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Here's the full story on
BFHS Cross Country at State |
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November 4, 2014 |
by Tyler Warner
BFHS Cross Country Head Coach
Eleven weeks of training, teamwork, dedication,
and determination paid dividends for eight
representatives of Bonners Ferry High School
cross country.
Behind Senior Jacob Perkins' championship finish
at Districts, the Badger boys qualified for a
berth at state by taking the District second
place. Sophomore Nicole Donn punched her ticket
by finishing in 6th place to qualify as an
individual.
The course for the State Meet was at Eagle
Island State Park near Boise on Saturday,
November 1. Inclement weather threatened to
drench all the races, but the Idaho 3A division
racers enjoyed a rare window of good weather
during their races.
Sophomore runner Nicole Donn started the day for
the Badgers, finishing in 22:02 for a 24th place
finish, just 4 positions short of a state medal.
At a large hill in the middle of the course,
Nicole made big moves to position herself in the
top 20, but ultimately experienced runners and a
wall of Shelley runners held her back.
Nicole, a first year runner, began discussing
her plans with coaches for next season
immediately after her race. She has already set
a goal of making the top 20 next year and hopes
to bring a full team with her. “She’s extremely
talented,” said Coach Warner. “It has been great
having Nicole with us this year and it’s great
to see her looking ahead to next year. We wish
her the best of luck in basketball this winter.”
In the 3A Girls race, Shelley proved dominant,
finishing with 23 points for a first place team
finish. Intermountain League champion Timberlake
took second place with 60 points. Timberlake
Sophomore Kassidy Hammond ran 19:36 for a second
place finish.
Jacob Perkins came in 27th place in the 3A Boys'
meet with an 18:15. Hampered by a head cold,
Perkins ran his high school cross country finale
at the highest level in the state. He was
grateful for the opportunity to run with his
teammates and against strong competition.
“There’s always track,” said Perkins with a wry
smile.
Not far behind Perkins was fellow senior Tucker
Cavender. Tucker ran in 18:48, missing his
personal record by just 7 seconds. Tucker also
looks forward to competing in spring track.
Junior Nolan Stidham, in his second trip to
state in as many years, finished in 19:17. First
year runner Jack Wade came in at 20:17, followed
closely by sophomore Eric Ellis at 20:26.
Freshman Neil Martin finished in 20:50 while
Dawson Thomas rounded out the Badgers team at
21:39.
Shelley boys completed the championship podium
sweep, claiming 1st place with 42 points.
Timberlake took 4th place with 110 points.
Bonners Ferry finished 8th out of 10 teams with
a score of 213. The most impressive
Intermountain League finish belonged to Priest
River senior Josh Marks, who ran a 17:12 en
route to a 7th place finish. Marks finished 3rd
at Districts.
“We had a great season and to end it here speaks
volumes about our work,” said assistant Mike
Tymrak. “Having these freshmen and other young
runners with state experience puts us in a great
place as a team. We have a good chance to come
back next year, too.”
Bonners Ferry has recently established a strong
presence at the state tournament. By former head
coach Paul Bonnell’s estimate, the last time a
full boys team did not go to state was the fall
of 2007 (current head coach Tyler Warner’s
senior year of high school). The girls have had
a presence in three consecutive years, with
Aimee Sayers qualifying as an individual in her
2012 senior campaign, a full girls’ team in
2013, and this year with Donn as an individual.
Head coach Tyler Warner would like to thank the
community for their support this season. He also
wants to acknowledge parents, many of whom made
long-distance trips to watch their children run
in a schedule without a home meet. Additional
thanks go to Paul Bonnell and Erin Delude for
their support and advice. Special thanks go to
volunteer-assistants Mike Tymrak and Luke Reoch.
Finally, Coach Warner thanks his athletes for
their patience, hard work, commitment, and for
being themselves.
Coach Warner plans to bring back a Bonners Ferry
home meet next season.
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