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IRON MOUNTAIN -- It was a tight race for the boys' championship in the Kingsford Invitational cross country meet here Tuesday as Menominee edged the host Flivvers 31-33 for top honors
Third-place Carney-Nadeau scored 61 points.
"I thought (sophomore) Lane Mellen ran a good race," C-N coach Paul Polfus said. "I just like to see the kids compete and it was good competition. It's always good to see the bigger schools and different competition."
The Kingsford girls, who placed four in the top five, kept the championship trophy at home with 20 points. Menominee was runner-up with 38.
"I think there was good competition here today," Kingsford coach Sara Noasconi said. "The boys' meet was very close and it was nice for our girls to have this confidence boost. It absolutely makes it more satisfying to win on your home course."
Kingsford senior Cavan Mulligan, who's coming off a right knee and hip issues, won the boys' race by covering the hilly 3.24-mile course in 18 minutes, 48.8 seconds. He was followed by Menominee freshman Bradley Klann (19:26.8) and Kingsford sophomore Conor Smith (20:52.7) on this cloudy and mild afternoon. Mellen placed fifth (22:02.6).
"This is a hard course," Mulligan said. "I knew I had to go out hard and attack the hills. He (Klann) definitely showed some fight. He's going to be a good runner. I just needed rest and started training in early August. The rain held off for what turned out to be a pretty competitive race."
Kingsford junior Maria Murvich took the girls' race at 21:04, followed by Menominee senior Winley Brandt (22:24.7) and classmate Allison Deuter (24:34.5).
"Running on your home course really helps," Murvich said. "The conditions were great. I don't think the extra distance made much difference. It never hurts to have a little extra conditioning. This is a nice win for our team."
Brandt said her legs felt kind of heavy.
"Some days are like that, although I finished strong," she said. "Maria had a good day. It's exciting to see our boys win. Hopefully, this is a boost for them."
Powers North Central was led by sophomore Alyrae Johnson in ninth (28:04).
"It went good," Jets' coach Katie Depuydt said. "We placed two girls in the top 10. I think it's a good confidence boost. Every course we've run on has been tough. The kids ran hard."
Boys
Menominee 31, Kingsford 33, Carney-Nadeau 61, Powers North Central and Norway NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Cavan Mulligan, Kingsford, 18:48.8; 2, Bradley Klann, Menominee, 19:26.8; 3, Conor Smith, Kingsford, 20:52.7; 4, Carlie Patrick, Menominee, 21:23; 5, Lane Mellen, Carney-Nadeau, 22:02.6; 6, Joshua Rod, Menominee, 22:29.3; 7, James Ivacko, Kingsford, 24:13.6; 8, Bryce Johnson, Kingsford, 24:15.7; 9, Walsh LeMay, Menominee, 25:14.8; 10, Ethan Axtell, Menominee, 25:17.1
Girls
Kingsford 20, Menominee 38, Powers North Central NTS
Top 10 -- 1, Maria Murvich, Kingsford, 21:04; 2, Winley Brandt, Menominee, 22:24.7; 3, Allison Deuter, Kingsford, 24:34.5; 4, Kate Smith, Kingsford, 25:34.6; 5, Aalayah Noasconi, Kingsford, 25:38.6; 6, Violet Schuettpelz, Menominee, 25:56.5; 7, Lia Murphy, Kingsford, 26:57.7; 8, Ashlyn Unruh, Kingsford, 27:40.3; 9, Alyrae Johnson, North Central, 28:04; 10, McKenzie Walcher, Kingsford, 28:16.6.