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HOUGHTON -- A solid performance helped the Gladstone boys place third in the Houghton Invitational cross country meet here Thursday.
The host Gremlins were crowned champions with 41 points and Painesdale Jeffers edged the Braves 74-76 for the runner-up spot.
Houghton's girls also won with 35 points, followed by L'Anse 58 and Negaunee 65.
Senior Chuck Cameron was Gladstone's pacesetter in eighth place, covering the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes, 33.5 seconds on this sunny, breezy and seasonably cool afternoon on the Michigan Tech trails.
"This is my second best time," he said. "I didn't eat enough before the race, although I didn't feel any fatigue until the last half-mile. I felt strong on the hills, though. This is my new favorite course, I think. I would have liked it to be a little warmer. It got windy in the last stretch which made it kind of difficult."
Sophomore teammate Charlie Blair reached the top 10 at 18:50.2.
"I had some leg issues at first, but once we got going I felt great," he said. "I was 20th at the two-mile mark and just missed a PR (personal record). I was so happy when I heard my two-mile time. That really fired me up. I liked the rolling hills because you can stride it out. I liked the weather, too. It was nice and cool."
Houghton junior Brandon Van Karsen was the top individual finisher in 17:35.2, followed by Ishpeming Westwood sophomore Calvin Carlson at 17:38.5, Ishpeming senior Kemper Gearhart (17:50.6) and Menominee freshman Bradley Klann (18:02.5).
"This is a challenging course for sure," Van Karsen said. "There were a lot of acorns out there. You had to watch your footing, but it was definitely a very successful day. It was a perfect day. The breeze felt good. It definitely cooled you down."
Braves' sophomore Nicholas Moulds took 14th (18:54.9) and senior Cristian Hayen was 21st (19:46.2).
Houghton junior Holly Cooke won the girls' race in a personal-best 19:53.9. She was followed by Negaunee freshman Julia Plaxco at 20:06.6, Ewen-Trout Creek senior Bree Besonen in a personal-best 20:11.5 and Menominee senior Winley Brandt (21:05.7).
"I'm pretty happy about that," Cooke said. "I was just running to get a good time. It felt good to go under 20. That was one of my goals. Hopefully, this will give me some momentum."
Houghton coach Traci Welch was understandably happy with the team's performance.
"Holly ran a fantastic race and Brandon put the hammer down in the last mile and is really running well," she said. "We have some of the nicest kids. They're very supportive of each other."
Gladstone senior Joselyn Mills took 19th (23:25).
Next up for the Braves is Thursday's Great Northern Conference meet at Menominee. The Gremlins travel to Gwinn for Wednesday's WestPAC Conference Finals.
Boys
Houghton 41, Painesdale Jeffers 74, Gladstone 76, Negaunee 83, Ishpeming Westwood 104, Menominee 128, Ironwood 202. Ishpeming, West Iron County, Dollar Bay, L'Anse, Hancock, Gwinn, Calumet Copper Island Academy, Watersmeet and Gogebic NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Brandon Van Karsen, Houghton, 17:35.2; 2, Calvin Carlson, Ishpeming Westwood, 17:38.5; 3, Kemper Gearhart, Ishpeming, 17:50.1; 4, Bradley Klann, Menominee, 18:02.5; 5, Tyler Rule, Houghton, 18:02.7; 6, Branson Anderson, Painesdale Jeffers, 18:19.4; 7, Eduel Spencer, West Iron County, 18:27.7; 8, Chuck Cameron, Gladstone, 18:33.5; 9, Cole Ceane, Houghton, 18:48.7; 10, Charlie Blair, Gladstone, 18:50.2
Girls
Houghton 35, L'Anse 58, Negaunee 65, Calumet 86, Menominee 117. Ewen-Trout Creek, Gogebic, Painesdale Jeffers, Chassell, Baraga, Hancock, Dollar Bay, Ishpeming, Ishpeming Westwood, Ironwood and West Iron County NTS.
Top 10 -- 1, Holly Cooke, Houghton, 19:53.9; 2, Julia Plaxco, Negaunee, 20:06.6; 3, Bree Besonen, Ewen-Trout Creek, 20:11.5; 4, Winley Brandt, Menominee, 21:05.7; 5, Emma Jukuri, Houghton, 21:18.7; 6, Norah Woodruff, Houghton, 21:42.2; 7, Lily Froese, L'Anse, 21:43; 8, Sophie Mahoski, Ishpeming, 21:54.5; 9, Kwynn Voskuhl, L'Anse, 21:55.4; 10, Siri Jacobson, Gogebic, 21:576.