Fast times, tight races for Flathead Invitational cross country
Top runners, picturesque setting and with a summer-like weather forecast that includes plenty of sunshine to match temperatures near the 80-degree mark, it sure looks like the Flathead Invitational has all the ingredients to be a very special event today.
Fifteen teams will converge on Rebecca Farm for the biggest cross country race of the fall season in the Flathead Valley.
Action begins at 10 a.m. with a 1.5-mile middle school run for girls. Middle school boys toe the starting line a half-hour later.
The three-mile junior varsity girls race follows at 11 with JV boys at 11:45.
Running wraps up with the 3-mile varsity girls at 12:30 p.m. and the varsity boys at 1:15.
The Morley family from Bigfork will again be a factor in the invitational. They have dominated the individual honors here with Makena Morley, now a freshman at the University of Montana, winning the girls race three-straight years.
Sister Bryn Morley, won it last year along with brother Logan Morley.
Bryn, a sophomore, will not be back to defend her title, but Logan, a senior, will be.
“We’re not running her every weekend just like were not running Logan every weekend,” Bigfork coach Sue Loeffler said.
“We’re training through this (meet with Bryn), getting ready for Mountain West (next weekend in Missoula). We chose certain meets she wasn’t going to run this year, same with Logan. But this is one he will run in.”
Logan Morley won the race here last year at Rebecca Farm in 15 minutes, 37.4 seconds.
Marshall Beatty of Missoula Sentinel was second, 15:38.4.
Beatty is also back.
They were also the only ones to break the 16-minute barrier.
Jake Perrin of Flathead, who was sixth in 16:21.3., is expected to challenge. He’s a senior.
“Jake has improved considerably from last year,” Flathead boys coach Paul Jorgensen said.
“He has put in the work for sure.”
Younger brother Ben Perrin, a freshman, had a strong debut last week at the Libby Invitational. He finished second behind Jake.
Glacier will have a couple top-10 contenders in Tevyn Stetson, a junior who was eighth at this event last year, and Logan Harmon, a senior.
Harmon was 13th last year.
“We’ll see (how it all shakes out),” Glacier coach Jacob Deitz said.
“We’ve had great workouts, but until we get into some races, it’s all up in the air.”
With Bryn Morley passing on the varsity girls race, it will be Glacier sophomore Annie Hill far, far ahead of the rest of the field.
She set a blistering pace at the Libby Invitational on Sept. 6 with a time of 16:25.69 at J Neils Park. She finished almost 30 seconds ahead of Bryn Morley.
“She’s super strong,” Deitz said of Hill.
“Pretty confident right now. It will be fun to see what she does this weekend.”
Bryn Morley won the Flathead Invitational last year with a time of 17:11.9.
Hill was 17 seconds behind her.
“It’s still early, so we’ll see what the kids can do,” Deitz said.
“There will be more competition here (this weekend), a few more teams.
“The girls are real strong right now. We’re racing through this meet, so they may be a little tired.”
Bailey Smith, a junior, and Corinne Hamilton, a senior, could help the Wolfpack claim the team title.
The Flathead girls could have a couple of top 10 runners in Kaitlin Wride and Gillian Maness. They were third and fifth, respectively, in Libby.
The Glacier boys are defending team champions.
“The Rebecca Farm people went out of their way to help prepare the course for cross country,” Jorgensen said.
“They got it mowed, have been very helpful, very supportive. I think they like to have us there.”
The all-class state cross country meet will be held at Rebecca Farm next fall.