Blackhawk runners come up short of 2A regionals

By JOHN McCALLUM

Managing Editor

Cheney High cross country coach Derek Slaughter predicted that the 2018 Great Northern League competition for two team slots to regionals would be a three-team race — he just didn’t think West Valley would be one of those teams.

The Eagles used the advantages of a small field of runners and a short course to edge Cheney for second-place — and the district’s No. 2 seed to the regional glue-in meet next Saturday — at District 7 boys competition last Saturday at Clarkston’s Beachview Park. Pullman emerged as district champion, cruising to a 40-49 win over West Valley, with the Blackhawks two points back in third.

In girls competition, the Blackhawks ran well, notching several personal records, but it wasn’t enough to advance as Cheney also finished in third with 71 points, well back of Pullman (37) and district champion West Valley (30).

Slaughter said the difference for the boys came down to Cheney’s and West Valley’s No. 5 scoring runner. While the Blackhawks’ No. 5 Andres Magraf placed five spots and almost 35 seconds ahead of West Valley’s Lain Hyde, the Eagles No. 5 finish was just enough to provide the two extra points — and keep Cheney’s boys team home from further postseason action for the second year in a row.

“Our guys ran fast,” Slaughter said. “Our times were significantly faster than the year before. Unfortunately, our district race is too small (five teams, 35 runners) to have an effect on a slow fifth guy.”

Also factoring into West Valley’s win was the return of one of their better runners from last year, senior Eli Fishburne. Slaughter said Fishburne had been injured at the beginning of the season, and raced sparingly, so was much fresher for Saturday’s race.

Bas Holland led Cheney, finishing fourth overall — behind three Pullman runners — with a time of 15 minutes, 41.33 seconds. Julian Torres was seventh in 16:31.28, with Beckett Schoenleber 11th in 16:43.23, Kyle Peabody 14th in 16:49.27 and Margraf 15th in 16:55.41.

Seniors Tucker Cunningham and Dillon Newbry wrapped up their CHS cross country careers by finishing 25th and 27th in 17:58.59 and 18:16.90. Newbry has typically been running up in the Blackhawks top-five, but Slaughter said he was running with an illness that kept him out of school for at least a day last week.

Slaughter said Cheney’s girls had a similar outcome as the boys, with everyone running fast but not being able to push their pack finish up in the standings to earn needed points. Marion Mager-Reeser was their top places, finishing sixth in 19:29.97.

Ryleigh Bowes was 13th in 20:41.69, Mayah Spakousky 15th in 20:46.62, Camber Moad 17th in 21:02.86 and Alexia Batchelor wrapped up the Blackhawks scoring in 20th in 21:24.06. Anna Richardson was 21st in 21:28.00 and Caelyn Foster 22nd in 21:44.27.

Illness, fresher opponents and a small field less conducive to Cheney’s style aside, Slaughter said the bottom line remained the same.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t make it,” he said. “I hate being penalized for being in a smaller league with faster teams, and Medical Lake (Northeast A) would probably say the same thing.”

Only Holland, Torres and Mager-Reeser move on to regionals next Saturday at Apple Ridge Golf Course in Cowiche against runners from the Central Washington Athletic Conference.

The good news for both Cheney squads is they should return a virtually identical squad next year. There are no seniors in the Blackhawk girls varsity seven, and Slaughter said they should also benefit from the return of one of their top runners last year, Jaela Thornburg, as well as several top eighth-graders coming up.

Torres is the only other senior besides Cunningham and Newbry for the boys, with several junior varsity runners slated to vie for their spots. Slaughter said the girls need to train more as a team in the off season while Cheney’s boys are “fired up” now.

“The team that’s coming back next year is hungry,” he added.

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].