Cross Country: Wolves remain undefeated after sweeping Bulldogs, Knights

Published 1:31 am Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Even at less-than full strength, these Wolves are tough to beat.

Sequim High’s cross country squads earned a sweep of Bremerton and host North Mason at their second Olympic League meet of the season in Belfair on Sept. 28.

Despite missing No. 2 runner Kiara Pierson, Sequim’s girls (4-0) won handily with 20 team points to North Mason’s 36; Bremerton didn’t have enough runners to qualify for team scores.

Senior Morgan Bingham cruised to medalist honors with a 20:50 finish to lead the girls while Ash Francis posted a 16:58 time to lead Sequim’s boys (4-0), who finished 1-2 and 3-5 to dominate in team points (18, to North Mason’s 49 and Bremerton’s 59).

“Ash Francis and Morgan Bingham were amazing as usual; the coach for North Mason said he hasn’t ever seen faster times on his course,” Sequim head coach Michael Cobb said. “The course is really tough — not user-friendly — with lots of roots, ruts, rocks and nasty terrain.”

“Noelle Bittner stepped up her game,” Cobb said, noting Bittner’s No. 2 finish in 23:01. Teammates Kaitlyn Viada (24:08), Vita Olson (24:58) and Emily Silva (27:03) placed fourth, fifth and ninth, respectively.

Murray Bingham had a “killer kick” in the last 400 meters to edge Bremerton senior Jacob Burton for second place in the boys race, Cobb said, with Bingham clocking in at 17:23, five seconds ahead of the Knights’ top runner.

Sequim’s Alec Shingleton was fourth at 18:53, Liam Byrne was fifth (19:05) and Jazen Bartee placed sixth (19:09).

Sequim’s boys placed second behind North Mason, with freshman Evan Hatt placing second overall in 21:50.

“Evan had his strongest race yet this year,” Cobb said.

Brenton Dryke was third while teammates Silas Isenberger, Christian Goodrich and Carson Holt placed 7-9.

“Our first real test will be against Port Angeles,” Cobb said.

That test comes Oct. 5, when Sequim hosts its lone home meet of the season against the Roughriders and Klahowya at Robin Hill County Park.

The Wolves are at Kingston on Oct. 12 to take on the Buccaneers and North Kitsap Vikings in their final tuneup before the Olympic League championships, set for Oct. 20 at Sequim’s The Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course.

Boys 11th, girls 27th at Curtis Invite

Sequim runners battled some of the area’s top competition with runners from schools of multiple classifications at the Curtis Invite in University Place on Oct. 1.

Sequim’s boys placed 11th out of 41 teams. Francis paced the Sequim boys in the first varsity race with 11th overall, completing the 5,000-meter course at Chambers Creek in 16:44. Murray Bingham placed 19th in the same race with a time of 17:07 while Shingleton was 59th in 17:47 and Liam Byrne 96th in 18:25.

In the boys’ second varsity race — the Curtis meet placed each team’s top four varsity in one race and second four in another — Bartee clocked in at 49th in 18:48, followed by Jakob Pyeatt (118th, 20:01), Kyle Klopfenstein (146th, 20:52) and Hatt (162nd, 22:57).

Sequim’s girls were without senior Morgan Bingham, who was back in Sequim taking a college entrance exam, and wound up 27th outs of 34 teams.

SHS’s Pierson led the way with a 42nd-place finish out of 150 runners in the first varsity race, finishing in 20:55. Backing her were Bittner (96th, 22:33), Olson (121st, 23:17) and Viada (126th, 23:42).

In the second girls’ varsity race, Silva placed 104th out of 130 runners with a 26:15 finish, Madeline Henderson was 118th (27:05) and Telicia Busby was 129th (31:03).

Sequim’s junior varsity team was 29th out of 38 teams and the open junior varsity team was 21st out of 26 teams.

“We’re a young team but getting stronger by the day,” Cobb said.