Work pays off for Coco

Whitefish senior runs away with Flathead Invitational

Drew Coco had a simple game plan - "walk away with a victory."

Well, he did even better than that.

Coco, a senior distance star at Whitefish High School, ran away with the individual title at the Flathead Invitational cross country meet Saturday afternoon at the Kidsports Complex.

Coco finished the 3-mile run with a speedy time of 16 minutes, 10 seconds.

"This is an accomplishment," Coco said.

"It's one of the biggest races. There are a lot of schools here."

The event attracted more than 800 runners from around the state and 20-plus schools.

"Drew has put in a lot of hard work," WHS coach Sara Brist said.

"He ran all summer. It's good to see he's doing so well."

Flathead's Leif Castren finished second, 16:47, while Dylan Day of Eureka was the third runner across the finish line, 16:50.

Glacier's Dan Howell placed ninth, 17:21, and Shawn Whitman of Columbia Falls came in 11th, 17:24.

Keely West of C.M. Russell, on the other hand, was pushed, pressured and tested by a determined Keli Dennehy of Butte. But in the end, the junior standout from Great Falls prevailed, pulling away with a strong sprint.

West was the lone runner to crack the 19-minute mark, finishing in 18:59.

Dennehy was second, 19:01.

Heather Fraley of Glacier wound up fourth, 19:46, and Kayla Carlson of Bigfork fifth, 19:50.

Loni Hanson of Whitefish was sixth, 20:01.

Team titles on the day went to the Whitefish girls and Missoula Hellgate boys. The Bulldogs have now claimed back-to-back titles.

"They just keep getting better and better," Brist said of the girls.

"We've just been lucky to have a lot of really good runners that do work hard. They have put the work in in the summer."

Coco, who finished ninth here a year ago, took the lead at the 1 1/4 mile mark and never let up. His time Saturday was 33 seconds faster that 2007.

"I drafted Leif (Castren), which kind of kept me going for the first mile," Coco said.

"After the first mile, I sorta relaxed and fell into my pace."

Coco ran the first mile in 5 minutes, 20 seconds. He said it was a fast pace.

"Leif is a good runner," Coco said.

"I thought I could return the favor (of letting Castren draft behind me) a little bit (by taking the lead)."

Except Coco never let up, and gradually pulled away for an easy victory.

"I just kept the pressure on from there," Coco said.

"I was heading home."

Castren bolted from the pack at the start, taking a comfortable lead.

"At first I didn't know who it was," Coco said of Castren.

"I was kind of concerned."

For West, it was her third straight Flathead Invitational victory. Her winning time last fall, however, was faster - 18:24.

"Last year, it was pretty tough too, with Caitlin Stone (Missoula Sentinel), but this year the finish was really hard," West said.

"I knew it wouldn't be an easy run."

That's because Dennehy is noted for her strong finishes. And the race was still up for grabs when West and Dennehy made the final turn to head for the finish line.

West had the stronger kick this time.

"It's more stressful, but it ends up paying off because I have to work harder," West said of close finishes.

"My times are better."

West finished second at the Class AA state meet last year and third as a freshman.

"I just wanted to take the lead and hold it," West said of how she approached the race.

"Every uphill, she was trying to pick it up and get in front of me."

West said she came in expecting her main competition to come from Fraley. Butte did not compete here last year.

West said she found out during the girls' JV race that Butte made the trip to the Flathead Valley this year.

"I got a little bit more nervous when I saw Keli," she said.

"She does really well in track, and so far this season, she has done really well."

Dennehy beat West once last year in cross country.

Flathead finished third in the boys' team standings and sixth in the girls.

"It was a good race for all our boys," FHS assistant coach Jesse Rumsey said.

"They are still trying to get the miles in. We feel good with where we are at."

Rumsey said Hunter Schutt (19th in 17:47) ran well, as did Bailey Hughes (13th in 20:51) for the girls. Schutt and Hughes are freshmen.

Glacier placed 10th in the girls' field and 13th in the boys'.

Columbia Falls finished seventh in the boys' field, a performance that pleased coach Steve Gasche.

"I'm real excited about the boys overall," he said.

"That was the second best Class A performance in the meet."

Gasche's JV boys finished fourth.

"That makes me feel pretty positive about where our boys' teams are right now," he said.

"I think it will be a competitive year for us."

The Columbia Falls girls' JV finished second.

Flathead Invitational

Saturday at Kidsports Complex

Boys

Team Totals

Missoula Hellgate 72, Missoula Sentinel 112, Flathead 120, Hamilton 130, Missoula Big Sky 167, C.M. Russell (Great Falls) 169, Columbia Falls 225, Browning 256, Dillon 288, Polson 297, Loyola Sacred Heart 300, Great Falls High 303, Glacier 305, Butte 327, Ronan 337, Whitefish 399, Eureka 444, Cut Bank 446, Arlee 456, Thompson Falls 573

Top 30

Drew Coco, Whitefish 16:10

Leif Castren, Flathead 16:47

Dylan Day, Eureka 16:50

Mike Evans, Loyola 17:06

Ian Curtiss, Hamilton 17:09

Jake Jessop, Hamilton 17:14

Josh Panasuk, Butte 17:16

Daniel Sullivan, Hellgate 17:21

Dan Howell, Glacier 17:21

Sancho Ridesatthedoor, Hellgate 17:22

Shawn Whitman, Columbia Falls 17:24

Michael Bowles, Hellgate 17:27

Josh Kornish, Sentinel 17:31

Josh Hamilton, Sentinel 17:37

Mark Messmer, Sentinel 17:37

Robert Bubnash, CMR 17:38

Will Strauss, Great Falls 17:39

Mac Austin, Big Sky 17:46

Hunter Schutt, Flathead 17:47

Ike Wallace, Hellgate 17:52

Cody Moore, Big Sky 17:54

Kevin Rouse, Hellgate 17:55

Christopher Fraser, CMR 17:57

Andy Wilson, Flathead 17:58

Joe Clark, Hamilton 17:59

Kevin Wreblewski, Ronan 17:59

Bert Palagi, CMR 18:00

Hayden Messerman, Sentinel 18:00

Ryan Robertson, Big Sky 18:03

Colter Bull, Polson 18:04

Girls

Team Totals

Whitefish 71, Missoula Hellgate 87, Hamilton 126, Missoula Sentinel 182, Missoula Big Sky 187, Flathead 194, C.M. Russell (Great Falls) 219, Great Falls High 222, Thompson Falls 229, Glacier 246, Butte 259, Polson 263, Belt 288, Dillon 306, Ronan 329, Eureka 429, Browning 431, Cut Bank 495

Top 30

Keely West, CMR 18:59

Keli Dennehy, Butte 19:01

Taylor Rather, Big Sky 19:40

Heather Fraley, Glacier 19:46

Kayla Carlson, Bigfork 19:50

Loni Hanson, Whitefish 20:01

Rachel Stewart, Great Falls 20:25

Chantelle Grey, Sentinel 20:30

Stella Holt, Whitefish 20:35

Danica Loucks, Hamilton 20:43

Emily Howell, Hellgate 20:44

Jackie Cassidy, Whitefish 20:49

Bailey Hughes, Flathead 20:51

Brianna Seubert, Shelby 20:55

Sara Coonce, Big Sky 21:01

Beca Gunderson, Thompson Falls 21:04

Mariah Gondeiro, Belt 21:05

Mari Sullivan, Hellgate 21:06

Bobbi Furrer, Hellgate 21:07

Dani Johnson, Hellgate 21:09

Misha Trotter, Hamilton 21:11

Bailey Eaton, Whitefish 21:14

Talitha Smith, Dillon 21:17

Racheal Hart, Glacier 21:20

Sadie McMillan, Ronan 21:25

Mesa Starkey, Polson 21:26

Ali Pelletier, Dillon 21:26

Lily Clarke, Hellgate 21:31

Jessica Sagen, Whitefish 21:34

Rose Byrne, Flathead 21:40