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Scrimmage helps Raiders set lineups for X-County opener

The Sidney High School cross country teams gathered at the soccer fields near WNCC on Thursday for their annual scrimmage.

More than just a friendly outing, the 5K run was the tool by which head coach Ryan Plummer set his varsity lineups for the Red Raiders' first meet. The six fastest times for both boys and girls will represent the Raiders' varsity on Sept. 4 at Gering. The season opener will be run at Monument Shadows Golf Course.

The competition for a varsity spot was extremely competitive in both races – each of which was won by a sophomore. Charlie Brockhaus topped the girls' race in a time of 22:28, which put her just five seconds ahead of fourth place. Mitch Porter was the boys' winner in 19:00.

"The competition was phenomenal," said head coach Ryan Plummer. "There wasn't a very big gap between the times so there's going to be a good competition throughout the year, which will help them all grow."

Senior's Mia Hernandez (22:31), Erin Lindeman (22:32) and Jami Flores (22:32) were neck-and-neck for second, third and fourth places in the girls' race. Two-time state qualifier Abby Heller finished fifth (23:03) with Preslie Allen (23:11) rounding out the top six.

Sophomore Chantal Riggs, who was part of the third-place team at state last season, was not able to compete after sustaining a head injury earlier in the day. She is expected to be ready to run with the junior varisty at Gering next week.

Behind Porter in the boys' race, the next three spots were decided by just a few seconds. Seniors Jacob Schaub (19:12), Ryan Aurich (19:13) and Logan Uhlir (19:17) completed the next three spots.

The varsity lineup for the Gering meet was completed by Brenner Keane (19:41) and Ryan Birner (19:44). The depth of the team was highlighted by Keaton Wakefield and Michael Banaszak, who finished tied for seventh at 19:48.

"The times in the boys race were close even throughout the top 10 which I was very happy to see," Plummer said.

Junior Will Castner (20:28) and sophomore Kaden Vowers (20:35) finished ninth and 10th respectively.

 

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