Buckaroo boys and girls both snag runner-up trophies at 1A Utah State Cross Country meet

by Haley Burton
Contributing Writer
The 2022 1A Utah State Cross Country Championship at the Regional Sports Complex in Rose Park October 25 was one for the history books for both Monticello teams.
A grim forecast of rain and cool temperatures gave way to a perfect day of running as 1,389 runners from 1A-6A schools stepped up to the starting line.
At the end of the day, two second-place team trophies were awarded to the runners wearing Buckaroo orange and black.
The last time both the boys and girls teams brought home team trophies was in 2013. Head coach Jeff Hunt is very pleased with the way the season ended. “We had a really great day,” he said.
“Of our 13 runners, most ran their personal best on the season. It was such a thrill to see the kids coming in and watching the scores add up. I couldn’t be more proud of them.
“It took phenomenal efforts by great teams to beat us and to still come away with two trophies and five medals – what a great day. I want to give a shout-out to all the support we received this year from the community and parents.
“There was not a meet we went to this year that didn’t have a significant presence of Buckaroo fans. I specifically want to thank Coach Bunker whose summer running program and support of the program put many of the runners in a position to succeed.
“This team – boys and girls – has been as focused and ready to do what was needed as any that I’ve had. They pushed each other, helped each other, fought for each other, ached together, and in the end succeeded together. What more could you ask?”
Along with the team trophies, six individual top ten medals were awarded to members of the Monticello teams. For the girls, Marah Long led the Buckaroos with a fifth-place finish in 20:54.
Within 30 seconds Lilli Burton and Ayla Carling crossed the finish line in sixth and eighth place. Kaden Pehrson made his debut as lead runner for MHS, finishing fifth with a time of 17:45. Jesse Pettit finished five seconds later in seventh place.
Other individual places for the Bucks include 26th place finish for Alexis Bailey, 49th for Shayla Pehrson, and 55th for Amy Lewis.
The boys team ran the state race very similar to all their previous races this year with only 1:18 between the seven runners. Josh Wheeler finished 14th, Soren Welch 19th, Jacob Johnson came home 20th, Curtis Bunker 21st, and Kooper Nielson 25th.
Another success story for Monticello at the event belonged to former Buckaroo runner Adri Bird, who helped snag a fifth-straight state championship for the Springville Red Devils.
Bird battled injuries throughout her running career but passed several runners in the final 250 meters of the state race to end her senior year as the fifth scoring member for the Red Devils.