South Whidbey boys run home with bi-district title / Cross country

By Jim Waller • November 4, 2019 1:30 am

A week after collecting the North Sound Conference championship, the South Whidbey High School boys cross country team, running on its home course, added the bi-district title to its growing collection of trophies Saturday, Nov. 2.

The Falcon girls took fifth, and, like the boys, qualified for the state meet as a team. The first four boys teams, first five girls teams, the first 28 boys and the first 35 girls earned state berths.

The state meet is Saturday, Nov. 9, at Pasco’s Sun Willows Golf Course. The 1A girls race begins at 10:30 a.m. and the boys at noon.

The South Whidbey boys are looking to collect the trifecta of 2019 postseason titles by winning the state meet. The Falcons took 11th at state last year, one spot better than the girls.

South Whidbey has a long history of success at state, including winning the boys title in 2000. The girls have finished second seven times.

The Falcon boys rolled to the bi-district title, placing five runners among the top 14 for 49 points; Northwest was a distant second at 93.

Senior Michael Harwell was sixth out of 109, running the 5,000-meter course in 17:06.06. He was followed by a pack of juniors: Thomas Simms took eighth (17:20.21), Aidan Donnelly 10th (17:20.89), Cooper Ullmann 12th (17:28.59), Reilly McVay 14th (17:35.13), Aidan O’Brien 29th (18:11.81) and Trent Hogarth 40th (18:31.1)

Isaac Cortes of Granite Falls won the boys race in 16:38.53.

Falcon junior Kaia Swegler Richmond was second out of 98 in the girls race in 19:32.6, trailing defending state champion Naomi Smith of King’s (18:08.54).

Smith helped King’s nip Northwest 89-91 for the girls title; South Whidbey scored 126.

Grace Huffman was the next Falcon across the line, taking 28th (22:00.87). Flannery Friedman was 33rd (22:07.34), Jasmin Graner 35th (22:08.14), Natalie Rodriguez 36th (22:08.32), Laila Gmerek 53rd (23:13.99) and Lara Napoli 87th (26:36.13).

Friedman is a senior; the others are juniors.