Bigfork boys, Morley champions in Western B divisional cross country
RONAN — The Bigfork boys ran away with the team title and sophomore Makena Morley broke 17 minutes to win the girls race at the Western B cross country meet on Saturday at Mission Mountain Golf Course.
Led by freshman Logan Morley, who finished second overall in 16 minutes, 30 seconds, the Bigfork boys put up a 53 team score, besting Ronan by 15 points for the team title.
Carson Cantrell joined Logan with all-division honors, finishing seventh in 17:17. Chance Kittle just missed out, finishing 11th in 17:49.
“What’s really unique is the team is made up of five freshmen and two sophomores,” Bigfork coach Sue Loeffler said.
“We haven’t had a boys or girls team for quite a while, then to have them do this, it’s exciting.”
Makena Morley, the defending state champion, won the girls race with a time of 16:56, nearly two minutes ahead of Loyola’s Maggie Mitzel.
“It was really cool to see her be able to do that and not be pushed,” Loeffler said.
“She’s done that against boys. It was neat to see her push herself.”
Morley is undefeated in high school competition.
Bigfork’s Chelsea Olsen finished fourth, setting a personal best time of 19:49. It was the first time she broke 20 minutes in her career.
The girls finished in third as a team with a 76. Loyola won the team title with a 45.
The state meet will be held on Saturday at Bill Roberts Golf Course in Helena. The Class B girls are set to start at 11:35 a.m. and the boys are scheduled for 12:40 p.m.
Western B divisional
At Mission Mountain Golf Course, Ronan
BOYS
Team Totals
Bigfork 53, Ronan 68, Thompson Falls 69, Loyola Sacred Heart 80, St. Ignatius 129, Plains 148.
Top 20 Individuals
1, Paden Alexander, St. Ignatius, 15.56; 2, Logan Morley, Bigfork, 16.30; 3, Logan Naegeli, Thompson Falls, 16.40; 4, Preston Schubert, Thompson Falls, 16.52; 5, Danny Romero, Ronan, 17.11; 6, Carson Cantrell, Bigfork, 17.17; 7, Russell Kujala, Plains, 17.18; 8, Matt McKay, Loyola, 17.38; 9, Gregory Maes, Loyola, 17.42; 10, Zach Burke, Loyola, 17.46;
11, Chance Kittle, Bigfork, 17.49; 12, Payton Adams, Ronan, 17.50; 13, Zack Wagner, Ronan, 17.58; 14, George Gibson, Bigfork, 18.03; 15, Lucas Gruwell, Thompson Falls, 18.22; 16, Jaden McNair, Ronan, 18.33; 17, Erik Short, Loyola, 18.34; 18, Colin Conrad, Eureka, 18.39; 19, Garrett Horton, Plains, 18.40; 20, Craig Cheroske, Bigfork, 18.44.
GIRLS
Team Totals
Loyola Sacred Heart 45, Plains 62, Bigfork 76, Ronan 107.
Top 20 Individuals
1, Makena Morley, Bigfork, 16.56; 2, Maggie Mitzel, Loyola, 19.40; 3, Demi Horton, Plains, 19.45; 4, Chelsea Olsen, Bigfork, 19.49; 5, Alex Bartmess, Eureka, 19.56; 6, Kimberly Earhart, Plains, 20.00; 7, Felicia Earhart, Plains, 20.02; 8, Kaile Sauro, Loyola, 20.36; 9, Mekdess Lombardi, Deer Lodge, 20.45; 10, Daien Schneider, Loyola, 21.26;
11, Kiana Howell, Ronan, 22.13; 12, Ali Sawyer, Loyola, 22.21; 13, Mackie Round, Loyola, 22.25; 14, Shea Mann, Loyola, 22.38; 15, Courtney Heath, St. Ignatius, 22.38; 16, Ellessa Henion, Bigfork, 22.39; 17, Jacey Probst, Ronan, 22.43; 18, Kadeshia Clark, Deer Lodge, 22.44; 19, Catherine Warner, Loyola, 22.48; 20, Kaylie Cox, Thompson Falls, 22.49.