Short-handed Bolts headline area boys at Tigerhawk Invitational – Newton Daily News

But the reason for the drop is mostly due to injury.

The Bolts were missing two of their top five runners at the Tigerhawk Invitational on Thursday but still finished fourth in the team standings after a pair of top-five individual finishes at Kelly Fields.

Saydel’s Gage Moreno won the boys’ 5K race in 16 minutes, 25.52 seconds and teammate Jacob McPherren was the runner-up in 16:29.31.

Sam Wilhelm (22:56.58) and Levi Gregory (24:17.75) were non-scoring runners in 75th and 87th, respectively.

Bonney, Russell and Wilhelm posted career-best times and Gregory made his varsity debut.

Hayden Flaherty (21:47.75) and Gabe Miller (22:13.79) were the final scoring runners in 59th and 63rd, respectively.

Flaherty, Miller, Thompson and Klingel also ran career-best times.

The Tigerhawks scored as a team for the first time this season. After Wilkins in seventh was Willie Fitzgerald (20:56.03) in 49th with a career-best time.

Benjamin Faidley (23:15.79), Ryan Moore (24:13.7) and Asher Knutson (28:14.6) were the final scoring runners in 82nd, 86th and 107th, respectively. Milo Knutson (31:58.87) made his varsity debut and placed 116th.

Notes: It was a night of career-best times for the Newton JV squad. “I love seeing when hard work pays off, and these guys have been putting in the work,” Newton head boys cross country coach Steve Weeks said. “I want to have a huge shout out to Emerson Cook, who is really starting to believe what I have been telling him about his ability. He’s really closed the gap with Chase Lundberg and Hudson Swarts. First-year runner Tyler Thompson has really benefited from some tough workouts and it’s showing, and (Miller) ran through some issues to still break his record. (Klingel) is getting the 5K figured out.”