CRYSTAL FALLS — What a varsity cross country debut this was for Evonna LaCosse.

The Big Bay de Noc freshman made quite a first impression here Wednesday by earning top honors in the Forest Park Trojan Invitational.

Big Bay’s lone representative covered the hilly 3.1-mile course in 24:35.7, followed by Forest Park junior Bella Tarter (24:52.2) at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp.

“I felt pretty confident coming in, but I was a little surprised I won it,” LaCosse said. “It was a learning experience. The weather was pretty good. I was happy to see the sun come out.”

The girls’ race started approximately 10-15 minutes after a downpour on a blustery afternoon which at times probably felt more like Halloween than just 48 hours after Labor Day.

“I sprinted up the hills,” Tarter said. “My breathing was pretty heavy after going up the hills. That’s not my best time, but this course is so technical. You can use the downhills to your advantage, although you have to watch your footing. It was tough. You have a big sand hill after the first mile.”

North Central retained its title with six points. Other schools didn’t field complete teams.

“We had some good performances,” Jets’ coach Katie Depuydt said. “We knew we were going to have a decent team this year. Hopefully, this is a turning point.”

Jets’ senior Kaiya Davis placed third at 27:43.1 in a race where several runners took a wrong turn and ran an extra loop despite pre-race instructions provided by Forest Park coach D.J. Rasner, who emphasized the technicality of the course.

“The extra loop added to their times,” he said. “Bella only got into running this year and ran track this spring. It’s fun to watch young athletes do their thing.”

The Forest Park boys placed four in the top six and won with eight points and Rock Mid Peninsula was runner-up at 14. The top three finishers from each school counted toward a team score.

“We’re happy with that,” Mid Pen coach Carl Brunngraeber said. “We have no seniors this year. There’s absolutely room for improvement. This is a hard course.”

Forest Park senior William Hoffman earned top individual honors at 19:59.6, followed by sophomore teammate Hayden Smith (20:06.2).

“I usually don’t worry about having a strategy,” Hoffman said. “I just try to pace myself with somebody else. I was pacing with the Mid Pen boys and caught them on the hill. Our coaches (Rasner and Patrick Brown) train us on hills. They really prepare us well.”

Mid Pen freshman Eli Stiglitz took third (20:59.1) and classmate Ashdeyn Gerow was fourth (20:59.5).

“I started a little slower than usual,” Stiglitz said. “I figured this would be a little longer than I’m used to, although I started to feel a little more comfortable in the second half of the race. This was quite a learning experience. This was also a fun experience.”

Gerow had similar thoughts.

“It was a little scary at first, then it warmed up a little,” he said. “It took a little while for me to get comfortable, but I think I can do it again. I thought we did okay for our first high school meet.”

Boys

Crystal Falls Forest Park 8, Rock Mid Peninsula 14. Powers North Central, Republic-Michigamme and Baraga NTS.

Top five — 1, William Hoffman, Forest Park, 19:59.6; 2, Hayden Smith, Forest Park, 20:06.2; 3, Eli Stiglitz, Mid Peninsula, 20:59.1; 4, Ashdeyn Gerow, Mid Peninsula, 20:59.5; 5, Reuben Rasner, Forest Park, 21:17.6

Girls

Powers North Central 6. Big Bay de Noc, Rock Mid Peninsula, Crystal Falls Forest Park, Republic-Michigamme and Baraga NTS.

Top five — Evonna LaCosse, Big Bay de Noc, 24:35.7; 2, Bella Tarter, Forest Park, 24:52.2; 3, Kaiya Davis, North Central, 27:43.1; 4, Zoe Blubaugh, Republic-Michigamme, 28:08.7; 5, Sophie DesRochers, Baraga, 28:12.2