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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2019)
A10 SPORTS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, October 30, 2019 GOLD RUSH: Grant Union cross country hosts home meet By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Thursday, Oct. 24, was a great day for a “Gold Rush.” One hundred high school cross country runners hoped to “strike it rich” at the Grant Union Prospector home meet, held at the Seventh Street Complex in John Day. The race, which started near the Jimmy Allen Memorial Trail and Trafton Pond, was the first the Pros- pectors had hosted in three years, and the largest gath- ering of teams for a Grant Union cross country meet since 1997 or 1998, said Grant Union head coach Sonna Smith. “I had so much help that it literally flowed smoothly,” Smith said. “We had eight high school teams, including GU, and five middle school teams.” Visiting high schools included Burns, Ontario, Four Rivers (Ontario), Baker, Vale, Heppner and Condon. She said her runners were excited to have a home meet because most of them were eighth-graders at the time of their last Gold Rush. Smith said the course is a good practice run for the dis- trict meet, because it’s simi- lar with not many hills but a lot of rolling ups and downs. “I had my girls run in a tighter pack, which is what you always want in cross country because it raises your team score,” she said. All six Grant Union girls, except one, set personal records on the course. “All of the athletes are peaking at the right time,” Smith said. On the boys side, Gage Brandon and Donavan Smith had season bests and Jesse Randleas, Gavin Lopez and Cole Ashley set personal records. “We had great weather and great competition, with many of my athletes running their best races of the sea- son,” coach Smith said “We are right on schedule for the The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector Quinn Larson, right, competes in Thursday’s Gold Rush Run at the Seventh Street Complex in John Day. BOYS RESULTS Brady Dole, 14, 18:51.78 Quinn Larson, 30, 20:03.81 Jesse Randleas, 37, 20:42.14 PR Gage Brandon, 38, 20:56.45 SR Max Bailey, 40, 21:40.73 Gavin Lopez, 44, 22:19.36 PR Cole Ashley, 48, 23:16.33 PR Donavan Smith, 50, 23:23.79 SR GIRLS RESULTS Erika Dickens, 12, 22:22.52 Rylee Browning, 15, 23:01.63 PR Katelyn Hughes, 22, 24:54.82 PR Tiler Voigt, 33, 26:35.19 PR Riley Robertson, 39, 27:29.47 PR Mikiah Kimble, 41, 28:34.82 PR The Eagle/Angel Carpenter The Eagle/Angel Carpenter Grant Union Prospector cross country runner Riley Robertson (172), a sophomore, settles in at the start of the Thursday, Oct. 24, Gold Rush at the Seventh Street Complex in John Day. Grant Union Prospector Ericka Dickens, right, runs in the Gold Rush, her team’s home meet held at the Seventh Street Complex in John Day. final sharping for district this week.” “I would like to give a big thanks to the city of John “I had tons of volunteers that helped me during the races, and I would like to give them a shout-out of appreciation Day and Parks and Rec for making our race possible and assisting us in having it come off a great success,” she said. from myself and the team. We could not have done it without all of the help.” Senior Rylee Browning, who had never experienced a home meet, said she liked the familiarity of the course. “I liked it the best out of all the races I’ve done,” she said. For the Grant Union middle school racers, sev- enth-grade Madelyn Bai- ley placed second out of 23 runners in the 3,000-meter race. FALL FOR A NEW KUBOTA! M6-141DT RTV-XG850 • 141.4 Engine HP † 4-Cylinder Turbocharged Kubota Diesel Engine • Grand X Cab Offers Greater Comfort & Visibility • Intelli-Shift Transmission • Tilt & Telescopic Power Steering • Powerful 48.3 HP † Gasoline Engine • CVT-Plus Transmission • Selectable Full-Time 4WD • Up to 40 MPH • General Purpose, Worksite & Special Models Available STOP IN MALHEUR MACHINERY FOR GREAT LOW RATE FINANCING! COME SEE JIM GIBBON AT 211 HIGHWAY 20 S • HINES, OR 541-573-1322 • 541-589-3877 plattequipment.com † For complete warranty, safety and product information, consult your local Kubota dealer and the product operator’s manual. Power (HP/KW) and other specifications are based on various standards or recommended practices. K1064-24-142478-6 S150270-1