Sheehy leads Bobcats to a second-place finish

UNION — The La Grande cross country team returned to action at the Catherine Creek Scamper Saturday. The boys team had a strong showing, placing fifth overall out of 16 teams. The girls’ team only took two varsity runners to the meet.

The Tigers finished with 131 points, while the Hermiston Bulldogs won it with a final score of 56. The Union Bobcats placed second with 81 points after winning the event last year.

“I thought we ran really well,” La Grande head coach Laura Schwartz said. “Last season we peaked right after this race, and I think we are on pace to do that again this season.”

La Grande’s Emmerson Hovekamp came in 26th place at 21:16, and Lee Hopper crossed the finish line at 21:56.

On the girls’ side, Mollie Shaw finished in the top-10 with a time of 25:38.

“The team has looked good this season,” Schwartz said. “Coaches from other teams have made comments that they look in really good shape. I can tell they worked hard this summer, and it’s starting to pay off.”

The host team, Union, showcased what a powerhouse does — beat up on bigger competition.

Tom Sheehy of Union won the boys heat with a final time of 19:02.

“Tom got out well, and built a pretty solid lead,” Steve Sheehy said. “Tom is such a strong runner, he likes to push the pace early.

“As he gets stronger, he’ll be able to push the pace later in the races.”

Class 5A Hermiston took both the boys and girls team titles with 56 and 18 points, respectively.

Union finished in second on the boy’s side with 81 points.

Kate Stewart led the Union girls with a fifth-place finish.

“She ran a very focused race,” Sheehy said. “She is as good or better than anyone in the last part of the race.”

For full results of the meet, go to www.athletic.net.

Next up on the schedule for La Grande and Union is one of the biggest races around, the Bob Firman Invite in Boise, Idaho. Schwartz said she estimates that more than 4,000 runners will be there to compete at the race.

Team scores

Girls

1. Hermiston 18 2. Middleton 58 3. Vale 78 4. Nyssa 95  5. Baker 111

Boys

 1. Hermiston 56 2. Union 81 3. Middleton 94 4. Nyssa 118 5. La Grande 131 6. Greenleaf 135 7. Baker 154 8. New Plymouth 168 9. Umatilla 178 10. Mac Hi 238 11. Condon/Wheeler 328