This team hasn’t been ranked all year, but they’re bringing home a state trophy

Bellingham cross country coach Bill McClement will gladly take the third-place trophy his boys team earned Saturday at the Class 2A State Championships at the Sun Willows Golf Course in Pasco. So will state champion Cade Brown.

“The guys team was unranked all season,” McClement said. “They came together and they owned it, and it really paid off for them. ... I’m really proud of them.”

Bellingham scored 135 points to finish behind only Sehome, which won its sixth straight 2A crown with 94 points, and Pullman.

“The guys really worked hard for this,” Brown said. “I was glad to be a part of it.”

Ty Veldhuisen joined Brown in the top 25, while Timothy Crabtree (49th), Drew McFall (61st) and Caleb Schmotzer rounded out the Red Raiders’ scoring.

Lynden had three runners competing individually, and all three had strong runs, highlighted by Tate Hutchins’ fifth-place finish, which completed an all-Northwest District top five – Brown, Cedarcrest’s Grant Van Valkenburg in second, Sehome’s Reed Smith in third, Archbishop Murphy’s Joshua Rauvola in fourth and Hutchins.

“Five guys from our district in the top five – it’s great to see guys from our area destroying it,” Brown said.

The Lions also saw Roscoe Perry place 40th and Isaiah Ellis finish 52nd.

This story was originally published November 4, 2017 at 6:41 PM with the headline "This team hasn’t been ranked all year, but they’re bringing home a state trophy."