After preserving energy last week for Saturday’s 2021 Shepherd Blue Jay Invite, it was finally time for the boys and girls cross country teams to show everyone how fast they really are. Both squads faced off in a very high-speed race.

The boys finished in fifth place out of 21 teams. Again, they raced against some of the best teams in the state and some new teams they haven’t raced against yet. FHC’s top two runners were once again senior Sam Yeager and junior Ethan Krampe. Sam crossed the line with a time of 16:05.7 and 12th overall. Thirty seconds behind him was Ethan, who recorded a time of 16:33.4.

“I was out for nine days from running, so I was happy with my time,” junior Ethan Krampe said.

Sophomore Parker Ludwig also ran under 17 minutes. The boys had excellent placements, especially for racing against some of the top teams in the state.

In the girls division, the girls finished in third overall against 20 other teams. Sophomore sensations Clara James-Heer and Mia Bateson once again showed off their dominance, sticking together and placing right behind one another in 11th and 12th. Clara crossed the line with a time of 18:31.9, while Mia recorded a time of 18:34.0. FHC had a few other runners in the top 75, including freshmen Gwen Lamport, Clare Mathison, Anna Sybenga, and senior Grace Fitzgerald. They all contributed by helping the team approach second place.

“Our girls ran well,” Marissa Lunt said. “We got a lot of PRs; I would say it was a great race.”

Next week, the Rangers will run at Brookside Golf Course on Wednesday, October 6, in the third OK White Jamboree this season. The Rangers are excited to see what they can do this time against conference opponents.