Valley runners ready for state XC meet

WASILLA — Heading into the Region III Championships, the Wasilla Warriors boys’ team was on a mission to take down perennial power Kodiak in the team standings.

The Warriors fell short of that goal, finishing second to the Bears in the region. But Wasilla head coach Leslie Varys hopes the runner-up finish at regions will help fuel the Warriors when they compete in the ASAA/First National Bank State Cross-Country Running Championships Saturday at Bartlett High in Anchorage.

“They’re going to state pretty hungry, I think,” Varys said by cellphone after the region meet. “They’re disappointed (about the region finish), but I definitely know it’s not going to bring them down.”

Kodiak, Wasilla and Kenai earned automatic bids to state with top-3 finishes in the Region III team standings. The 4A boys’ field will also include the likes of South, West and West Valley. South edged West by only two points to win the Region IV boys’ team title.

“It’s not going to be an easy race,” Varys said.

Wasilla has had its share of success this season, winning team titles at the Bartlett, Colony, Palmer and Seward meets. Wasilla beat South, West Valley and West to win the Palmer Invite.

“It’s a confidence builder for us,” Varys said of the Warriors knowing they have already beaten some of the top teams in the state this season.

In the region meet, Quincy Fuller led the Warriors with a time of 17:41, and a sixth-place finish. Justin Gentz was ninth at 17:49.

Wasilla is one of a pair of Valley teams to earn automatic bids to state. Colony won a Region III title on the girls side.

The Colony Knights placed five runners in the top 16 of the 4A girls’ standings Saturday afternoon. But as it turned out, Colony’s sixth runner, M.E. Meyerhofer, posted the biggest finish for her team.

Meyerhofer used her 19th-place finish to help Colony cement the girls’ team title during the Region III Cross-Country Running Championships in Kodiak.

Jill Bowker, Alex Mathis, Cathelyne Powers, Elisabeth Bowker and Colleen Geraghty each placed in the top 16 of the race. But that left Colony with 50 points, tied with Soldotna for first place in the team standings. To settle a tie, officials look to the teams’ sixth runner. Meyerhofer was 19th, with her time of 22 minutes and 5 seconds. Colony’s seventh runner, Emily Werner, finished 23rd.

“M.E.’s performance just shows how important those sixth and seventh runners can be, and that you always have to be prepared to give your full effort during the race, regardless of where you are in the pack,” Colony head coach Rhonda Knopp said by email over the weekend. “We placed well because each one of those girls gave their very best effort and ran smart. It really was a team effort. I am very proud.”

Bowker finished third overall for the Knights. The freshman posted a time of 20:04. Bowker was 12 seconds of the pace of runner-up Olivia Hutchings of Soldotna. Kenai standout Allie Ostrander won her fourth straight Region III title with a time of 17:48.

Mathis finished just behind Bowker, clocking a time of 20:14. Powers and Elisabeth Bowker also recorded back-to-back finishes, placing 13th and 14th. Powers had a time of 21:23, eight seconds ahead of Bowker. Geraghty finished at the 21:35 mark.

Knopp was named the Region III 4A Coach of the Year.

A handful of runners also qualified individually for state. Palmer’s Ruby Woodings and Wasilla’s Riley Burroughs both qualified with eighth- and nine-place finishes, respectively, in the Region III girls’ race. Colony’s Tracen Knopp ( 11th) and Dakota Peterson-Thompson (15th) qualified, and will run in the boys’ 4A race.

Andrew Spencer will represent the Houston Hawks, and will run in the boys’ 123A race.

Action starts Saturday at noon at Bartlett with the girls’ 123A race. The 4A girls race is at 12:45 p.m., and is followed by the boys’ 123A race (1:30 p.m.) and boys’ 4A race (2:15 p.m.)