Cross country team runs well

Mountain Home High School cross country coach Doug Root took his high school and junior high cross country teams to Saturday's Bob Firman Invitational Cross Country Meet at Eagle Island State Park where the Mountain Home runners all ran good races.

"It was a very good day," said Coach Root. "The kids ran very, very well, the weather was beautiful. Most of the kids ran PRs, or if they didn't, they ran very. very close to their personal bests, so I was very pleased with their performances.

Coach Root ran all but his freshman girls in the JV competition, where they placed 13th out of 14 teams. Alley Howe was the first Mountain Home runner to place. She came in at the number 58 spot, out of 159 runners. Howe ran a new PR with her 24:08.

Jessi Cameron ran a 24:10, Kelci Robinson ran a 26:12, Piper Coffin ran a 26:54, and Sarah Hyde ran a 30:39.

In the freshman girls race, Jessie Furst finished second out of 59 with a new personal best of 21:19. Jennica Quintal set a new PR with her time of 26:24, and Cindy Blacklock smashed her old PR of 31:06 with a time of 29:26.

Coach Root ran his boys in the junior varsity meet, where they finished 16th out of 20 teams.

Brett Kohring shaved 19 seconds off his PR with his 20:46. Matt Bernyk's 20:50 was also a new PR. Nico Pinque bettered his career PR by 15 seconds with a time of 21:30.

Mountain Home also competed in the junior high competition, with the Mountain Home girls finishing fourth out of seven teams.

Sarah Richins led the Mountain Home girls coming in at the number eight spot out of 105 runners. Other runners for Mountain Home and their places were: Kacee Cameron, 15; Amanda Brown, 38; Shelby McHugh, 41; MacKenzie Dorr, 44; Tiana Seetacpich, 60; Morgan McCune, 65, and Katherine Gustafson, 76.

The Mountain Home boys finished fourth out of nine teams in the boys junior high competition.

Dillon Johnson led the way, coming in at the number 16 spot out of 121. Other Mountain Home runners and their places were: Jalen Gibbons, 29; Robert Pack, 38; Deryk Barr, 49; Tyler Bonafe, 59; Ben Cumber 72; Tyson Gibbons, 73; Nick Cruz, 81, and Blake Pachner, 89.

This week the Tigers will be at Jerome for a Thursday meet, as Saturday's McCall meet was cancelled.

"It (the McCall meet cancellation) frees up our kids to be here for Homecoming for the first time in several years," said Coach Root, " as they always seem to have Homecoming on the same week we go to McCall, so the kids are excited about that."

The Tigers will be at a cross country meet hosted by Rimrock at Strike Dam on Oct. 5, go to Gooding for a meet on Oct. 10, and host the Mountain Home Invitational on Oct. 12.

Root also said Mountain Home will be hosting the 4A District III cross country meet this year on Oct. 19.