Chewelah Girls Capture NE2B Cross Country Championship; Cougars Boys Finish Second

The Chewelah Cougars made the most of their home-course advantage Saturday, Oct. 17, capturing the NE2B League girls cross country championship while the boys secured a runner-up finish at the Chewelah Golf and Country Club. Behind a strong performance from senior Amber Eppel and sophomore Josie Carter, the Chewelah girls placed five runners among the top 15 finishers to claim the league crown with 29 points. The Cougars’ boys were equally competitive, placing four runners among the top 13 and five in the top 22 to finish second with 55 points in team standings. Eppel led Chewelah’s championship effort, completing the 5,000-meter course in a season-best 19 minutes, 23.7 seconds to finish second overall. Carter followed closely behind, taking third in 19:53.4, giving the Cougars two of the top three finishers and establishing an early advantage in the team standings. The Cougars continued to pile up points with sophomore Mei Parsons finishing ninth in a season-best 21:23.2, while senior Rin Parsons crossed the finish line just behind her in 10th at 21:30.8. Sophomore Diana Durham completed Chewelah’s five scoring runners, finishing 15th in 21:52.3.

The performance gave Chewelah five runners inside the top 15, with the team’s scoring five separated by less than twoand-a-half minutes. Junior Liberty Whittekiend added a 26th-place finish in a season-best 24:12.0, while sophomore Morgan Siegel recorded a personal-best 24:37.2 to finish 34th. The team championship highlighted a strong season for the Cougars, whose combination of experienced upperclassmen and talented younger runners proved difficult for league opponents to match. On the boys side, junior Justice Whittekiend led Chewelah with a fourth-place finish, completing the course in 16:13.0. Junior Kyle Foster followed in seventh place with a time of 17:03.9, while senior Francis Sety recorded a season-best 17:07.9 to take ninth. Senior Blake Schlining gave the Cougars another strong finish, placing 13th in a season-best 17:25.0. Senior Titan Tapia rounded out Chewelah’s scoring five with a personal-best 18:02.0, finishing 22nd. Sophomore Ryder Wallner also turned in a personal-best performance, taking 31st in 18:26.1, while freshman Max Nesiba finished 41st in 19:04.0. The Cougars’ top four runners were separated by just 1 minute, 12 seconds, providing the consistency needed to contend for the league championship. Although Chewelah came up short of sweeping the team titles, the boys’ second-place showing, combined with the girls’ championship, made for a successful afternoon for the host program.

Kettle Falls Runners Post Strong Times

Kettle Falls also had several standouts at the league championships, led by junior Mason Reeves and eighth-grader Yale Edwards in the boys race. Reeves finished 11th overall, clocking a personal-best 17:14.5 to lead the Bulldogs. Edwards continued an impressive season of his own, finishing 27th in a personal-best 18:18.8 despite competing against high school runners several years older. Sophomore Charles Kelly added another personal-best performance, finishing 63rd in 20:31.8. Troy Benwell placed 71st in 21:59.7, while Liam Deaver completed the Bulldogs’ scoring five with a 76th-place finish in 22:18.6. In the girls competition, sophomore Avery Tobias represented Kettle Falls with a 16th-place finish, running a season-best 21:59.6.