Sweet Home athletes swept nearly all the competitions Saturday, Sept. 28, during the cross-country
team’s home meet at Community Chapel.
McKenzie Miller and Ryker Burr won the girls’ and boys’ varsity competitions, which included
Pleasant Hill’s team. The meet, held on a course that included two steep hills and a narrow, twisting
trail section that slowed times, was significantly smaller this year, due to scheduling competition from
another, larger, meet.
“It was a small meet with only one other high school team and four junior high teams, but our kids
competed very well,” Coach Dave Martin said. “One thing I was most pleased with was that we had the
individual winner in both the boys and girls varsity races, both the JV races – boys and girls, and the
junior high boys.
“Our top people are running very well and we had a lot of kids behind them who ran, not PR’s, but on
that course very fine times. It was a good day. We are really pleased.”
Burr, a sophomore, finished first in 19:17.80, after out-sprinting Pleasant Hill’s Gage Roper down the
home stretch to win by a second.
Miller, a junior, ran 21:34.70 to finish ahead of freshman teammate Emma Whitton (22:08.50) in the
girls varsity race.
For the boys, sophomore Kason Koenig-Walters was fifth, in 20:51.90, followed by freshman Acen
Webber in sixth (21:49.30); freshman Evan Malabago, 11th in 23:33.10; and senior Kasey Kast in 12th,
in 23:42.30.
Also finishing for Sweet Home in the girls varsity race were junior Annabelle Morris in fifth (25:51.00)
and freshman Grace Gardner, seventh in 26:34.70.
In the boys JV 5,000-meter race, freshman Evan Knight was first in 22:12.30; junior Keagan Vogel was
fourth in 23:25.30; freshman Wes Goff was sixth in 23:29.20; freshman Louis Kistner was eighth in
25:38.30; and freshman Noah Strawn was ninth in 25.43.80.
In the girls JV race, senior Natiyah Walters-Koenig finished first in 28:19.00, followed by sophomore
Noelle Helfrich, second in 28:25.30; Rylie Hollingsworth, in 47:35.80; and Madison Looney, sixth in
47:40.80.
In the middle school race, Elijah Rodriguez was first, nearly 30 seconds ahead of his nearest
competitor, in 12:35.00 over the boys 3000 course, and Hudson Ogden was fourth, in 13:45.60.
Marian Helfrich was eighth in a field of 31 runners in the girls race, in 17:09.60, followed by Pyper
Hall, 11 th in 18:23; Zoie Allison, 18 th in 22:24.90; and Lexie Lee, 21 st in 23:40.60.
Up next for the Huskies is The Harrier Classic Saturday, Oct. 5, at Bryant Park in Albany. Middle
school races start at 9 a.m., followed by high school competition.