Led by a pair of top-10 finishes from seniors Tom Bradley and Eddie Fontes, the Blaine boys' cross country team finished eighth in its trip to the Class 1A State Championships as a team.
"It was pretty neat to be a part of it with those guys," said Bradley, who lost out to Mount Baker's Dillon Quintana by a fraction of a second.
Fontes came home in eighth in 16 minutes, 29.2 seconds.
Lynden Christian finished fifth as a team with 143 points, behind state champion Charles Wright's 87. It marked LC's fourth straight top-six finish at state.
"We were definitely hoping for a top-four, podium finish," LC coach Darren Postma said in a phone interview. "But we really can't complain, because all our guys ran 10- to 20-second PRs compared to what they did on that course last year. We ran really well. The other guys just out performed us."
Senior Cody Velthuizen was the Lyncs' top finisher in 16:35.8, while Hunter Weinert came in 32nd in 17:13.2.
Meridian placed seventh with 194 points, beating out the Borderites' 197. The Trojans, who were hoping for at least a top-four finish, had sophomore Collin Magnusson finish 23rd in 17:06.8, while senior Kelby Todd was 26th in 17:09.2.
"Our boys just didn't have it today," Meridian coach Mike Holz said in a phone interview. "We did not perform to our capabilities. I know our guys are not happy with how it went today, but it's something we can learn from and build from for the future."
In addition to Quintana's win, junior Shelby Miles placed 35th for Mount Baker in 17:16.3.
Reach David Rasbach at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or 360-715-2286.
WHATCOM COUNTY RESULTS
Pl. Runner Yr. School Time
1. Dillon Quintana Sr. Mount Baker 15:50.0
2. Tom Bradley Sr. Blaine 15:50.8
8. Eddie Fontes Sr. Blaine 16:29.2
13. Cody Velthuizen Sr. Lynden Christian 16:35.8
23. Collin Magnusson So. Meridian 17:06.8
26. Kelby Todd Sr. Meridian 17:09.2
32. Hunter Weinert Sr. Lynden Christian 17:13.2
35. Shelby Miles Jr. Mount Baker 17:16.3
46. Weston Whitener Sr. Lynden Christian 17:24.0
51. Jon Wiley So. Lynden Christian 17:27.9
60. David Anderson Jr. Meridian 17:33.1
67. Tyler Reardon Sr. Lynden Christian 17:41.0
69. Davis Phillips Jr. Meridian 17:41.7
83. Connor Blok Jr. Lynden Christian 17:58.7
87. Danny Thorpe Sr. Blaine 18:04.3
90. David Shapiro Jr. Blaine 18:07.0
98. Parker Morris Fr. Blaine 18:14.4
101. Rico Martinez Fr. Meridian 18:19.8
111. Jeremy Ryan Sr. Meridian 18:35.8
118. Dylan Blok Jr. Lynden Christian 18:42.0
125. John Cochran Jr. Blaine 18:58.8
129. Christian Sharp Jr. Blaine 19:10.7
133. Derek Morrow So. Meridian 19:25.5
SOURCE: WIAA.COM
CLASS 1A STATE MEET
Saturday's results
At Pasco
Team results: 1. Charles Wright 87, 2. Lakeside 90, 3. Medical Lake 106, 4. King's 113, 5. Lynden Christian 143, 6. La Center 168, 7. Meridian 194, 8. Blaine 197, 9. Cashmere 219, 10. Royal 244, 11. Toledo 249, 12. White Salmon 264, 13. Montesano 284, 14. Zillah 366, 15. Connell 397, 16. Woodland 425.
Top individuals: 1. Dillon Quintana (Mount Baker) 15:50.0; 2. Tom Bradley (Blaine) 15:50.8; 3. Ruben Riordan (Charles Wright) 16:07.9; 4. Kyle Cole (Cedar Park Christian) 16:10.8; 5. Graham Peet (Northwest) 16:14.3; 6. Ryan Coffman (Lakeside) 16:14.7; 7. Andrew Ayers (King's) 16:21.9; 8. Eddie Fontes (Blaine) 16:29.2; 9. Brad Rich (White Salmon) 16:30.2; 10.Micah Dingfield (Medical Lake) 16:31.4.
Reach DAVID RASBACH at david.rasbach@bellinghamherald.com or call 715-2271.
