“Coming into the HOL Conference meet the Perham boys and girls had a streak that is pretty much older than everyone on the team,” commented Head Coach Jeff Morris. “It is crazy to think about all the runners on all the teams that have won HOL titles. It is so much fun. Tonight the boys would have their hand full with WCA who has been ranked #1 in the state all year. Currently, the boys are ranked 6th, with a ton of newcomers to championship varsity racing, but we raced extremely well and it was definitely fun to have the opportunity to run against the best especially with our season concluding at the section championships next week.”

Leading the way for the ‘Jackets was Jakob McCleary who captured the HOL conference crown after recovering from mono just 2 weeks ago. Carson Hespe 4th and Micah Thompson 11th both earned All-Conference honors. Bjorn Anderson, Carter Flatau, and Caden Doll were 18, 20, and 21 which is just outside the All-Conference team. “The 3 that we have nicknamed the Littles (as they are 2 8th graders and 1 9th) are just exceeding so much of our expectations. They are a special group and are not afraid to mix it up with the best in the conference. Senior captain Elijah Morris ran a season-best and rounded out the Top 7 finishing 24th overall. The boys lost the HOL crown but competed with intensity and courage today. We are so happy for WCA to win their first HOL crown, but we definitely have some motivation to start a new streak next year, which is what makes this rivalry so fun. We would have loved to see them one more time at the state meet but will have to wait till next year due to the MSHSL's decision to not have any post-season event past the Section meet.”

The Perham JV boys won by a huge margin with first-year XC runner Aiden Kennedy the JV champion and 8th grader Brody Evenson finishing close behind in 3rd place. Brayden Glorivigen post a top 5 finish and PR to give Perham a nice 1,2,3 punch.

Next up the girls faced off against Hawley who defeated Perham 2 weeks ago in Hawley and WCA who beat them in Staples back in September. “When talking to the girls before the race you could definitely tell they were a little unsure, but by the end of the race, no one was unsure who came out on top,” stated Coach Morris. “Totally redeeming earlier season loses, the Lady Jackets put 5 runners in the Top 8 to give them a 35 point margin over Hawley. The ‘Jackets had 6 girls earn All-Conference honors.” Gracie Morris led them with a 3rd place finish overall. Liz Birkeland, Kaia Starzl, Mya Morris, and Aspen Rhode finished 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th overall. Quincy Anderson was 12th overall also earning All-Conference. Mia Lung rounded out the Top 7 just one spot away from earning All-Conference. “Today was pretty special as for a lot of seniors it was the last race of their career, so it was definitely exciting to keep the HOL conference streak alive and have tons of girls run their PR,” shared Coach Morris. “This year has been tough for our girls, because we thrive on pack running. With the limited numbers in races, it has made that strategy difficult. However, the girls responded by keeping our pack tight through the race. This made it the 17 straight HOL Conference title for the girls and as coaches, we couldn't be prouder of how well they competed.”

The JV boys also won big with LeeLou Novotny winning followed close behind by Lauryn Rustad.

“We are so excited to compete in the Section Championship in Bagley,” added Morris. “The boys run Tuesday and the girls follow Wednesday.”

Boys’ Results
1. West Central Area 32, 2. Perham 54, 3. Frazee 100, 4. DGF 133, 5. Breckenridge-Wahpeton 154, 6. Thief River Falls 159, 7. Lake Park-Audubon 173, 8. Hawley 175, 9. Pelican Rapids 180
Top 10 individuals
1. Jakob McCleary (PER) 16:49.6, 2. Kyle Schill (WCA) 17:02.8, 3. Kade Runge (WCA) 17:05.1, 4. Carson Hespe (PER) 17:16.3, 5. Alex Salwasser (WCA) 17:24.1, 6. Aidan Ruddy (B-W) 17:27.1, 7. Charlie Larson (PR) 17:37.1, 8. Nathan Johannsen (FRA) 17L39.9, 9. Reubens Swanson (WCA) 17:51.6, 10. Christian Carlson (FRA)

Full results can be found here:
https://www.gsetiming.com/results/cc_rslts/cc_rslts.asp?meet_id=758&sport=Cross-Country&rslts_page=overall_rslts.asp

Girls’ Results
1. Perham 28, 2. Hawley 63, 3. West Central Area 79, 4. Lake Park-Audubon 88, 5. Breckenridge-Wahpeton 162, 6. Frazee 163,7. Pelican Rapids 182, 8. Thief River Falls 185

Top 10 individuals
1. Lexi Bright (WCA) 19:37.5, 2. Lily Olson (HAW) 20:11.9, 3. Gracie Morris (PER) 20:19.6, 4. Liz Birkeland (PER) 20:30.6, 5. Taytum Nelson (LPA) 20:35.4, 6. Kaia Starzl (PER) 20:35.7, 7. Mya Morris (PER) 20:51.6, 8. Aspen Rohde (PER) 20:52.0, 9. Ingrid Rustad (HAW) 20:57.0, 10. Lily Peterson (HAW) 20:58.6