STATE CROSS COUNTRY: A great day to be a champ

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

LEWISTON — “Never, in a million years.”

Fortunately for Post Falls senior Annastasia Peters, that wait didn’t last that long.

Peters won the state 5A girls cross country race in 16 minutes, 56.07 seconds at the Lewis-Clark State Course at Lewiston Orchards on Saturday morning, becoming the first Trojan female to win an individual cross country title.

“I’m still kind of in disbelief,” said Peters, who was third last year. “I knew I had the potential to race. Any girl out here has the potential to become a state champion and I admire all of them that came out. Cross country is a tough sport and I love the atmosphere and the girls. It won’t set in for a while. Never in a million years. From my freshman year to now, putting in all that hard work really paid off.”

After a breakthrough 2021 season that saw Coeur d’Alene Charter’s McKenna Kozeluh win a state 3A title as a junior, keeping her mind on the next one got tough after taking an early lead and never giving it back for a second straight individual title.

“This one was more of a mental challenge than last year,” Kozeluh said. “I didn’t have anyone in front of me, but it was tougher to keep the pace and my mind on the goal. Overall it was a good race and I was glad to come out and compete with an amazing team.”

After finishing ninth at state as a sophomore, Timberlake's Jacob Barnhart took it personal.

No, he wasn’t mad about anything, he just got back to work.

On Saturday, Barnhart became the third Timberlake boy to win a state title, winning in 15:47.56.

“I just knew I had to keep going and keep a hard work ethic,” Barnhart said. “I knew there was a pack right behind me, but knew I had a better finish than them.”

State medalists honors were given to the top 20 finishers in each classification.

5A: For Peters, who is still undecided on her future plans, the goal Saturday was simple.

Enjoy herself, no matter what.

“Coming out racing this year, I just told myself to have fun, be happy,” Peters said. “This is fun and shouldn’t be something that’s painful. This should be fun and this is what I love to do and this should be my mentality.”

“Nervousness has always been a part of it for her, but she’s learned how to handle it,” Post Falls coach Brian Trefry said. “I think she’s grown in her ability to control her thoughts and ability really well. Her preparation for today was outstanding during preseason, the year and she’d learned so much over the last three years. She really understood what she needed to do to get there.”

“I think I just told myself that I was going to have fun,” Peters said. “You came here to have fun, you want this and from the start of the year, I wanted to have fun.”

Peters’ one goal for the day was coming in under 17 minutes, something she did with flying colors.

“It just kind of shows how great of a team and coaching staff we have,” Peters said. “I’ve progressed so much over the last few years. It really means a lot and shows that if you put in the work, there’s no boundaries in your sport and you can get it.”

Coeur d’Alene freshman Olivia May was fifth in her first state meet in 17:59.16.

“I just came out and had a goal to get fifth,” May said. “I just kept looking forward to that, wanted to get a PR and a sub-18, so I was really excited about that.”

After a seventh-place finish in 2021 at Eagle Island State Park, Coeur d’Alene’s boys finished third behind sophomore Max Cervi-Skinner and junior Lachlan May, who were third and fourth respectively.

“We’ve been training and working hard year-round for this,” Cervi-Skinner said. “If you’re not mentally tough, you’re not going to push through the finish line. We all worked really hard and there’s more to come for next year. We’re not going to back off.”

May agreed.

“I trained a lot more this year,” Lachlan May said. “I think that camaraderie really pushed us together this year.”

Coeur d’Alene sophomore Zack Cervi-Skinner (11th) and junior Jacob King (13th) and Lake City sophomore Hazel Kunkel (20th) were also medalists.

“It all comes down to the offseason,” Coeur d’Alene coach Cathy Compton said. “They do the work and want to do it. They work as a unit, hold each other accountable and it’s an amazing group of kids. There’s not a senior in the bunch, so that’s good stuff going forward.”

Rocky Mountain won its second straight boys title, as did Boise's girls.

4A: Sandpoint senior Maren Davidson was the top area finisher, taking 16th in the girls race for the Bulldogs, who finished sixth.

Sandpoint’s boys were 10th out of 14 teams.

Bishop Kelly (boys) and Preston (girls) won team titles.

Idaho Falls junior Nelah Roberts (girls) and Blackfoot senior Matthew Thomas (boys) won individual titles. It was Roberts' second straight win.

It was the season consecutive team title for Preston's girls.

3A: Barnhart joins Frank Lagrimanta (2005, 2006) and Logan Hunt (2019) as state champions at Timberlake.

“It feels pretty good,” Barnhart said. “Rewarding. When I started, I got out front and that last 200 meters, I knew I had it.”

Timberlake coach Shawn Lawler did as well.

“I really believe that he’s got that belief in himself that he can finish stronger than anybody else,” Lawler said. “His ability to be tough in the middle of the race. And he’s seen these guys throughout the year a couple of times. They know him, and he knows them and he used that to his advantage. He’s got great finishing speed and showed it today.”

Timberlake’s boys were fourth, winning in a tiebreaker over South Fremont.

“It was definitely a team effort,” Lawler said. “Obviously Jacob brought us home there, but if you look at our guys. Our No. 2 guy had a bad ankle thing, and the other guys stepped up and brought home some hardware.”

As for what’s next for Kozeluh, it will be a well-deserved break.

“I’m going to take a few weeks off and rest,” Kozeluh said. “I’ll probably start training for track in a month and maybe do some indoor competitions in the winter and spring. I’m definitely looking into college running and really looking forward to that too.”

Other area medalists were Coeur d'Alene Charter freshmen Helen Oyler (third) and Annabelle Carr (18th).

Kimberly (boys) and Sugar-Salem (girls) won team titles.

2A: Kellogg junior Makai Peak (seventh) and Priest River sophomores Colm McLaimtaig (15th) and Brayden Lamanna (17th) earned medalist honors.

Kellogg's Lacey Medina was also a medalist after finishing 11th in the girls race.

West Side (boys) and Soda Springs (girls) won team titles.

1A: Victory Charter (boys) and Raft River (girls) won team titles.

5A

BOYS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Rocky Mountain 30. 2, Boise 71. 3, Coeur d’Alene 73. 4, Highland 146. 5, Centennial 147. 6, Mountain View 157. 7, Rigby 172. 8, Timberline 188. 9, Eagle 193. 10, Capital 262. 11, Lake City 326.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Landon Heemeyer, Rocky Mountain, 14:38.79. 2, Tyler Sainsbury, Rocky Mountain, 14:51.53. 3, Max Cervi-Skinner, Coeur d’Alene, 15:02.40. 4, Lachlan May, Coeur d’Alene, 15:15.91. 11, Zack Cervi-Skinner, Coeur d’Alene, 15:32.94. 13, Jacob King, Coeur d’Alene, 15:40.24. 44, Logan Anderson, Lake City, 16:27.33. 46, Mitchell Rietze, Coeur d’Alene, 16:28.57. 49, Kyle Rohilinger, Coeur d’Alene, 16:29.89. 65, Brayden Osterdock, Coeur d’Alene, Coeur d’Alene, 17:05.50. 73, Conner Johnson, Lake City, 17:50.18. 76, Duncan Morrow, Lake City, 17:50.18. 80, Nolan Jarvis, Lake City, 18:19.92. 81, Wendell Bouwens, Lake City, 19:22.76. 82, Paul Janke, Lake City, 19:37.67.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Boise 54. 2, Rocky Mountain 83. 3, Highland 138. 4, Mountain View 149. 5, Post Falls 151. 6, Meridian 164. 7, Eagle 172. 8, Timberline 173. 9, Thunder Ridge 178. 10, Capital 197. 11, Coeur d’Alene 206.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Annastasia Peters, Post Falls, 16:56.07. 2, Allie Bruce, Boise, 17:46.84. 3, Paisley Taylor, Meridian, 17:51.75. 5, Olivia May, Coeur d’Alene, 17:59.16. 20, Hazel Kunkel, Lake City, 18:26.07. 23, Talia Bonville, Post Falls, 18:43.99. 28, Kaylynn Misner, Post Falls, 18:54.41. 43, Kaley Bohl, Post Falls, 19:15.93. 53, Zara Munyer, Coeur d’Alene, 19:42.12. 59, Olivia Fishback, Coeur d’Alene, 19:55.91. 60, Elliana Rietze, Coeur d’Alene, 19:56.87. 61, Ann Marie Dance, Coeur d’Alene, 19:58.57. 65, Dakota Keyworth, Coeur d’Alene, 20:13.28. 71, Chloe Frank, Coeur d’Alene, 20:34.35. 78, Candice Spears, Post Falls, 20:52.36. 84, Raya Zirker, Post Falls, 22:38.80. 85, Kinlee McLean, Post Falls, 22:42.74.

4A

BOYS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Bishop Kelly 53. 2, Idaho Falls 63. 3, Skyline 118. 4, Pocatello 130. 5, Twin Falls 146. 6, Burley 147. 7, Blackfoot 176. 8, Preston 218. 9, Vallivue 236. 10, Sandpoint 240. 11, Skyview 294. 12, Jerome 325. 13, Moscow 361. 14, Canyon Ridge 369.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Matthew Thomas, Blackfoot, 14:47.61. 2, Stockton Stevens, Twin Falls, 14:54.07. 3, Austin Clough, Bishop Kelly, 14:58.19. 21, Nathan Roche, Sandpoint, 16:03.56. 36, Slate Fragoso, Sandpoint, 16:31.01. 40, Daniel Ricks, Sandpoint, 16:36.83. 68, Owen Elizondo-Bachiero, Lakeland, 17:08.78. 74, Michael Hall, Sandpoint, 17:28.04. 77, Jimmy Cornelius, Sandpoint, 17:33.78. 89, Anders Eastley, Sandpoint, 18:02.18. 94, Kasten Grimm, Sandpoint, 18:13.60.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Preston 61. 2, Skyline 97. 3, Idaho Falls 118. 4, Pocatello 120. 5, Twin Falls 141. 6, Sandpoint 186. 7, Skyview 207. 8, Burley 220. 9, Bishop Kelly 221. 10, Bonneville 238. 11, Jerome 245. 12, Mountain Home 257. 13, Moscow 267. 14, Vallivue 411. 15, Columbia 473,

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Nelah Roberts, Skyline, 17:31.72. 2, Bailey Bird, Pocatello, 17:44.97. 3, Marina Renna, Skyline, 18:24.11. 16, Maren Davidson, Sandpoint, 18:53.49. 34, Ara Clark, Sandpoint, 19:43.42. 40, Lily Richardson, Sandpoint, 19:47.70. 53, Grace Rookey, Sandpoint, 20:11.16. 55, Payton Betz, Sandpoint, 20:15.81. 85, Izzy Davidson, Sandpoint, 21:33.86. 86, Makiyah Hagstrom, Sandpoint, 21:40.79.

3A

BOYS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Kimberly 74. 2, Sugar-Salem 91. 3, Fruitland 112. 4, Timberlake 131. 5, South Fremont 131. 6, Snake River 140. 7, Gooding 153. 8, McCall-Donnelly 161. 9, Parma 170. 10, Marsh Valley 267. 11, Cd’A Charter 288.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Jacob Barnhart, Timberlake, 15:47.56. 2, Jack McManus, McCall-Donnelly, 15:50.41. 3, Ben Browning, Kimberly, 15:51.51. 24, Nathan Russell, Cd’A Charter, 17:15.02. 27, Cody Clemons, Timberlake, 17:24.34. 38, Dylan Nelson, Timberlake, 17:43.27. 41, Jacob Howell, Timberlake, 17:47.88. 44, Josh Yeager, Timberlake, 17:57.31. 45, Jeremiah Alameda, Timberlake, 18:02.18. 49, Isaiah Winkler, Timberlake, 18:07.36. 64, Nolan Oyler, Cd’A Charter, 19:13.63. 73, Connor Smith, Cd’A Charter, 19:57.12. 74, Jack Rigg, Cd’A Charter, 20:03.17. 80, Tucker Rigg, Cd’A Charter, 20:58.77. 81, Michael Bell, Cd’A Charter, 21:35.74. 82, Daniel Scafidi, Cd’A Charter, 26:44.49.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Sugar-Salem 74. 2, Snake River 76. 3, Teton 81. 4, Cd’A Charter 95. 5, Weiser 111. 6, Filer 128. 7, McCall-Donnelly 150. 8, Kimberly 184. 9, Bonners Ferry 233.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, McKenna Kozeluh, Cd’A Charter, 17:43.80. 2, Kylee Quinton, Weiser, 18:35.10. 3, Helen Oyler, Cd’A Charter, 19:05.67. 18, Annabelle Carr, Cd’A Charter, 20:07.68. 33, Sydney Beckle, Bonners Ferry, 20:51.34. 37, Natal Davis, Cd’A Charter, 20:56.23. 42, Izabella Cornell, Timberlake, 21:11.41. 45, Ceci Roemer, Bonners Ferry, 21:27.61. 52, Abigail Moehring, Cd’A Charter, 22:54.82. 56, Jane Robinson, Cd’A Charter, 23:13.95. 62, Jayden Byars, Bonners Ferry, 24:24.44. 64, Braylyn Bayer, Bonners Ferry, 24:32.67. 67, Emily Russell, Cd’A Charter, 26:04.22. 68, Trina Johnson, Bonners Ferry, 26:51.87.

2A

BOYS

TEAM SCORES — 1, West Side 66. 2, North Fremont 80. 3, Soda Springs 81. 4, Firth 136. 5, Cole Valley Christian, 171. 6, Melba 180. 7, Ririe 190. 8, Priest River 200. 9, Ambrose 209. 10, Kellogg 216. 11, North Star Charter 224. 12, Wendell 296.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Corbin Johnston, North Fremont, 15:21.30. 2, Kayden Gentry, Soda Springs, 15:37.25. 3, Zack Johnston, North Fremont, 15:39.52. 7, Makai Peak, Kellogg, 16:27.68. 15, Colm McLaimtaig, Priest River, 17:04.78. 17, Brayden Lamanna, Priest River, 17:07.78. 24, Ryken White, Kellogg, 17:28.90. 68, Jacob Sateren, Priest River, 18:30.05. 70, Blake Miller, Priest River, 18:44.48. 75, Nolan Harju, Kellogg, 18:50.55. 76, Aidan Peak, Kellogg, 18:52.52. 83, Caeden McLaimtaig, Priest River, 19:36.94. 89, Sawyer Carlson, Kellogg, 20:14.09. 94, Dylan Lord, Priest River, 21:08.35.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Soda Springs 51. 2, Ririe 69. 3, Malad 80. 4, Declo 88. 5, Salmon 123. 6, Melba 140. 7, North Fremont 159. 8, Cole Valley Christian, 191. 9, Nampa Christian 233.

TOP THREE, LOCALS — 1, Cameron Moore, Ambrose, 18:33.04. 2, Kynzie Nielson, Firth, 18:42.43. 3, Jessica Duran, Wendell, 18:52.93. 11, Lacey Medina, Kellogg, 19:36.50. 76, Paige Carlson, Kellogg, 26;23.01. 77, Zoie Cromis, Kellogg, 26:28.52. 78, Meredith Duce, Kellogg, 32:02.97.

1A

BOYS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Victory Charter 48. 2, Rockland 81. 3, Grace 94. 4, Valley 122. 5, Liberty Charter 145. 6, Logos 156. 7, Richfield 177. 8, Raft River 216. 9, Butte County 219. 10, Tri-Valley 235. 11, Potlatch 266. 12, Prairie 334.

TOP THREE (no local entrants) — 1, Ian Stockett, Victory Charter, 15:19.49. 2, Cole Wilkerson, Grace, 15:38.34. 3, Kyle Christensen, Valley, 15:39.12.

GIRLS

TEAM SCORES — 1, Raft River 32. 2, Logos 63. 3, Grace 90. 4, Tri-Valley 96. 5, Victory Charter 108. 6, Butte County 130. 7, Valley 165. 8, Potlatch 210.

TOP THREE (no local entrants) — 1, Allie Black, Raft River, 18:34.30. 2, Sara Casebolt, Logos, 18:55.51. 3, Mari Calene, Logos, 19:09.72.