KEARNEY — If Monday’s results from the UNK Invitational are any indication, the are should be very well-represented when the state cross country meet returns here less than a month from now.
Homer and Ponca both placed in the top five of the Class D boys competition at Monday’s UNK Invitational, run on the same Kearney Country Club that will host the Nebraska state championships three weeks from now.
Homer’s three scoring runners all finished in the top 30, led by sophomore Jett Forgarty’s 17th place time of 17:51.71 over the 5,000-meter course.
Jessup Snowball followed Fogarty in 27th place with a time of 18:28.92 and Tommy Reed finished 30th in a time of 18:34.68.
Ponca was 15 points behind the Knights in fifth place, but their team finish could have been a little higher were it not for an on-course injury by senior Gannon Pfister, who was in the top 10 of the race before a lingering injury popped up, forcing him to step off the course.
Even without Pfister, the Indians scored well with 84 points, just one ahead of Freeman. Kole Krusemark led the Indian thinclads with an 18th place finish, followed by Broderick Hogan in 35th and Lucas Dendinger in 36th.
In the girls Class D race, both area teams had respectable showings in a field that included more than 40 teams. Ponca placed 13th with 178 points and Homer was next with 200 team points.
Ponca’s Jaelen Templeman was the fastest of the area girls, finishing 22nd overall in a time of 21:56.84. Homer’s Alejandra
Quezada-Garcia led the Lady Knights with a 38th place time of 22:38.91.
Ponca will run in the South Sioux City Invitational on Thursday, while Homer heads to the Battle Creek Invite on Friday.
UNK Invitational
Class D Boys Top 10 Teams
Doniphan-Trumbull 22, Tri County 30, Hemingford 56, Homer 69, Ponca 84, Freeman 85, Elmwood-Murdock 109 Gordon-Rushville 133, Ord 134, Grand Island Lutheran 150.
Area Results
HOMER — 17. Jett Fogarty, 17:51.71; 27. Jessup Snowball, 18:28.92; 30. Tommy Reed, 18:34.68; 46. Tristan Owens, 19:09.63; 91. Maximus Wiggs, 20:01.95; 97. Logan Albrecht, 20:12.84; 205. Colby Rohde, 22:28.41; 209. Tate Nelsen, 22:34.72.
PONCA — 18. Kole Krusemark, 17:54.73; 35. Broderick Hogan, 18:40.63; 36. Lucas Dendinger, 18:42.50; 81. Micah Dendinger, 19:51.49.
Class D Girls Top 10 Teams
Nebraska Christian 23, Centennial 41, Hastings St. Cecilia 58, LCC 62, Ord 66, Perkins County 73, Tri County 81, Amherst 86, Gordon-Rushville 107, Freeman 126. Ponca was 13th with 178 points and Homer was 19th with 200 points.
Area Results
HOMER — 38. Alejandra Quezada-Garcia, 22:38.91; 106. Avery Kramper, 25:14.70; 108. Isabelle Pieper, 25:15.87; 143. Brooklyn Hightree, 26:36.27; 190. Kylie Kocian, 29:00.41;
PONCA — 22. Jaelen Templeman, 21:56.84; 96. Klaudia Bruening, 24:50.46; 103. Laken Pfister, 25:06.46.
