Thrice As Nice: Burton leads the pack as Star Valley goes 1-2-3 to claim 4A crown again
At the historic Hole in the Wall race outside of Seattle earlier this month, Jase Burton become just the second Wyoming runner to ever go under 15 minutes. In Cheyenne at the Wyoming State Championships, he was the only runner across all three classifications to go under 16 minutes as he and the Braves capped off the teams’s third straight 4A championship.
RELATED: PHOTO GALLERY: STAR VALLEY CROSS-COUNTRY AT STATE –
Burton pulled away for his first individual state title as he led the pack with a time of 15:45.6. Teammate and two-time champ Habtamu Wetzel was second this year with a time of 16:18.4 and junior Colton Cranney was third with a finish of 16:22.1. Junior Brigham Hahn was 13th overall with a time of 17:07.5 and senior Matt Heywood rounded out the scoring five with a time of 17:39.8.
Freshman Luke Harris ran an 18:49.2 and Ben Hirschi , a sophomore, finished with a 18:55.9.
The Braves left no doubt with a team score of 42 as they finished well in front of second place Kelly Walsh and their score of 109. Natrona County was third with a 111 and 4A East champion Sheridan was fourth with a 112. Jackson Hole rounded out the top five with a 142.
The Lady Braves placed sixth overall with senior Alexis Angell leading the way with a time of 20:59.1. Fellow senior Macy Kennignton was next with a 21:18.3 and sophomore Kylee Linford was just a hundredth of a second behind. Carlee Angell was fourth on the team scoring with a 21:30.4 and Kaitlyn Bach rounded out the scoring five with a 22:08.7.
Kenna Merritt ran a 22:31.8 and Kellsie Dunne finished with a time of 22:55.7
It was as close as could be for the 4A girls team title as Cheyenne Central nipped Natrona County 68-69 for the win. Jackson Hole was third with a 100 followed by Kelly Walsh (132) and Laramie (159). Star Valley tied Sheridan with a score of 165 but finished sixth with the tiebreaker.
• Title Roundup
The Tongue River girls took the 2A team title with 32 points in a tight race just in front of Big Horn and Wyoming Indian.
The Chiefs took the 2A boys title with 32 points as they clipped Burlington by just one point. Thermopolis was third with a 42.
The Cody Fillies won the 3A trophy with 37 points as Powell was second with a 64. Buffalo was third with a 75.
The Worland Warriors won the 3A boys championship behind a first-place finish from Trajn Swalstad and a score of 41. Buffalo was just one point behind with a 42 and Mountain View was third with a 57.
•The Star Valley Dynasty
The Braves have not only won the last three 4A titles, but they’ve won 10 of the last 12 state championship races they have entered. It is the second time the team has taken the top three spots as they last did so in 2016 behind the trio of Shane Henderson, Asefa Wetzel and Wesley Kallgren.
Adding in the Lady Braves three championships, Coach Ty Draney has helmed a total of 13 Wyoming XC titles since 2012 including double championships in 2016 and 2017.
Burton becomes the lates Star Valley runner to win the overall championship and the third straight from the program. It is the ninth time since 2013 that a Brave has broken the tape first and an amazing eight times in the last nine years.
SVHS Individual State Cross-Country Champs
2024: Jase Burton (4A)
2023: Habtamu Wetzel (4A)
2022: Habtamu Wetzel (4A)
2020: Peter Visser
2019: Peter Visser
2018: Peter Visser
2017: Asefa Wetzel
2016: Shane Henderson
2013: Cody Peck
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