitational has been rescheduled for this Saturday, the Blackhawks have other plans. Originally scheduled to compete in the Bullpup Invitational at Finch Arboretum, Martin said they will instead travel to Richland for the 63-team Richland Invitational.
“We’ll see some west side schools, and get more bodies out there,” he added.
Cheney also traveled to Colville Tuesday for a league meet with the Indians and West Valley, results next week.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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