It’s a youth movement for the Sequim’s girls cross country team, who got a big, mid-season boost from a cadre of sixth grade runners.

After Sequim School Board directors approved eligibility of athletes in the middle school’s youngest grade, the Timberwolves raced to an Olympic League title at the league finals at Lincoln Park in Port Angeles on Oct. 18.

Sixth-grader Eleanor Jones and Emme Henrikson ran away from the field to take first and second place and led the Timberwolves to a league win with 23 points, out-pacing Stevens (43) and Forks 65).

Jones finished the 3,200-meter course a in 12:50.9, with Henrikson second in 13:59.5.

Sequim eighth-graders Ruby Moxley-Horgan (16:16.3) and Audrey Cabaga (16:39.8) and sixth-grader Amara Buggy (16:49) placed seventh, ninth and 10th, respectively.

Sequim’s girls were unable to field a team to score — squads need a minimum of five finishers — for much of the early season, taking second place in an Oct. 4 league meet in in Sequim in their first meet with sixth-graders, and first place the following week in Port Townsend.

At the league final, Sequim’s boys were third in team scoring behind Blue Heron of Port Townsend (33) and Stevens (36). SMS eighth-grader Westley French was fourth overall with a 12:55.67 finish; teammate Patrick Ross was eighth (13:49.9) and Johnathan Tipton, also an eighth-grader, was 11th (14:03.5).