PASCO — At the end of the cross country season, teams contending for a state trophy hope everything aligns for just one day.
The Skyview boys didn’t have their best day Saturday at the WIAA State Cross Country Championship. But it was still good enough for a trophy.
With at least half its team battling illness over the past week, Skyview finished fourth in a Class 4A boys team race where just 16 points separated the top four teams at Sun Willows Golf Course.
Gig Harbor won with 122 points followed by Eisenhower (126), Tahoma (127) and Skyview (138).
Skyview had state-title hopes after dominating the district meet Oct. 24. But most of its runners weren’t at their best Saturday in a bunched-up race where being slightly slower than usual can make a big difference in team points.
“It was a gutsy day on their part,” Skyview coach Chris Erdman said. “The seniors felt really bad about it. They felt that it wasn’t their race and that they probably let the team down. But to get a trophy, I’m happy for them.”
Skyview sophomore Chanse Gilbert was at his best, finishing seventh in 15:35.
Behind Gilbert, Mason Scheidel was 23rd in 16:00. Kaden Harbertson finished 34th, Zeke Oien 40th and Ethan Bauer 95th to round out the scorers.
Gilbert stayed near the front in a race where nobody took control until the final stretch. Aaron Roe of Henry Jackson High had the best kick, winning in 15:15.
“I felt like I had to keep passing somebody everywhere I was running,” Gilbert said. “With about a half-mile to go, I felt like I was in a really good position.”
Camas senior Said Guermali, who outkicked Gilbert to win the district meet, placed 10th in 15:38.
In the Class 3A race, Columbia River district champion Austin Blankenship finished 16th in 15:51. It was an improvement of six seconds and four places over his state finish last year.
Ridgefield had the fastest local 2A finisher in sophomore Silas Griffith, who placed 16th in 16:18.
