MONTESANO — Even lacking the first-place punch they’ve boasted in the past, Montesano’s cross-country runners found a way to claim some hardware at the Mark Lyle Memorial Invitational.
Although their highest individual finish was fifth, the Bulldog boys nevertheless won the team title at the Lyle Invitational on Saturday at Lake Sylvia State Park.
The Bulldog boys used their depth to finish with 34 points, 12 points lower than Class 1B Pope John Paul II of Olympia. Forks captured the girls team championship with 27 points, 18 ahead of Shelton. Montesano’s girls were third.
Scheduling conflicts with the prestigious Seaside Three-Course Challenge in Oregon took a big chunk out of the Twin Harbors representation at this meet. Only Montesano and North Beach fielded varsity teams.
The meet is named in memory of the late Mark Lyle, a former Montesano cross country standout who later became chief starter for the National Hot Rod Association drag racing series.
Montesano’s Martin Schuck, Connor Parkinson and Braden Stowers ran shoulder-to-shoulder for a good portion of the boys race.
Schuck eventually separated himself from the other two to place fifth with a time of 18:26 for 5,000 meters. Parkinson (18:32) and Stowers (18:39) followed him across the finish line to take sixth and seventh, respectively.
That type of pack mentality will likely persist throughout the remainder of the season, according to veteran Montesano coach James Edwards.
“We’re a packed group this year,” Edwards acknowledged. “Hopefully that will carry us when we get to district.”
In this case, it was good enough to beat a Pope John Paul team that possessed the meet’s top two runners. Pope John Paul’s Jack Farrell wasn’t challenged in prevailing in 17:33. Teammate Caden Deutscher was second in 18:04.
Montesano’s Andy Fry was 10th in 19:16 and teammate Josef Aschenbrenner 11th in 19:18. Jeffrey Eison was North Beach’s top runner, taking 34th.
Forks swept three of the top five places in the girls race, with Enid Ensastegui handily winning in 20:19. Toutle Lake’s Meleah Kandoll was a distant second in 20:59.
Madelyn Prall was Montesano’s top runner, winding up sixth in 24:28. Monte’s Madolyn Olson was eighth in 24:55 and North Beach’s Kaytlynn Corey 13th in 25:36.
Edwards noted that several of his runners are recuperating from an assortment of illnesses.
Gary Sherman of Aberdeen’s Miller Junior High won the junior high boys race.
