HHS Cross Country had a strong showing at the 2A State Cross Country Meet in Pasco, WA today. Junior Grayson Aldridge, the lone qualifier on the girls side, finished 28th (20:07.70) out of a field of 163 runners. Junior Tanner Hood (166:41.60) led the HHS boys team with a 30th place finish. Sophomore Canon Minor's time of 17:19.80 equaled a 6th place finish in the ambulatory division.
One of the big storylines of the day was the Top 10 finish by the HHS Boys Cross Country Team. Skyler Picard (17:09.60), Andrew McGettigan (17:15.00), Houston Young (17:28.10), Braxtyn Mohonen (18:13.10), Zac Nela (18:28.60), Bjorn Lundsgaarde (18:30.00) combined with Hood to earn a team average time of 17:21.5 and a 8th place finish. The boys finished 12th at last year's State Meet.
The 8th place finish was particularly satisfying because it was just 17 seconds behind District Champion Columbia River (6th) and three places above Ridgefield (11th), who edged the Hawks for 2nd place at the District Cross Country Meet.
The HHS Cross Country program has set its sights on becoming one of the top running programs in the state and today's impressive performances at State made a statement that they are serious about achieving that goal.
The season isn't over just yet for HHS Cross Country runners; many are competing in the Nike NXR Northwest Regional Championships in Spokane next weekend.