Hundreds of runners from across Saskatchewan competed at the provincial cross-country championships at Table Mountain over the weekend.
Competitors included athletes from the Battlefords and area, the Prince Albert area and northeastern Saskatchewan.
Athletes from the Battle West region were familiar with the course, having competed at Table Mountain near North Battleford for the district championships.
“Our kids knew what to expect,” said Gary Ball, a cross-country coach at North Battleford Comprehensive High School.
Though the course was familiar to runners who competed at Table Mountain for districts, it was still challenging.
“We didn’t go all the way up to the top, but we probably went about halfway up, starting from the bottom,” said Ball.
Ball said one of the organizers described the course as a “great equalizer.”
“There are some of those kids that run cross-country and they run track and they’re so used to running on the flat and they’re trained so hard on that. So they’ve got great endurance. But a hill like that one, it really takes heart to be able to climb it.”
While cross-country is an individual sport, Ball said team camaraderie plays a big role in the runners’ success.
“I know they’re talking and enjoying it at the same time. If there’s a faster one in the group, they push the slower ones to move forward and that sort of thing. I think that camaraderie really shows up in training. On top of that, it’s high school sports. Half the fun is to drive there and the drive back.”
With the season over, Ball said he was happy with the team’s support for one another and the progress of its younger runners.
“We have some great athletes down at the Grade 7 and 8 level. They don’t get to go to provincials. So I talk about us being a team, and we’re a team all the way from Grade 7 to Grade 12. So the Grade 12 kids know the names of the Grade 7 kids and they’re cheering each other on.”
Battlefords and area results:
NBCHS refers to North Battleford Comprehensive High School. DNF means did not finish. Times are listed in minutes and seconds.
Junior boys:
Bentley Barkinson, 37th, 20:12 – NBCHS
Easton Schneider, 54th, 20:53 – NBCHS
Thorin Jedlicka, 74th, 22:50 – Unity
Junior girls:
Anne Prince, 47th, 25:06 – John Paul II
Alexa Goring, 71st, 29:44 – Unity
Bianca Bezuidenhout, 72nd, 30:39 – NBCHS
Jaireda Tootoosis, 73rd, 32:17 – Chief Poundmaker
Intermediate boys:
Xavier Prince, 20th, 12:52 – John Paul II
Yohan Yi, 25th, 13:08 – NBCHS
Younes Beloud, 27th, 13:17 – NBCHS
Cohen Lafrieniere, 42nd, 13:52 – John Paul II
Josh Halladay, 59th, 14:17 – John Paul II
Hudson Charabin, 68th, 15:04 – John Paul II
Nixon Bernier, 69th, 15:05 – NBCHS
Connor Poitras-Wuttunee, 95th, 17:36 – NBCHS
Intermediate girls:
Mila Lapointe, 27th, 15:52 – NBCHS
Cullen Blacklock, 31st, 15:58 – NBCHS
Maeve Silver, 74th, 19:22 – John Paul II
Lara Radchenko, 79th, 19:35 – NBCHS
Aliyah Tootoosis, 95th, 22:26 – Chief Poundmaker
Isabel Shephard, DNF – John Paul II
Senior boys:
Matthew Heidel, 28th, 18:40 – NBCHS
Daygen Oborowsky, 39th, 19:14 – NBCHS
Kyler Domak, 74th, 21:12 – Maymont
Jakob Konopelski, 89th, 22:36 – NBCHS
David Sawatzky, 91st, 22:48 – Cut Knife
Christian Neigum, 97th, 23:09 – Unity
Senior girls:
Emma Harder, 1st, 18:23 – Maymont
Camryn Hummeny, 27th, 22:42 – NBCHS
Katarina Radchenko, 46th, 24:29 – NBCHS
Chantelle Kern, 62nd, 26:07 – NBCHS
Prince Albert results:
Junior boys:
Manzi Manzi, 73rd, 22:43 – PA St Mary
Jacoby Fosseneuve, 78th, 23:13 – PA St Mary
Colton Deperry-Kendal, 83rd, 23:58 – PA St Mary
Feyijimi Kayode, 90th, 28:40 – PA St Mary
Dazton Dillon Carriere, DNF – PA St Mary
Junior girls:
Sophia Walter, 9th, 21:42 – PA Carlton
Jillian Bennington, 51st, 25:15 – PA Carlton
Lydia Bergeron, 52nd, 25:30 – PA Ecole Valois
Eni Dada, 76th, 35:45 – PA St Mary
Mairelle Callanta, 77th, 35:53 – PA St Mary
Anya Coertze, DNF – PA St Mary
Intermediate boys:
Kaz Yando, 79th, 16:08 – PA St Mary
Jaite Bexon, 97th, 18:20 – PA Carlton
Emmanuel Perrault, 98th, 18:36 – PA St Mary
Intermediate girls:
Rowan Arpin, 40th, 16:22 – PA Carlton
Sawyer Murphy, 77th, 19:26 – PA St Mary
Senior boys:
Matthew Quiring, 8th, 16:51 – PA Carlton
Aren Painter, 58th, 20:34 – PA St Mary
Senior girls:
Aurora Isbister, 49th, 24:45 – PA Carlton
Avilia Gaudet, 80th, 30:08 – PA Ecole Valois
Rozelyn Barlow, 94th, 33:00 – PA Ecole Valois
Northeast results:
Junior boys:
Joseph Reyes, 23rd, 19:14 – Tisdale
Yarik Ostapenko, 26th, 19:27 – Tisdale
Grayson Vecchio, 56th, 21:08 – Bjorkdale
Wyatt Spratt, 79th, 23:24 – Melfort
Junior girls:
Autumn Leo, 6th, 21:04 – Melfort
Prairie Beattie-Howe, 29th, 23:56 – Naicam
Aubrie Annand, 36th, 24:19 – Nipawin
Intermediate boys:
Drew Lucas, 23rd, 13:07 – Tisdale
Milo Ernst, 24th, 13:07 – Tisdale
Bentley Vavra, 53rd, 14:02 – Nipawin
Deklan Kehrig, 64th, 14:37 – Bjorkdale
Karston Kehrig, 93rd, 17:31 – Bjorkdale
Intermediate girls:
Maris Dust, 12th, 14:45 – Nipawin
Jordice Selensky, DNF – Bjorkdale
Senior boys:
Kingston Gendall, 11th, 17:05 – Melfort
Tyrel Lacert, 82nd, 21:36 – Choiceland
Anthony Fedorychka, 90th, 22:45 – Melfort
Senior girls:
Callie Cummings, 16th, 21:55 – Nipawin
Tiarrah Hegedus, 48th, 24:56 – Choiceland
Claire Helm, 81st, 30:11 – Northeast Christian Academy
Addison Nichols, 93rd, 32:54 – Melfort
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