OWASSO — Three Sand Springs runners punched their tickets to the Class 6A state cross country championships Saturday, Oct. 24, at the regional meet in Owasso, with junior Cole Higgins, senior Caden Ketcher and sophomore Brooklynn Bozone earning individual berths.
The Sandites finished ninth among 14 scoring teams in the boys 5,000-meter race, while the Lady Sandites placed 12th among 16 teams in the girls competition.
Higgins led the Sand Springs boys with a 22nd-place finish, completing the 5-kilometer course in 16 minutes, 11.20 seconds.
Ketcher was right on his heels, finishing 24th in 16:12.60, just 1.4 seconds behind his teammate.
Both runners earned individual berths in the Class 6A state championships, scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, at Edmond Santa Fe High School.
The Sandites finished with 219 team points, just eight behind eighth-place Bartlesville.
Junior Maddox Ketcher was Sand Springs' third finisher, placing 57th in 17:19.50. Senior Jessen Cox followed in 58th with a time of 17:26.10.
Junior Daniel Stuckey rounded out the Sandites' five scoring runners, placing 62nd in 17:38.91.
Sophomore Jonathan Reeve finished 69th in 17:55.91, while fellow sophomore Noah Watkins completed the seven-runner lineup in 74th with a time of 18:06.91.
The Sandites' five scoring runners averaged 16:57 over the course, with less than 90 seconds separating their first and fifth finishers.
Deer Creek won the boys regional championship with 29 points, followed by Jenks with 77 and Mustang with 110. Yukon junior Ethan Brooks claimed the individual championship in 15:06.40.
Bozone leads Lady Sandites In the girls 5,000-meter race, sophomore Brooklynn Bozone led Sand Springs with a 26th-place finish, completing the course in 20:02.00.
Her performance earned her an individual berth at the state championships, giving Sand Springs three runners advancing to the season's final meet.
Junior Raegin Sanders was the Lady Sandites' second finisher, placing 55th in 21:15.00.
Sophomore Paisley Sanders followed in 72nd with a time of 21:54.20, while fellow sophomore Josie Grona finished 74th in 22:00.30.
Junior Mya Wagers placed 79th in 22:40.60, and sophomore Emma Neal rounded out the lineup in 80th with a time of 22:52.90.
The Lady Sandites scored 306 points, finishing just three behind 11th-place Ponca City and eight ahead of 13th-place Booker T. Washington.
Owasso claimed the girls regional championship with 55 points, followed by Jenks with 78 and Westmoore with 104.
Westmoore sophomore Elliot Coleman won the individual championship in 17:30.70.
Sand Springs' girls lineup featured four sophomores and two juniors, meaning all six runners will be eligible to return next season.
Three headed to state Although neither Sand Springs team advanced as a group, Higgins, Caden Ketcher and Bozone will carry the Sandites' hopes into the Class 6A state championships Oct. 31.
For Ketcher, the state meet will mark the final championship opportunity of his high school cross country career.