The Bethel Regional High School boys and girls cross country teams will compete in the Alaska Student Activities Association Division II State Competition at Bartlett High School in Anchorage on Oct. 5. There, the boys team has a chance to make school history.
Headed into the Division II boys championships, the most dominant team is Anchorage’s Grace Christian, a school with a long history of championships and podium finishes. They remain the strong favorite to take the title this year, but the race for the Division II state runner-up spot is expected to be much closer. The strongest contenders include the Bethel Warriors, along with Sitka and Homer.
That’s the competition many race fans will be keyed in on when the middle-sized schools hit the course. The Warriors have defeated, and been defeated by, each of those programs in races earlier this year.
If the Warriors are able to beat either of those teams and place second or third, they would be the highest-placing Bethel boys cross country team in recorded school history. If they finish fourth, they would tie that record.
The race will be the last 5K for stand-out senior Ned Peters, who placed second at regionals.
The Lady Warriors will also be competing at state after qualifying at the Big West Regional meet last weekend. The Lady Warriors’ top athlete at regionals was junior Rosemarie Dyment, who came in third after two Nome-Beltz runners.
In cross country, seven racers per team compete, but only the top five per team count towards the team’s score. As in golf, the lowest team score wins.
The Division II girls race is set to start at noon on Oct. 5 at the Bartlett High School trails. The boys’ Division II race is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. the same day.
