The boys’ cross country team beat Petersburg to become the region V champs. They’ll defend their state title in Anchorage on Oct. 9.
The girls and boys cross country teams won the regional meet in Ketchikan on Oct. 2-marking the win as the third consecutive regional championship for the girls’ team and the second for the boys. Both teams will be defending their state titles on Oct. 9 at Bartlett High School in Anchorage.
Freshman Ari’el Godinez-Long led the girls to the finish line and placed first overall with an unofficial time of 17:59.
“(In Ketchikan), I got to run on one of the most optimal courses a runner could ask for,” said Godinez-Long. “I felt like I was flying during my race, and I was really grateful that we had such a beautiful scene to look at while running.”
All seven of the Haines girls placed in the top 15 to qualify individually. Klawock, the second- place team, finished 34 points behind Haines.
The course consisted of a steady uphill loop, followed by a loop around Ward Lake. The girls turned around too early on the first loop. Officials moved back the finish line to compensate for this mistake, but it has not been determined if they moved the finish line back far enough. The distance of the girls’ race is currently undetermined and all times are unofficial.
Junior Luke Davis finished second behind Petersburg’s Uriah Lucas with a time of 17:48. Davis was battling a knee injury the week before regionals. Coach Jordan Baumgartner had Davis aqua-jog to reduce impact in his knee.
Davis said he is ready to win state. “I didn’t do the best individually,” said Davis, “but the team performed very well at regionals. It’s exciting to have another week of training and one more race this season with the awesome team we have this year. I’m excited for the team to compete at state.”
The Haines teams ran strong as packs. Senior Avery Williamson and junior Grace Long-Godinez worked together for the first mile to pass a group of Klawock and Petersburg runners. Juniors Avari Getchell and Mackenzy Dryden ran together and finished within one second of each other.
Senior Kaleb Jones and sophomore Leo Wald passed the halfway mark in the race as a duo. Wald pushed past Jones and finished fourth overall with a time of 17:55.
Juniors Eric Gillham and Galen Allen also ran together for the first half of the race. The boys finished within eight seconds of each other and both ran personal bests.
The boys beat Petersburg, the second-place team, by eight points. The boys competed with only six runners. When leaving for Ketchikan on Oct. 1, Baumgartner and Athletic Director Lynzee Swinton were informed that an athlete was identified as a close-contact. The athlete was separated from the group and did not travel to Ketchikan. The athlete and assistant coach Hannah Clark traveled back to Haines on Oct. 3.
The teams encountered rain, wind, hail, and thunder and lightning during their races. Alaska Weather Underground recorded 12 mph winds and a temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit during the races.
Principal Lilly Boron said the athletes made the community proud by running through such harsh weather. She said the circumstances proved how tough the cross-country team is.