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Delibertis top finisher in his first cross-country race

Most of Sweet Home’s cross-country runners kicked off their season Thursday, Sept. 1, with a 3000-meter race in the Darrel Deedon Invite held at Cascade High School.

“It was a good opening event,” Coach Dave Martin said.

Most of the Huskies, who only have two runners with high school experience, competed in the JV race, and Martin held out a number for various reasons.

Junior Ethan Delibertis won the boys JV race, running 10:50 in his first cross-country experience. Senior Adrian Kast, who competed for Sweet Home as a freshman and sophomore, was Sweet Home’s other runner, finishing in 13:06.

“Obviously, in Ethan’s 3K, 10:50 is really good for how much he’s run,” Martin said. “I’m really excited for his possibility. To win your first race, even if it’s the JV 3000, is impressive.”

Junior Rylee Markell, the only Sweet Home runner to compete at the varsity level, was 18th out of 46 runners in the varsity girls race, covering the 5000-meter course in 25:56.

Freshman McKenzie Miller was sixth for the girls in the girls JV race, running 14:39 for the 3000-meter course. Behind her were sophomore Natiyah Walters-Koenig, 13th in 15:24; sophomore Amelia Sullens, 18th in 16:24; and sophomore Peyton Markell, 19th in 16:32.

The Markell sisters and Sullens are doubling with soccer, having played a game the previous night in the heat, which, Martin said, was a factor at Cascade.

“The kids had a little struggle with the heat, which was about 90,” he said. “When they came back from walking the course, they commented on how hot it was. We had two rules for (Thursday’s) meet: pace the first mile slowly, and if you make a mistake, go too slow rather than too fast.”

He said his team generally followed those instructions to the letter, and Miller, who was a short sprinter in her only other running experience, junior high track last year, executed perfectly.

“McKenzie is a sprinter at heart,” Martin said. “She was told to run behind other girls with distance experience for the first mile, which she did, then she passed 10, 15 kids in the last mile to finish sixth. She and Amelia, coming to cross-country (from sprinting), I think that speed is going to help them in tight races.

“All of the people who’d never run before executed so well.”

At last count, Sweet Home has eight boys and six girls, which is enough to field full teams if everybody runs, but Martin is ready to welcome more, he said. There is no cost this year to participate in sports.

Next up for Sweet Home is the Stayton Invitational, on Saturday, Sept. 10, where Martin expects to field a larger Husky representation.

“I was really pleased with how all our kids competed,” he said. “For so many of them, this is their first meet ever. It was a really good performance.”

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