By Mike Maltais
In a dominating district performance that didn’t surprise any participants, the Liberty Bell High School varsity boys’ cross-country team finished 1-2-3 to claim the 1B/2B crown at Walla Walla Point Park in Wenatchee last Saturday (Nov. 2).
Led by sophomore Ben Klemmeck, junior Willy Duguay and senior Liam Daily, the Mountain Lions finished with 23 total team points, almost three times better than second place Lake Roosevelt with 68.
The district title is Liberty Bell’s third in the past four years and marks the fourth consecutive year that the Mountain Lions have qualified for the 1B/2B Washington Interscholastic Activities Association state championships.
The XC team’s next stop is Sun Willows Golf Course at Pasco on Saturday (Nov. 9), where Liberty Bell placed seventh in state last year.
Against the state’s top 1B/2B XC runners, coach Craig Herlihy is hoping his team can move up a rung or higher when the final points are tallied. Josiah Klemmeck, Morgan Ott, Carter Dornfeld and Erik Ellis will round out the seven-man state team.
Lilly Schlotzhauer missed the cut in her attempt to return to state this year. Schlotzhauer finished seventh among 17 varsity girl runners from which the top five advanced to state.
Logan Szafas and Geza Sukovaty will travel with the team as alternates.
Sukovaty won the JV race at Wenatchee.
LBHS District Results
1 Ben Klemmeck 16:56.04
2 Willy Duguay 16:56.60
3 Liam Daily 16:56.95
10 Josiah Klemmeck 17:31,74
11 Morgan Ott 17:47.55
22 Carter Dornfeld 19:37.96
25 Erik Ellis 20:02.28
Team scores
Liberty Bell 23
Lake Roosevelt 68
Bickleton 75
Yakama Nation Tribal 86
Bridgeport 124
Oroville 133
