By John George | www.lakesareasports.com - Northfield, MN
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The Perham girls had 3 goals coming to the State Cross Country Meet at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Place higher than last year (12th), finish higher than their ranking (No. 12), and beat the Section 8A champs, Park Rapids. They did all three.
The Lady Jackets finished in 10th place Saturday with a score of 227. The team they finished behind at the Section 8A Meet, Park Rapids, finished in a tie for 11th (247).
St. Cloud Cathedral won the girls team title with a 94. Annandale was the runner-up (118).
“We accomplished our goals,” head coach Jeff Morrissaid. “We got back ahead of Park Rapids, which was good. I like their coach and their program and kids, but it is a rivalry and I’m glad we beat them here at State. We finished higher than last year (12th place), and finished higher than our rank coming in (No. 12), so the girls have a lot to be happy about. We have some excitement to build on for next year.”
The individual medalist was Blake’s Clare Flanagan, who finished in 14:21.
“I thought we did extremely well,” said the team’s only senior, Cassie Beseman, who was running in her 5th State Meet. “We had all of our girls really step up and show how our training has paid off. We’ve been training since June, so we knew we were ready.”
She finished 25th among team runners (40th overall), in 15:45, a personal best time at State.
“It’s a little bitter-sweet,” Beseman said of her final race. “But I’m glad the team ended on a good note.”
“Cassie was unbelievable,” Morris said. “Her best time ever on this course. She’s had a tough year and career with some injuries. But to lead the team the way she did. This was her team and she was a big part in this team coming together.”
Also scoring for the Jackets were: Sydney Karels(62nd overall, 34th team—16:05), Brynnan Covington(79th overall, 47th team—16:18), Racole Karels(95th overall, 54th team—16:35), and Ciarrin Covington(110th overall, 67th team—16:52).
“We didn’t go out to necessarily beat anybody,” Beseman said. “We just wanted to show what we had and see if we could be a surprise team at State. We were ranked No. 12, so nobody probably thought, “We have to beat Perham,” like a couple of years ago.”
The future does look bright for the Lady Jackets. Beseman was the team’s only senior, and Ciarrin Covington is the only junior among the top-7 runners.
“We only lose Cassie, who we will miss a great deal,” Morris said. “But we have a young team with girls like Brynnan and Sydney. Holy cow. They will both be among the top individuals in State in the coming years.”
Sydney Karels is only an 8th grader, while Brynnan Covington is just in 7th grade. Racole Karels is a sophomore. Also running for the Lady Jackets were sophomore’s Lizzie Fudge(114th overall—16:59) and Mary Riestenberg(154th—18:50).
“We had some other girls who didn’t have the season they were hoping to,” Morris continued. “But everyone ended here on a positive note. A season best for Racole. A season best for Ciarrin. A season best for Lizzie. Mary struggled with an injury. It was good. The girls ran awesome. They had kind of a goofy year, but it’s great they ended on a positive note.”
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| SCORING SUMMARY: |
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Class A State Cross Country St. Olaf College, Northfield Girls Team Results 1. St. Cloud Cathedral 94 2. Annandale 118 3. Esko 132 4. Blake 138 5. Waseca 154 6. United South Central 203 7. Adrian 211 8. Holdingford 218 9. La Crescent 222 10. Perham 227 T-11. Park Rapids 247 T-11. Trinity River Ridge 247 13. Albany 268 14. Luvurne 297 15. Rochester Lourdes 325 16. International Falls 358 Medalist Clare Flanagan (Blake) 14:21.7 Perham Runners 40. (25) Cassie Beseman 15:45 62. (34) Sydney Karels 16:05 79. (47) Brynnan Covington 16:18 95. (54) Racole Karels 16:35 110. (67) Ciarrin Covington 16:52 114. Lizzie Fudge 16:59 109. Mary Riestenberg 18:50 Park Rapids Runners 6. (3) Lydia Lutz 15:02 69. (40) Shelby Pierce 16:13 99. (57) Megan Olson 16:37 109. (66) Summer Ellefson 16:51 125. (81) Lora Remus 17:17 Section 8A Runners 20. Gretta Brunelle (Warroad) 15:26 23. Victoria Alexander (LOTW/RR) 15:27 56. Madeline Huglen (Roseau) 16:01 73. Marissa Carlson (Bagley/Fosston) 16:16 82. Emma Schmitz (WDC) 16:19 86. Susy Heppner (Warroad) 16:27 89. Emily Bakken (Pelican Rapids) 16:29 |