Junior High Prospectors Build Experience at Tiger Invite in La Grande

Our Grant Union High School middle school cross country team took on fresh challenges at the Tiger Invite on Thursday, Oct. 1, in La Grande. With a full boys team and a first-time racer joining our girls, the meet brought individual accomplishments and another chance to learn about racing in different conditions.

This was our first golf course race of the year, with the entire course run on grass. The unfamiliar footing gave our runners a different test, and warm temperatures added to the challenge. Every racer worked hard as they gained experience adjusting to a new surface and the demands of the day.

The meet also marked our first Thursday race, breaking the usual pattern of workouts and runs. Our runners are beginning to recognize how their bodies respond differently to terrain, temperatures and other racing conditions. That knowledge is helping them develop individual goals that go beyond a particular time or finishing place, an important part of their growth this season.

Sam Bailey led our full boys team with a ninth-place finish in a large, fast field of middle school runners. Blaine James followed Bailey, with Ezra Randleas, Oliver LaFramboise and David Archibald rounding out our group in that order. Bailey’s top-10 finish highlighted the boys’ day on the unfamiliar course.

Our girls added another runner for this meet, with Azalea Gabbard making a racing debut. Shayann Gosnell led the group, remaining steady in both placement and time as the team tackled the grassy course. Gabbard followed Gosnell in the finishing order, and Nox Long capped the girls’ effort with a strong finish.