Making the short trek to Owensville last Tuesday afternoon, Samantha Ridenhour’s Belle High School (BHS) and Bland Middle School (BMS) cross country runners competed in the Owensville Invitational Cross Country meet.

For Ridenhour’s BHS runners, it was also a preview of the site of the upcoming Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) Class 2, District 3 Cross Country Meet scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31 along with the MSHSAA Class 3, District 3 meet.

Once the racing dust settled throughout the Gasconade County R-2 campus, four BHS harriers left Owensville with medals around their neck.

Freshman Jackson Prater posted the highest finish of the day with a fourth-place time of 17:57.0 leading the varsity Tigers to an eighth-place team score of 173 points.

That total placed them behind Owensville (42), St. James (94), Whitfield (119), New Haven (155), St. Francis Borgia (160), Hermann (167) and Houston (172).

Fellow Tigers finishing behind Prater were Michael Felton (32nd, 20:22.6), Coltin Hazelwood (37th, 20:39.7), Ryker Huebner (58th, 22:00.0), Malachi Fredendall (62nd, 22:12.9), David Skaggs (68th, 22:42.1) and Braxton Ahart (79th, 23:51.9).

Lady Tiger junior Ellanor Kent secured Belle’s second medal of the day with a 19th-place time of 24:22.9 in the varsity girls race.

Belle’s Lady Tigers place ninth in the team standings with 194 points behind Whitfield (47), Pacific (60), Borgia (99), Principia (126), Hermann (140), Sullivan (151), Linn (174) and Plato (174).

BHS Lady Tigers following Kent across the finish line were Skylar Stevens (51st, 27:26.1), Marianne Francis (74th, 31:32.8), Allania Moore (78th, 32:17.2), Kenadie Bailey (82nd, 33:10.5), Saylor Kent (84th, 34:14.1) and Sedora Carroll (90th, 35:47.8).

Earning Belle’s other two medals from Owensville in the junior varsity boys race were Miles Frey (11th, 23:29.8) and Tharon Kent (13th, 23:39.1).

Bland’s Lady Bears placed eighth as a team with 142 points behind Owensville (50), Pacific (77), Union (87), Rolla (97), Bourbon (122), Cuba (136) and Hermann (137).

Four spots shy of the top 10 and a medal, Roxy DeDual led the Lady Bears with a 14th-place time of 16:38.1.

Finishing behind DeDual for Bland were Chelsey Frey (23rd, 17:32.4), Cora Langston (31st, 18:54.3), Gracelyn Jarvis (48th, 21:20.7) and Harper Ridenhour (23:33.8).

Running for Bland’s Middle School Bears was the quartet of Treyton Huebner (39th, 15:33.1), Deacon Stockton (81st, 22:36.8), Grayson Tyler (84th, 22:53.7) and Wyatt Skaggs (89th, 24:04.8).