Cross country boys claim Region 19 title, ladies finish second

THE BIRD SCOOP
by Walter & Becky Bird
On Wednesday, October 10, the Monticello High School cross country teams hosted the Region 19 Cross Country Championships at its Loyds Lake Course.
It was a bright, sunny, nearly wind-free day – which is rare on that course if you’ve spent much time on the Loyds Lake trail. Perfect conditions for a run.
The boys were first on the course, and, as expected, Monticello dominated the meet, taking the first four places on its way to a perfect score of ten.
Senior Adam Bunker easily took home top honors running a 16:41. He was followed by sophomores Alan Pettit and Cory Bunker and junior Hyrum Johnson, who finished in second, third, and fourth, running times of 17:29, 17:31, and 17:45. With those times in the book, the meet was technically over.
Runner-up Wayne logged only one top-ten runner on its way to 45 points. Monument Valley finished fourth with 58 points.
Other Bucks finishing in the top-ten were freshman Boston Freestone in seventh place and junior Dylan Bird in ninth place. They ran times of 18:47 and 18:54.
Teammates senior Lucas Hatch, senior Justus Robison, and senior Britton Brewer came in eleventh, twelfth, and 18th, logging times of 19:12, 19:25, and 20:17.
Brothers Bailey and Parker Walker finished in 21st and 26th with final times of 20:48 and 21:35. Others finishing were Taylor Torgerson (29th, 22:08), Taw Robinson (34th, 24:28), Jaxson Wells (36th, 26:32), and Robert Musselman (37th, 26:41).
In the ladies race, freshman Lily Long blew the field away, winning the race with a time of 20:38. Sophomore Serra St. Clair claimed third place running a solid time of 22:16.
Closing out the top ten was sophomore Kennedy Brewer, who placed tenth with a time of 23:51. Freshman Halle Morrison was the last Monticello scoring time coming in 13th place with a time of 24:57.57.
The Monticello ladies looked to be in good shape with three top-ten finishers, but Whitehorse placed all four of its scoring runners in the top-ten to take home the region team title, edging Monticello 27-24.
With their respective finishes, both teams have qualified for the Utah State Cross Country Championships at Sugarhouse Park on October 10.
The boys team will be looking to repeat as state champions and will be looking for its sixth title in the last eight years, having won titles in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2017.
The young ladies team is hoping for a top tier finish as well, despite only having four runners. The Lady Bucks run at 10 a.m., and the boys at 11:30 a.m. at the Sugarhouse Park course.
On Saturday, October 13, some of the Monticello junior high cross country runners traveled north and participated in the Utah Junior High Cross Country Classic in Millcreek, UT.
Four junior high girl runners toed the line at the two-mile course at the Cottonwood Complex. Eighth grader Adri Bird ran well and was able to win the meet with a time of 11:16 – besting the next girl by over a half-a-minute.
Seventh grader Shayla Pehrson finished in twelfth place with a time of 12:55. Seventh grader Jemma Robison ran the course in 14:08 – good enough for 29th place. Seventh grader Kahryme Alvarado came in 36th with a time of 14:26.
The boys race was a fun one to watch, and it came down to the wire with a Johnson Middle School runner taking the race at the tape.
The Monticello boys ran well in the field of 99 runners. The top Monticello boy finisher was Josh Wheeler in ninth place with a time of 11:07. Sixth grader Kaden Pehrson finished twelfth, running a 11:17, and seventh grader Jesse Pettit came in in 14th place with a time of 11:28.
Others running well were eighth grader Jalen Bradford finishing 23rd overall with a time of 12:07, seventh grader Curtis Bunker finishing in 41st place with a time of 12:37, and eighth grader Jacob Johnson coming in 48th in 13:02.