Greater Spokane League remains at top in boys cross country

You rarely spot a Central Valley boys cross country runner by himself.

That’s especially true at a meet.

When it comes to running overland, these Bears are definitely pack animals.

Central Valley has grown into a perennial cross country powerhouse and the Bears placed second at last year’s state Class 4A championship meet.

Now a junior, Ryan Kline cracked the Top 10 for the Bears at state, placing ninth and covering the 5K state course in 15 minutes, 50.5 seconds. Senior Gabe Romney placed 12th, junior Evan Peters 18th, junior Joey Nicholls 30th and senior Fielding Demars 36th. Seamus Mahoney, now a junior, was 50th.

The lone member of last year’s state meet squad not returning, Ryan Hunter, placed 43rd – the sixth CV runner to cross.

Just 40 seconds separated Kline and Demars, the fifth CV finisher – a very tight spread for a state meet team.

However, Bellarmine Prep managed a tighter pack and claimed the state title. Five Bellarmine Prep harriers finished among the Top 20 in the team portion of the meet.

So, Central Valley has tightened it up.

In July coach Kieran Mahoney said his team was already ahead of where it was at that time a year earlier and was primed for a stellar season.

Oh, and the Bears had the best junior varsity squad in the league a year ago.

The first cross country poll by state’s coaches is still a way off, but don’t be surprised to see Central Valley sitting atop the list when it’s released.

Greater Spokane League boys cross country is arguably the toughest high school league in the country in any sport. Not only did it boast the second-place finisher in the 4A meet, North Central captured its 11th consecutive Class 3A crown.

Ferris placed fourth a year ago in the Class 4A meet, led by Amir Ado in his final high school race. Now seniors, Todd Bloom and Jacob Stirpe are the top finishers to return. Bloom was the second Saxon to cross the finish line; Stirpe was the third.

Turlan Morlan of Gonzaga Prep is also a returning state meet veteran.

The Lewis and Clark girls placed fifth at last year’s Class 4A girls meet and the Tigers are poised to improve on that finish with five of their seven state runners back led by Katie Thronson, who finished second with a time of 17:53.7.

Also back for the Tigers are Abby Smith, Kenzie Gaines and Madeline Pincock.

The CV girls placed fourth at state a year ago and must replace the graduated Kearan Nelson, the team’s lead runner a year ago and the third-place finisher at last year’s state meet.

Twins Erica and Anna Pecha placed 24th and 29th, respectively, and are the top returning state veterans along with sophomore Olivia Sine.

Mead’s Hannah Barone ran 18:52 at state and placed 13th overall as a junior. Gonzaga Prep sophomore Leah Carney ran 19:48.3 in her state debut.

University has a new coach in Michael Connelly, who had been the assistant coach the past three seasons. He returns state veterans Claire Dingus and Rebecca Lehman.

West Valley’s Jacob Nicholson placed seventh in last year’s Class 2A boys final, running 16:08.4 in his final official high school race. Teammate Cody Skay ran 16:22.1 to crack the Top 10 as a junior and returns to lead the Eagles.

For Skay, that state mark met a personal goal. His father, Tracy Skay, ran his personal best time at state as a West Valley runner, turning in a 16:25. His son wanted to beat dad’s PR.

Hunter Reynolds ran 17:06.2 at state last year for East Valley and returns for his senior season. Teammate Will Sharp ran 17:23.3 last year as a sophomore.

The West Valley girls returned to state last year and placed seventh, with three freshmen, Emma Garza, Mikayla Davis and Annika Esvelt leading the effort. Sophomores Sydney Stone and Sarah Adamson completed the scoring for the Eagles.