ENGLISH VALLEYS

Continuing to surge in her sophomore year, Hillcrest’s Marie Yoder (No. 11 in 1A) put on a first-place worthy performance at the English Valleys cross country invitational on Sept. 17. 

Taking an early lead and maintaining it the whole way through, Yoder dashed through the many hills of the Knoll Ridge course at an impressive pace to cross the finish over one minute faster than the runner-up. 

Yoder completed the course with a time of 20:57 in a field of 49 finishers and this marks the second straight race where she placed first overall. 

As a team the Hillcrest girls placed second with a score of 50. First place went to the host school, English Valleys who had a team score of 32. 

Also running a strong race and procuring a top 10 finish for Hillcrest was Siena Stanerson, finishing the course in 23:19 to place 9th. The next Raven to reach the finish was Rya Scott, placing 16th in 28:30.

The last two Raven runners to contribute to the team score was Delaney Shaw and Brynna O’Rourke. Shaw, a senior, finished in 28:30 to place 25th and O’Rourke, a sophomore, placed 27th in 29:33.  

In the boys race, the senior Raven duo Micah Gerber and Jesse Blossom led Hillcrest by placing within the top 15. 

Gerber’s time of 20:23 placed him 12th while Blossom captured 15th place with a time of 20:49. Winning the boys race was English Valley’s Gage Heyne, with a time of 17:29. Heyne held a comfortable lead throughout the entire race and was the only runner to post a time under 18 minutes. 

The Ravens placed fourth in the team standing with a score of 96. Durant placed first (59), and English Valleys was the runner-up (80). 

Coming with the next best finish for Hillcrest was Isaac Beachy who completed the course in 21:36 to place 22nd. The next Raven runner to become acquainted with the finish line at Knoll Ridge was Braden Hartsock, placing 34th in 23:48.

For Jeremiah Danker, a senior, this was his best race of the season, placing 39th in 24:01. Rounding out the Raven finishes, Mateo Rodriguez-Yoder placed 47th in 24:37 and Kyle Neuschwander placed 51st in 26:17.  

Lone Tree results 

The Lady Lions brought six to race at English Valleys and as a team they placed fourth with an overall score of 76.  

It was a 17th place finish for Vivian Zaruba to lead Lone Tree on the day. The senior ended with a time of 24:44 to earn a top 20 finish. Just finishing outside the top 20 was teammate Addyson Eiben. Eiben continues to impress in her freshman season, placing 21st in 25:23.

Continuing to put up quality performances in her first year of cross country, junior Ava Christofferson placed 23rd in 27:43. Following in her teammate’s footsteps, Jazmine Nino crossed the finish in 29:07 to place 26th. 

The Last two Lady Lions to reach the finish were sophomore Abigail Zaruba (placing 30th in 30:22) and freshman Evelyn Mueller (placing 47th in 38:00). 

The lone representative for Lone Tree in the boys race was Brock Nebergall. The sophomore ran an impressive race, finishing with a time of 20:29 to place 13th. 

Highland results 

Leading the Huskies on the day in the boys race with a team best finish of 48th was Brayden Zywiec. The junior ran a steady race despite the heat and the hills and completed the course in 25:08. 

Fellow juniors Chase Hickenbottom and Jack Krotz round out the Highland finishers at English Valleys. Hickenbottom captured a 52nd finish in 26:25 and not too far behind was Krotz, ending with a time of 26:34 to place 54th. 

In the girls race the Huskies were represented by Olivia Edwards. The senior runner cleared the course with a time of 34:10 to place 41st. 

Girls Results 

1. Marie Yoder, Hillcrest, 20:57

9. Siena Stanerson, Hillcrest, 23:19

16. Rya Scott, Hillcrest, 24:26

17. Vivian Zaruba, Lone Tree, 24:44

21. Addyson Eiben, Lone Tree, 25:23

23. Ava Christofferson, Lone Tree, 27:43

25. Delaney Shaw, Hillcrest, 28:30

26. Jazmine Nino, Lone Tree, 29:07

27. Brynna O’Rourke, Hillcrest, 29:33

30. Abigail Zaruba, Lone Tree, 30:22

41. Olivia Edwards, Highland, 34:10

47. Evelyn Mueller, Lone Tree, 38:00

Boys Results 

1. Gage Heyne, English Valleys, 17:29

12. Micah Gerber, Hillcrest, 20:23

13. Brock Nebergall, Lone Tree, 20:29

15. Jesse Blossom, Hillcrest, 20:29

22. Isaac Beachy, Hillcrest, 21:36

34. Braden Hartsock, Hillcrest, 23:48

39. Jeremiah Danker, Hillcrest, 24:01

47. Mateo Rodriguez-Yoder, Hillcrest, 24:37

48. Brayden Zywiec, Highland, 25:08

51. Kyle Neuschwander, Hillcrest, 26:17

52. Chase Hickenbottom, Highland, 26:25

54. Jack Krotz, Highland, 26:34