THE FRONT ROW with JASON ELLIOTT: To be its best, Cd'A runs with the rest

Credit where credit is due. 

The Coeur d’Alene High boys cross country team, with its high expectations and higher national rankings, went out and has taken its state title defense seriously. 

THE VIKINGS, ranked eighth in the DyeStat.com national boys high school rankings, traveled to Irvine, Calif., last weekend to compete in the 43rd annual Woodbridge Invitational, which featured the best of the best teams from across the nation. 

"Coeur d’Alene High coaches had identified the Woodbridge Invitational as a valuable opportunity for our athletes,” second-year Coeur d’Alene athletic director Victoria Beecher said. “They were excited about the level of competition and the chance to compete against a broader range of teams. We made plans in the early spring to add this to our schedule.” 

Of course, the meet isn’t for everyone. 

“It requires that teams apply and be accepted, and then placed into a variety of categories,” Beecher said. “Due to the success of our cross country team last year, including a national ranking for the boys' team, the boys were accepted into the final race of the invite, where they competed amongst an elite field, including eight of the nation’s top 25 teams.” 

Paced by senior Max Cervi-Skinner, who finished third in 13 minutes, 37 seconds, the Viking boys came in fifth out of 40 teams in the Boys Sweepstakes race, the final race of the meet. The race was scheduled to start at 9:54 p.m. last Saturday and had 273 competitors. 

Other Coeur d’Alene finishers in the Sweepstakes race were senior Zack Cervi-Skinner (11th, 13:58.7), sophomore Wyatt Carr (20th, 14:05.4), freshman Wyatt Morgenstern (133rd, 15:04.8), sophomore Gabe Heule (145th, 15:09.1), senior Kyle Rohlinger (247th, 15:48.5) and freshman Rowan Henry (273rd, 18:40.7). 

But it wasn’t just the boys that made the trip for Coeur d’Alene. The girls team also was accepted to the Varsity Gold Division, finishing second in their race out of 21 teams. 

“Both teams ran fantastic,” said first-year Coeur d’Alene coach Emry Carr, who took over the program after the retirement of head coach Cathy Compton following 23 seasons and six state titles, four with the girls program and two with the boys. “The girls are only getting better and our boys showed well on the national stage, running up against eight of the top 25 teams in the country. A couple of boys struggled and were working through it, but the rest all had personal record performances.”

Junior Dakota Keyworth was third in 17:41.2 in the Varsity Gold-A race for Coeur d’Alene's girls, who finished second behind St. Francis of Sacramento, Calif., 111-119. 

Other Viking girls finishers were senior Sonja Jones (ninth, 17:51.6), junior Olivia May (20th, 18:15.5), freshman Paige Dance (43rd, 18:59), senior Zara Munyer (56th, 19:14.7), freshman Lillie Dance (65th, 19:27.7) and senior Olivia Fishback (106th, 20:22) out of 155 competitors.

THE VIKINGS had to fundraise to travel to California for the meet, doing car washes, garage sales and other events in order to raise money.

“It’s akin to the winter basketball tournament travel to the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas that both Coeur d’Alene and Lake City have previously done,” Beecher said. “Traveling out of state, especially for a meet like this requires additional resources. And both the athletes and parents took part in the fundraising efforts to make this trip a reality.” 

While the varsity traveled to California, the junior varsity team represented the school at the Lewiston Invitational last Saturday. Coeur d’Alene’s boys won the Les MacDowell Invitational, while the girls finished second at the Lewis-Clark State Course in Lewiston. 

“A great benefit of attending the Woodbridge Invitational was that the remainder of the team attended the Lewiston Invitational at the same time,” Beecher said. “Many of our junior varsity athletes had the opportunity to compete and race against faster competition than they’d previously seen. And they absolutely knocked it out of the park. This trip afforded the entire team increased opportunity to have a competitive race.” 

AS THE regular season winds down, the Vikings return to action Oct. 5 at the Spokane Polo Grounds for the Battle for the 509, then go to the Nike Hole in the Wall Invitational on Oct. 12 at Lakewood (Wash.) High in preparation for the 6A Region 1 meet Oct. 17 at Farragut State Park. 

“Having a few out-of-state meets adds some complexity, but it’s also a great way to keep the season fresh for the team,” Beecher said. “Ultimately, it’s about providing the best opportunities for growth and development. And I think we’ve struck a good balance this year.” 

Balance, sure. 

Beating them at state Nov. 2 at Eagle Island State Park, that might be a different story. 

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.