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The Raider cross country team had a busy week, finishing their regular season at meets in Bridgeport and Oroville, and

getting ready for the league championship in Liberty Bell this Saturday.

In Bridgeport Oct. 9, the Raiders ran at Lake Woods Golf Course.

“Bridgeport was a tough one,” remarked Coach Travis Adams. “The course had really long grass that was damp and hard to run on. We came off a three-day weekend looking flat and it showed in our times. After the run, a majority of our runners said that that was the hardest course of the year so far, and I believe them.”

“Our stand-out runner was Hannah Wapato,” Adams continued. “She works so hard it’s impossible to deny her these honors.”

Wapato pushed herself past her limits and walked away with a sixth-overall finish in 21 minutes, 31 seconds on a hard course.

Adams mentioned Chase Marchand’s second-place finish on a bad knee.

“He had a sore knee and didn’t plan on running until the last minute, so I’m proud of him for toughing it out and competing,” Adams said.

Marchand finished the 1.5-mile middle-school race in 9:73, behind Manson’s Johan Cruz by 31 seconds.

Adams said he was proud of all the runners for “running so hard.”

At Lake Osoyoos State Park Oct. 12, Colton Jackson stood out among the Raiders.

“He had a nice pace all throughout the course, and when I told him to start targeting and passing people, he listened every time,” Adams said.

“We have runners that are just getting to know their limitations,” Adams continued. “It’s exciting to see these younger guys step up and challenge themselves.”

Wapato finished sixth overall in the girls’ in 20:43. Chase Marchand finished third overall in the middle-school run in 8:28.

The cross country team will compete at the league championship on Saturday, Oct. 20 at Liberty Bell, with the middle-school team to start at 11:30 a.m.

From the league championship, runners advance to the district championship next Wednesday in Moses Lake.