Harriers host meet in Dodson

For the first time in three years, the Dodson Cross Country Invite wasn't canceled due to weather and though temperatures barely crept past 50 on the day, many athletes finished their races in personal best times.

Of those to finish with new personal best times at the Invite was Dodson-Whitewater Harrier Bella Lawless who was honored on the day during the Senior Rose Ceremony at the last home meet of her high school career. Lawless's new PR, 24:49, earned her a second-place finish on the day, just four seconds off the pace of the race's winner, Lokata Pretty Paint of Hays-Lodgepole who finished in 24:45.

Lawless said that the cooler temperatures didn't affect her running on the morning and she was pleased with the effort.

"It seemed like a huge improvement, so I was happy with that," Lawless said.

Lawless was joined by her father, Bryan, during the Senior Rose Ceremony and with just two races left until the State Class C Cross Country Meet in Missoula, she said she is ready to run her race, even if she's never seen the course.

"Hopefully my times stays at least as good as it was today or improves," she said. "I've never run in Missoula. (Coach) Bruce (Warren) told me there is a little hill there, but his definition of little and mine are sometimes different."

Where Lawless was running in her last home meet, Harrier Hannah Hanley ran in her first on Saturday in Dodson. She said she was chilled when the race started but warmed up about a mile in and scored a new personal best with a time of 23:51.

"I did really good and I think I cut off about a minute from regular time," she said. "This season is going pretty well."

Harrier Ireland Best finished in sixth place on the day and all three Dodson-Whitewater Harriers will attend the state meet in Missoula once the regular cross country season concludes.

The Dodson Cross Country Invite featured several schools from the area, many bringing their high school, middle school and elementary school students to participate. Those schools included Hays-Lodgepole, Rocky Boy, Frazer, and the White Clay Immersion School.

The Boys Varsity race was won by Gilbert Snow of Hays-Lodgepole in a time of 17:52, more than a minute better than Cedric Belcourt of Rocky Boy whose time of 24:49 scored him a second-place finish. (See the complete stats for all races below.)

The third race of the day featured elementary teams, both girls and boys running in the same race. On the boy's side, Dodson's Chaske Cliff took home a first-place medal. Cliff said he has only run in three cross country races in his young career and Saturday's first-place finish was his first time he'd won an event.

"I wasn't feeling too good this morning, but then I got out of it," Cliff, a sixth-grade student, said. "I just ran around in the coldness and stayed warm. I think I did pretty good."

Dodson's Carmyn Decelles took second place for the girl's race, but she admitted that she didn't think she would do so well on the day.

"I had butterflies this morning, but I got over them by sprinting and with my dad (Phillip) pushing me at the end," Decelles, a fifth-grade student, said. "He kept telling me I was doing good."

Decelles said that she has run five times this season and took first place at the Hays-Lodgepole Meet.

The final races of the day featured the junior high teams. Dodson's Lindsey Fetter, an eighth-grade student, in just her second race of the season (she said she'd missed a few events this year as she was out hunting) and took first place.

"I got first then and first today," she said. "I ran in 10:06 which is better than my last time by almost a minute. I just sprinted the whole time."

Fetter admitted she heard the footsteps of the two runners who would eventually take second and third place who were nipping at her heels the entire race, adding that they helped push her to the first-place finish. (Dodson's Shaylee Decelles took third with a time of 10:24.) Fetter said she also plays basketball and runs track, but cross country is her favorite.

"I like to run," she said. "You get to run longer in cross country than the others."

The Dodson-Whitewater Harriers are scheduled to run in Havre on Monday, October 8 (which will be covered in next week's PCN), Harlem on Friday, October 12 before wrapping up the season at State in Missoula on Saturday, October 20.

Girls Varsity Results: 1. Lokata Pretty Paint, Hays-Lodgepole, 24:45. 2. Bella Lawless, Dodson-Whitewater, 24:49. 3. Hannah Hanley, Dodson-Whitewater, 23:51. 4. Kaydin Sibley, Frazer, 26:39. 5. Kodee Henderson, Rocky Boy, 32:11. 6. Ireland Best, Dodson-Whitewater, 36:26.

Boys Varsity Results: 1. Gilbert Snow, Hays-Lodgepole, 17:52. 2. Cedric Belcourt, Rocky Boy, 18:56. 3. Isaiah Doney, Hays-Lodgepole, 20:24. 4. Troy Shambo, Hays-Lodgepole, 20:28. 5. Joe Demontiney, Rocky Boy, 21:36. 6. DeMarko Shoots-Lilley, Frazer, 21:40. 7. Cacther His Bad Horse, Hays-Lodgepole, 23:12. 8. Randy Buckles, Hays-Lodgepole, 24:30. 9. Gabriel Werk, Hays-Lodgepole, 24:37.

Elementary Boys Top Five Results: 1. Chaske Cliff, Dodson. 2. Noelani Sibley, Frazer. 3. Carmyn Decelles, Dodson. 4. Kaylee Henderson, Rocky Boy. 5. Reece Spotted Eagle, Dodson.

Elementary Girls Top Five: Not available.

Junior High Girls Top Five Results: 1. Lindsey Fetter, Dodson, 10:06. 2. April Windy Boy, Rockey Boy, 10:19. 3. Shaylee Decelles, Dodson, 10:24. 4. Angel Nelligan, Frazer, 10:26. 5. Alliya Pretty Paint, Hays-Lodgepole, 10:45.

Junior High Boys Top Four Results: 1. Slade Kirn, Unknown, 11:02. 2. Watson Whitford, Rocky Boy, 12:39. 3. Mikal Gonzales, Rocky Boy, 14:08. 4. Joseph Beston, Frazer, 17:57.