Despite battling illness, the Cheney High boys cross country team managed a big win in its first Great Northern League meet of the season.
The Blackhawks used a tight grouping up front to down visiting West Valley 25-32 in competition last Wednesday at Salnave Park. The girls were equally impressive, albeit in defeat, missing an upset of the reigning 2A state champion Eagles by three points, falling 27-30.
Junior Beckett Schoenleber battled West Valley senior Kolby Green for most of the 5,000 meters, only falling off at the end to finish second overall with a time of 16 minutes, 56.78 seconds, just over two seconds back of Green. JT Gaspar was third in 17:21.31 with normal No. 1 runner Bas Holland fourth in 17:27.50.
Kyle Peabody was seventh in 18:02.24 with Trae Babcock wrapping up Cheney’s scoring in ninth place in 18:22.94. Finnegan Syrie and Andres Margraf held off West Valley’s fifth-scoring runner by placing 10th and 11th respectively.
Freshman Samantha Habegger led the Blackhawk girls, finishing second in 20:51.88, well back of West Valley senior Annika Esvelt who blistered the course in 19:45.53. Marion Mager-Reeser was fourth in 21:32.72, with Jaela Thornburg leading a pack of Cheney varsity runners finishing seventh – 11th: Ryleigh Bowes, Megan Habegger, Caelyn Foster and Mayah Spakousky respectively.
“The girls have a strong pack this season and will try to ride that to better results later this year,” Blackhawks head coach Derek Slaughter said. “Beckett (Schoenleber) got his first taste of running at the front and almost had his first league win of his career.”
Saturday, Cheney hosted its third-annual Nike-Battle of the 509, with the boys finishing seventh out of 25 teams and the girls eighth out of 18. Holland was fourth overall in a time of 15:38.41 — becoming what Slaughter believes is the fastest ever Cheney cross country runner.
Gaspar was 47th, with Schoenleber 58th, Peabody 65th, Syrie 92nd and Margraf 102nd and Trae Babcock 113th.
Samantha Habegger led the Blackhawks girls, finishing 26th in 20:13.93, followed by Marion-Reeser (55th), Foster (61st), Thornburg (65th), Bowes (68th), Megan Habegger (72nd) and Spakousky (85th).
Slaughter said the boys took second in the “Small Team’ division in the competition held at the Fairways Golf Course, finishing behind Northeast A League power Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) but beating 2A state contenders Mountlake Terrace from Western Washington.
“Both squads are doing great, and we have the strongest JV (junior varsity) squads we have had in years,” Slaughter added.
Cheney’s girls JV team finished third, led by sophomore Camber Moad, while the boys team was eighth.
John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.
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