BC CC teams fare well in Dayton

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BC CC teams fare well in Dayton

Van Wade

The Orange Leader

DAYTON — The Bridge City cross country teams got off to a blazing start to the cross country season at the Dayton Invitational Saturday and Cardinal senior Ryan Kelly blazed his way to the boys championship.

Both the Cardinals and the Lady Cardinals both nabbed second-place team finishes.

“The kids have been practicing hard all summer long, running in all of this extreme heat,†said Cardinal cross country coach Cody Knight. “To their credit, today was just an overall great finish for both teams.â€

Kelly roared to a first-place finish, turning in a sparkling time of 16 minutes and 34 seconds over a three-mile course. He was followed by teammates Tim Cude (third, 17:54), Kirby Shepherd (sixth, 18:46), Sawyer Hogan (seventh, 19:04), Mark Virva (15th, 19:49) and Hunter Stevens (18th, 20:09).

“Ryan is a senior and he’s worked really hard ever since he started the sport and he always gives everything he has,†Knight said. “He’s expecting a big year, that’s just the type of kid that he is. He and Virva are our two seniors and they get the younger guys going for us.â€

The Cardinals finished right behind Awty International. The Cardinals finished with 30 points with Awty International winning with 29 points.

The young Lady Cardinals were impressive in their first meet as well.

Bridge City placed second with 55 points, just behind Awty International, which won with 39.

Mary Nguyen led the Lady Cardinals, placing sixth over a two-mile course with a time of 14:17. She was followed by teammates Jessica Franklin (eighth, 14:42), Melissa Pittman (12th, 15:00), Ariel Chesson (14th, 15:02), Lisa Huynh (21st, 15:39) and Lan Vu (24th, 16:10).

“I’m really pleased with the way the girls ran,†Knight said. “There are several new, fresh faces. For them to come out and perform like they did today, really made me proud.â€

The Cardinal JV boys also placed second as a team. Leading the way was Jacob Worthington, who placed sixth with a time of 12:47 over a two-mile course. He was pushed by teammates Armando Chavez (seventh, 12:51), Aaron Hodges (19th, 13:34), Bryan Godwin (21st, 13:42) and Eric Chesson (25th, 13:53).

Sarah Fontenot and Kim Truong ran for the Lady Cardinals on the JV with Fontenot placing 23rd in 17:18 and Troung nabbing 24th in 17:23.

The Bridge City teams will play host to the Cardinal Invitational this Saturday at Claiborne Park.