Hawks hit the trail

The Thompson Falls cross country team was back in competition last weekend as they traveled to Deer Lodge on Saturday to run at the Grant Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site. Coach Sarah Naegeli said the team lucked out and had a cooler, cloudier day, perfect for running.

"We had great first races for our returning runners," Naegeli said, adding that Blue Hawks Mollie Nichols and Cael Thilmony were at the front of the pack from the start of the race. "They've been putting in the miles all summer, and it shows both mentally and physically," the coach added.

Nichols finished third among the girls varsity runners in 23 minutes, 17 seconds. Faith Palmer was fourth in 24:00. Thilmony finished seventh overall among the boys in 19:21. Also running for the boys Thompson Falls varsity were JT Taylor (21:37, Alek Sweeden (24:07), Wesley Powers (25:34) and Blake Schusterman (25:41). Kellyn Carr competed for the Thompson Falls JV girls, finishing second in 28:44, and Maika Hammer finished sixth among JV boys in 26:24.

Plains Coach Jesse Jermyn said his team did not have enough practices to compete last weekend in Deer Lodge, but his team is excited and ready for competition this week. The four girls and three boys on the Plains cross country team will see their first competition Friday at the Missoula Coaches Invitational.