PR Sports

Strange things happened at the 2009 high school state cross-country championships Saturday in Worley.

Held at Circling Raven Golf Course 25 miles south of Coeur d’Alene, coaches were at odds trying to figure out why the state championships don’t go as predicted when the event is held in northern Idaho.

This year’s meet mirrored events that occurred in 2006, the last time teams traveled north. That year, several runners and teams didn’t finish in their predicted positions. Firth’s Cody Baxter, the Cougars’ No. 5 runner, was the first Cougar to cross the finish line. West Jefferson’s Andra Holdaway ran faster than Laken Skidmore for the first time. And the Firth boys team’s nine-year win streak was broken by a one-two-three Soda Springs finish. What was thought to be predictable turned out to be unpredictable.

With the meet heading north this fall, Firth, which lost only two state meets in the last 13 years, once again lost to Soda Springs. Individuals such as Butte County’s Carly Hansen upset the field in the 2A/1A girls race to finish second as a freshman. It was a fantastic, yet unexpected, accomplishment.

Toward the end of this season, several athletes and teams were hit with bad luck. West Jefferson’s Karrie Olsen was on her way to placing at state again and helping her team earn another state trophy when she suffered a season-ending injury. Butte County’s Korbin Traughber, one of the best young girls talents in the area, battled sickness. Health became a reality as area coaches were trying to survive the season intact.

“I know we had our share of sick kids and so did a lot of other teams,” Firth coach Brett Hill said. “It’s just the way it is some years. But the kids did their best.”

Runners from Teton, Bonneville, Hillcrest, Firth and several other schools battled colds and the flu during district and state competition.

Despite the unpredictable results of a northern meet, area cross-country teams had another successful season.

Seven team trophies made their way home from the meet, including one first, four seconds and two thirds.

Next year, District 5 will be in charge of the state meet. Currently, Soda Springs has offered a bid to host the meet. Some area coaches commented that a race at 6,000 feet in Caribou County is better than a trip north, while other coaches liked the unexpected.

By DAVID ROY
droy@postregister.com