The girls 4A race was just under way when officials heard thunder, forcing them to halt the race. The runners were directed indoors where they waited for about thirty minutes until the competition could resume. Due to the situation, the 4A girls were then rescheduled to run last.
When the race began for the second time, the Viking girls did not seem to be bothered by the previous mishap. Anna Ryba placed fourth, one place ahead of her county performance, in a time of 20:00 and senior Shayna Barbash finished tenth in 20:30. Although the Vikings third runner, Caroline Elmendorf, did not run, freshmen Justine Wood and Annie Rice stepped up with finishes in the top 25.
In the boys race, senior Andrew Palmer came up with another big win in a time of 16:04. Palmer’s time was just eight seconds off the course record set last year by former Sherwood star, Solomon Haile. Senior Brandt Silver-Korn had another solid performance rounding out the top ten in 17:19. Similar to the county championship, the boys fourth, fifth, and sixth runners ran in a pack, finishing within four seconds of one another.
The boys and girls placed third and fifth respectively, earning them both a spot at the state championship on Nov. 14 at Hereford high school.
