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Badger Cross Country competes at Idaho State Championships
November 3, 2015
by Tyler Warner
Bonners Ferry High School
Head Cross Country Coach

Badger cross country season came to an end on October 31 at Farragut State Park at the Idaho State Championships. Runners from all over the state converged on a rainy North Idaho state park to compete in 10 races, organized by gender and division. In total, 60 more runners ran during the competition than the 2014 races, making it the largest ever Idaho state cross country meet. For the second time in three years, both the Badger boys and girls teams were present for the competition.

Difficulty with electronics delayed races throughout the day, due to the park’s remote location. Rain was intermittent all day long making for slick conditions on some parts of the 5k course. The Lady Badgers started their race at around 2:45 p.m., more than an hour past its scheduled time.

Jordan Young got out to the best start, working her way up early. A dominant Shelley team worked their way to the front, alongside runners from Timberlake, Sugar-Salem, Parma, and Emmett. Jordan was able to navigate through most of the crowds, avoiding potential blocking tactics and successfully using the hills. In the last 0.1 mile of the race Jordan moved up even further to secure a 16th place medal at state. Her time was 21:27 officially.

“For Jordan to come out, only having run the 800 in track competitively before, is great. She transitioned really well, put in a lot of work over the summer, and really learned how to race,” said assistant Mike Tymrak. “She put a lot of the pieces together to be a good distance runner this season.”

Senior Hannah Lysne finished her cross country career finishing in the top 45 in the state. She channeled a successful track season in the spring into a dedicated summer regimen and stayed a steady presence for Bonners Ferry all season. She even posted several personal bests, improving throughout the season even late in her running career. Hannah finished in 23:14 for 41st place. Nicole Donn rebounded from injury early in the season to finish in 23:47. Ada Bonnell, after starting out a little fast, recovered and managed a 23:54. “We talked all season about working on things you can change and not worrying about things you can’t. Ada figured that out and was able to run a really good race after not getting the start she wanted,” said Coach Tyler Warner.



 Freshman Lauren Stidham also ran well with a finishing time of 25:21. The Lady Badgers finished 8th out of 10 teams at state. Shelley High School would win for the second year in a row with a dominating 35 points. Intermountain League team Timberlake would finish 3rd behind the strong running of Taylor Hammond and freshman Abigail Peightal.

The final race of the day belonged to the 3A boys. With a fast start dominated by southern teams coming from high elevation, the Badger boys found strength in the pack as they have all season. The 46-48th places belonged to Bonners Ferry starting with freshman Jamin Bontrager who ran a 19:04. “He stepped up to the next level,” said coach Tymrak. “Once a runner competes at a level above what they’re used to it becomes easier to break through the next time.” After initially falling behind Bontrager, Jack Wade kept it close with a 19:05. Nolan Stidham, battling illness, gained the most benefit from the pack. “I don’t know if Nolan would have been able to stay in it without his teammates. He was feeling terrible most of the week, but by having Jamin and Jack with him I think it gave him the boost he needed. He’s a guy that gives his all for the team.” Stidham would finish in 19:09.

Senior Alva Swanson, ignoring a bloody nose, finished with a solid 19:29. Sophomore Dawson Thomas also broke the 20 minute barrier by crossing at 19:49 after battling with runners from Kimberly, Parma, and Fruitland. Junior Eric Ellis ran a 20:32 5k followed by Nick Magdaleno at 20:54.

The boy’s team finished 9th out of 11 teams. Despite a large Shelley pack in the top 4, including a dominating 16:05 run by Austin Stewart, Sugar-Salem pulled a surprise upset by just 6 points. Timberlake also finished 3rd in the men’s race after top 10 running by Brayden Menti.

The Badgers will graduate six seniors, four of whom were varsity runners. “We’ll miss that experience and leadership, but our future looks bright,” said Coach Warner. “With upcoming JV runners and veterans gaining experience and having success, we can build on this season. But we’ll deal with that next August.”


 
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