by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
The Thief River Falls boys, girls and middle school cross country teams showed off their depth by winning three of four events during the season-opening Sports Booster Invitational on Thursday, Aug. 28.
“Today was a great day to be a Prowler,” said Thief River Falls Head Coach Natasha Reierson. “The Cross Country team won the Boys Varsity, Girls Varsity and Boys Middle School races at the MEC. The kids battled the heat and did fantastic.”
First up was the two-mile middle school race. Jace Sands crossed the finish line first to help the Thief River Falls boys middle school team take home first place honors. Also placing for the boys middle school team were Connor Esala in eighth place, Paxton Wilson in 13th, AJ Fay in 16th and Milo Thorn in 17th.
The Thief River Falls girls middle school team did not have enough runners to qualify for team awards. Quinn Westerman and Stella Kalash finished sixth and 15th, respectively, in the middle school girls race.
Up next was the girls varsity race. Elory Mossestad led the way early for the Prowlers, but it was Evelyn Griffin who crossed the finish line first with a fourth place finish. Mossestad finished fifth, followed by Livia Harbott in ninth, Paisley Schneider in 13th and Kayla Peterson in 16th, to round out the scorers for the first-place-finishing Prowlers. Lillian Lane, 18th, and Aliyah Novak, 33rd place, also competed for the Thief River Falls girls team.
For the boys team, a familiar face led the way with returning state qualifier Curtis Griffin taking home championship honors. Griffin was nearly two minutes faster than runner-up Tyson McKeever of Warroad.
The rest of the scorers for the Prowler boys team were Colin MacLean in third place, Lincoln Davis in fourth, Toby Sobotta in fifth and Thomas Eidsmoe in sixth.
Also competing for the Prowler boys team were Eli Nelson in ninth, Wyatt Novak in 13th, Dylan Lane in 22nd, Kooper Geiser in 24th, Briley Olsonawski in 25th, Allen Smith in 31st, and Logan Banasau in 32nd.
“Thank you to all who came out to support our Prowler Runners,” Reierson said. “We had numerous administration come out to the MEC today to cheer and encourage, which was awesome. Kayla [Lian] and Josh [Watne] also encouraged their staff to head out to watch the races and it was so great to see so much teacher and staff support for our kids. Our kids are working hard and we look forward to a great season. Thank you all so much for your support always.”
Results
Girls Varsity
• Top 5 – 1. Linnea Harren, Warroad, 21:13.73; 2. Katrina Hitchen, Fertile-Beltrami, 21:58.27; 3. Annie Peterson, West Marshall, 22:09.21; 4. Evelyn Griffin, Thief River Falls, 22:31.16; 5. Elory Mossestad, Thief River Falls, 22:46.12.
• TRF places – 4. Evelyn Griffin 22:31; 5. Elory Mossestad 22:46; 9. Livia Harbott 23:38; 13. Paisley Schneider 24:34; 16. Kayla Peterson 25:14; 18. Lillian Lane 25:49; 33. Aliyah Novak 34:07.
• Team scores – 1. Thief River Falls 44; 2. West Marshall 54; 3.Fertile-Beltrami 56; 4. Warroad 63; Incomplete – Clearbook-Gonvick, Northern Freeze, East Grand Forks, Red Lake County, Bagley/Fosston.
Boys Varsity
• Top 5 – 1. Curtis Griffin, Thief River Falls, 16:46.12; 2. Tyson McKeever, Warroad, 18:35.73; 3. Colin MacLean, Thief River Falls, 18:48.96; 4. Lincoln Davis, Thief River Falls, 19:10.13; 5. Tobias Sobotta, Thief River Falls, 19:38.75.
• TRF places – 1. Curtis Griffin 16:46; 3. Colin MacLean 18:48; 4. Lincoln Davis 19:10; 5. Toby Sobotta 19:38; 6. Thomas Eidsmoe 19:42; 9. Eli Nelson 20:38; 13. Wyatt Novak 21:15; 22. Dylan Lane 23:03; 24. Kooper Geiser 23:30; 25. Briley Olsonawski 23:49; 31. Allen Smith 25:15; 32. Logan Banasau 25:22.
• Team scores – 1. Thief River Falls 19; 2. Warroad 50; 3. Bagley/Fosston 83; 4. Fertile-Beltrami 99; Incomplete – East Grand Forks, Red Lake County, Clearbrook-Gonvick.
Girls Junior High
• TRF places – 6. Quinn Westerman 16:23; 15. Stella Kalash 19:13.
Boys Junior High
• TRF wins boys Middle School Team Championship
• TRF places – 1. Jace Sands 13:20; 8. Connor Esala 14:34; 13. Paxton Wilson 15:35; 16. AJ Fay 16:20; 17. Milo Thorn 16:33.