Eureka boys outpace C.-Falls, Wildkats win girls’ title at Thompson Falls

by Daily Inter Lake
| September 25, 2020 8:15 PM

THOMPSON FALLS — Defending State B champion Eureka came out on top of a tight race with State A champion Columbia Falls and Whitefish to win the boys’ portion of the Thompson Falls Invitational cross country meet Thursday.

On the girls’ side Lara Erickson and Hannah Sempf finished 1-2 to help the Columbia Falls Wildkats take the team title at Rivers Bend Golf Course..

The Lion boys were led by Isaac Reynolds, who finished third behind Ronan’s Brant Heiner (16 minutes, 25.08 seconds -- the best time in Class A) and Thompson Falls’ Justin Morgan (17:15.95)..

Reynolds finished in 17:31.45, which wasn’t his best race of the year -- but teammates Gavin Bates (17:33.69) and Chaidh Lochridge (17:38.85) ran their best times while finishing 6-7. Eureka finished with 60 points to 61 for the Wildcats and 67 for Whitefish.

The Bulldogs’ Jacob Henseon was fourth and James Role was the top Columbia Falls boy, in fifth. Whitefish also had Mason Genovese finish eighth; Columbia Falls’ James Pterson and Seth Umbriaco went 9-10.

Take away several girls that ran for incomplete teams -- Class C Seeley-Swan had two runners in the top five -- and the Wildkats scored 22 points to 56 for second-place Whitefish. Erickson won in 20:31.74; Sempf ran her fastest time of the season, 20:54.22.

Paetra Cooke was the top Whitefish finisher, in eighth at 21:50.44, and Columbia Falls’ Alyssa Blankenship wasn’t far behind in ninth.

Thompson Falls

Invitational

Thursday

BOYS

Team scores - 1, Eureka 60; 2, Columbia Falls 61; 3, Whitefish 67; 4, Ronan 92; 5, St. Ignatius 145; 6, Thompson Falls 163; 7, Bigfork 170; 8, Loyola Sacred Heart 198; 9, Deer Lodge 229; 10, Browning 254.

Individual Top 20

!, Brant Heiner, Ronan, 16:25.08; 2, Justin Morgan, Thompson FAlls, 17:15l95; 3, Isaac Reynolds, Eureka, 17:31.45; 4, Jacob Henson, Whitefish, 17:31.49; 5, James Role, Columbia Falls, 17:32.81; 6, Gavin Bates, Eureka, 17:33.68; 7, Chaidh Lochridge, Eureka, 17:38.85; 8, Mason Genovese, Whitefish, 17:41.85; 9, James Peterson, Columbia Falls, 17:47.52; 10, Seth Umbriaco, Columbia Falls, 17:48.009; 11, Michael Irvine, Ronan, 17:52.35; 12, Thomas Nulla, St. Ignatius, 17:52.8; 13, Zarec Couture, Ronan, 18:04.54; 14, Deneb Linton, Whitefish, 18:11.62; 15, Aidan Thompson, Deer Lodge, 18:18.13; 16, Ruedi Steiner, Whitefish, 18:20.86; 167, Andrew Rush, St. Ignatius, 18:21.85; 18, TJ Jacobi, Columbia Falls; 19, Samuel Bryant, Drummond, 18:38.37; 20, Bailey Sjostrom, Columbia Falls, 18:43.38.

GIRLS

Team scores - Columbia Falls 22, Whitefish 56, Frenchtown 78, Eureka 98, Browning 140, Deer Lodge 148.

Individual Top 20

1, Lara Erickson, Columbia Falls, 20:31.74; 2, Hannah Sempf, Columbia Falls, 20:54.22; 3, Emily Maughan, Seeley-Swan, 21:06.43; 3, Maddie Yakos, Drummond, 21:27.25; 5, Sariah Maughan, Seeley-Swan, 21:30.16; 6, Kyla Conley, Seeley-Swan, 21:35.52; 7, Abigail Sherwood, Frenchtown, 21:43.14; 8, Paetra Cooke, Whitefish, 21:50.44; 9, Alyssa Blankenship, Columbia Falls, 21:56.08; 10, Gracie Yakos, Drummond, 22:16.79; 11, Emma Upton, Columbia Falls, 22:23.55; 12, Baylor Duke, Frenchtown, 22:24.03; 13, Olivia Heiner, Ronan, 22:24.51; 14, Siri Erickson, Columbia Falls, 22:28.94; 15, Emma McAllister, Columbia Falls, 22:44.17; 16, Grace Stewart, Bigfork, 22:54.54; 17, Rebekah Walker, Columbia Falls, 22:55.39; 18, Tabitha Raymond, Bigfork, 23:10.20; 19, Maggie Pulsifer, Whitefish, 23:14.83; 20, Hattie Neesvig, Thompson Falls, 23:14.89.