Boys finish third at state, girls fifth
The Siloam Springs boys cross country team finished third overall Friday at the Class 5A state meet at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs.
Lake Hamilton won its 11th state championship with 50 points to edge out Mountain Home with 52 while had Siloam Springs 153 points in third place.
“We knew Mountain Home and Lake Hamilton we’re most likely going to battle it out for first,” said Siloam Springs coach Sharon Jones. “We were realistically hoping for third. I am super proud of our guys. Even though we had a ton of (personal records) at conference we knew our guys could do better. Our times weren’t as good, but they stepped up in other ways.
“There was a big pack of seven to eight guys for the first mile and Michael (Capehart) was out front at the mile marker. About 18 seconds behind him was the rest of our team. They went for it. The second mile the field spread out considerably, our guys included.
We still held on to a 54-second split from our first and ninth runner. Incredible race.”
Siloam Springs senior Michael Capehart finished eighth overall with a time of 16 minutes, 55.53 seconds, earning a medal and all-state honors for finishing in the top 10 percent.
Wilson Cunningham was 25th overall at 17:37.29, while Blake Morrison was 33rd at 17:55.72.
“Wilson came through with a great time, as did Blake who was coming off a disappointing finish last week (at conference meet),” Jones said.
Levi Fox placed 38th at 18:05.88, while Noah Granderson placed 49th at 18:19.20 and Nathan Hawbaker 67th at 18:41.01.
“Levi struggled with the heat today, but held on,” Jones said. “We wouldn’t have placed as high without guys like him who are able to run through adversity. Noah stepped into the fifth spot this week and Nate took sixth. We needed those freshmen to do well. They will only get better. They remind me a lot of Wilson and Levi how they push each other.”
Jason Flores placed 70th at 18:48.54, while Jordyn Baskin was 72nd at 18:49.48 and Riley
Harrison 132nd at 20:56.41.
“Jason and Jordyn did well. I’m excited about them coming back next year as seniors. They’ll be able to provide a lot of leadership and experience,” Jones said. “I felt bad for Riley. He was tripped up in the race and strained a quad muscle, but still had a respectable finish.”
Girls
The Siloam Springs girls finished fifth overall.
Mountain Home scored 69 points for the state title, while defending champion Greenwood was second at 108, followed by Vilonia 125, Benton 148 and Siloam Springs 156.
“Our girls finished fifth, about where we thought they would,” Jones said. “We just had too big of a gap between one and two. For most of them it wasn’t their best race, but solid efforts”
Quincy Efurd earned a medal and all-state honors with a 10th-place finish of 20:18.94.
“Quincy didn’t look as comfortable as we’ve seen her but still ran her second fastest time all year,” Jones said. “She worked for it. She held on for the 10th place medal and earned herself All- State honors.”
Jaclyn Weilnau placed 21st at 21:42.67, while Ellen Slater placed 30th at 22:12.12 and Shayla Conley was 43rd at 22:59.42.
“Jackie ran second for us and has become a very dependable runner,” Jones said. “She has incredible focus. We set a lofty goal for her today and she almost got it. Ellen Slater came through huge for us today as our third runner. She is the only runner to PR, boys and girls. Shayla’s been so consistent all season. She had trouble today staying on pace, but toughed it out for the fourth scoring position.”
Macie Herrel placed 56th at 23:33.90 for the Lady Panthers’ fifth scoring position.
“We’re so glad Coach (Abby) Ray talked (Herrel) into running this year,” Jones said. “She’s been a difference-maker. Her fun personality was a healthy addition to the family.”
Shelby Smith placed 60th at 23:53.22, while Emily Brown was 68th at 24:12.28, Brooke Ross 72nd at 24:21.59 and Kendra Reimer 99th at 25:32.63.
“Shelby and Emily fell behind a little today from where they normally are,” Jones said. “They’re used to carried a good portion of the load. We try to teach our runners that they’re never defined by any one race, today included. Character is built by defeat, not victory. By how they walk through tough times. Our girls showed a lot of guts today. They struggled the second half of the race, but never quit. We expect them to come back next year stronger, more experienced and ready to lead. I was pumped for Brooke. She and Kendra have made tremendous growth late in the season. It’s been fun to watch them.”