Manchester freshman Mariah Gadd placed second overall in the high school girls race at last Week’s Dog Pack Challenge with a time of 22:40.7. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
With a time of 19:13.2, Peebles senior Grady Myers placed sixth overall in the high school boys race at the September 9 Dog Pack Challenge, hosted by Manchester High School. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
Cross-Country action came to Manchester High School on September 9 as the Greyhounds hosted their annual Dog Pack Challenge races. Besides the host, teams from Eastern Brown, Wheelersburg, Ripley, Peebles, Fairfield and North Adams gathered for a series of elementary, junior high and high school races on a bright and sunny day.
In the junior high girls race (35 runners), the winner was Fairfield’s Elliana Reeves with a time of 14:13.1 with the highest Adams County finisher being North Adams eighth grader Haylee Wheeler, who was third with her time of 15:07.4. North Adams seventh grader Kendall Geeslin also medaled in the race by placing fifth in a time of 15:35.2 as did teammate and seventh grader Ellie Armstrong who was ninth at 16:24.0. North Adams eighth grader Jenna Work earned a medal by placing 11th overall with a time of 16:59.7. The final medalist from the county was Peebles seventh grader Dayla Vogler who was 14th in a time of 17:12.7.
The team champion for junior high girls was North Adams with their total score of 32, outdistancing second place Georgetown (42).
The junior high boys race featured 41 runners and the highest finisher from the county and only medal;sit was Manchester seventh grader Lucas Applegate who placed 14th overall with his time of 14:52.0. Just out of the medalist honors was Manchester seventh grade Konner Mitchell , who finished in 17th place (15:15.3). The individual champion for junior high boys was Fairfield’s Owen Vandyke (12:15.2) and the team title went to Fairfield.
The champion of the high school girls race (24 runners) was Wheelersburg sophomore Callie Dehart with a time of 22:05.4 with Manchester grabbing the next two spots- freshman Mariah Gadd second at 22:40.7 and sophomore Leotie Carman third at 23:53.0. Fifth place and a medal went to North Adams junior Emma Thatcher (25:09.3) and crossing the finish in sixth place was Manchester junior Ariel Boldman (26:13.9). Coming in 10th place was North Adams freshman Trinity Bosko with her time of 26:53.0, with Manchester junior Maddie Napier 12th with her finish of 27:38.7.
The team championship for the high school girls went to Wheelersburg(33) with North Adams coming in second (38).
The high school boys race was dominated by the hosts, with Manchester taking the team trophy and having the top individual runner in a field of 40 competitors. Greyhounds senior Ryan Butcher-Raines was the high school boys champion, pacing the field with a time of 18:03.2 while teammate Kaden Hazelwood was fifth with a time of 18:51.5. Coming across the finish line in sixth place was Peebles senior Grady Myers (19:13.2) and right behind in seventh was Manchester senior Ryan Mack (19:24.5).
Rounding out the high school boys medalists was Manchester senior Landon Doyle in 10th place (20:25.5) as the Greyhounds claimed the team trophy with a combined score of 36 with Wheelersburg second at 42.
Local cross-country fans can now mark their calendars for the annual West Union Invitational, which will take place on October 5.
