PASCO — With two runners in the top three, the East Jefferson girls cross country team finished in the top 10 for the second straight year, finishing ninth as a team at the state 1A championships held at Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco.
East Jefferson’s Aaliyah Cassidy Yearian and Fiona Fraser were a strong one-two punch for the Rivals, as they have been all year. Yearian finished second in the state with a time of 18 minutes, 38.8 seconds, while Fraser was right behind at third at 18:39.1. The state champion was Jane Roloff of Hoquiam with a time of 18:28.
The Rivals’ Sylvia Butterfield was 102nd (22:31.1), Leah Ferland 107th (22:41.1), Tadu Dollarhide 111th (22:46.9), Michael Gregg 123rd (23:14.7) and Hilina Taylor-Lenz 145th (25:16.2).
East Jefferson finished with 223 team points. The state champion was Lakeside (Nine Mile) with 128 points — cross country is like golf as lower scores are better.
Last year, the East Jefferson girls finished sixth.
East Jefferson also finished 11th among the boys. Soare Johnston was 42nd (17:24.9), Joshua Yearian 86th (18:06.9), Noah Isenberg 91st (18:08.6), Indigo Gould 105th (18:16.9), Henri Huber 113th (18:26.6), Dustin Hines 124th (18:40.8) and Silas Klontz (157th).
The East Jefferson boys finished with 262 points. Cedar Park Christian of Bothell won with 68 points.
PA, Sequim, Forks
Port Angeles and Sequim did not have full teams but had four runners at the state 2A race.
Colby Ellefson of Sequim had the top area finish, coming in 27th (16:37.2), while Port Angeles’ Tymur Lytvak was 109th (18:13.1).
For the girls, Port Angeles’ Leia Larson was 56th (20:58.0) and Sequim’s Kaitlyn Bloomenrader was 61st (21:07.3).
In the 1B/2B boys race, Jesus Garcia of Forks was 127th (20:02.4).
