By RYAN WALKER

The six schools in Wells’ and Adams’ Counties got together for the bi-county cross country conditioner on Tuesday, and Norwell and Bluffton made its mark.

The bi-county conditioner for Adams’ and Wells’ cross country teams squared off in a six-team Hokum Karem race the at Norwell High School. Above, the Knight girls hold their first-place trophy in the girls’ race and below, the Tiger boys show their trophy for winning their race.

In a Hokum Karem-style race, the Knight girls blew away the competition with four of the top five pairings crossing the finish line to take first. Tigers’ top duo Levi Johns and Jude Baumgartner led the team to a first-place finish with only two minutes of separation between them and Bellmont.

Hokum Karem is a race where teams pair two runners together in a relay, where one is running one mile and the other awaits to be tagged and takes off for his/her mile. There are six turns per group for a total of three miles per runner.

The six schools are very familiar with one another, competing in races throughout the season, and meeting up at the sectional later in the year. It makes for a friendly middle-of-the-week workout for teams to go for bragging rights.

“Seeing everybody is always fun,” Bluffton head coach Michael Vanderkolk said. “We see these teams all the time. We’re all in the same sectional now, and most of us are in one conference. You really do become supporters of each other. It’s nice talking to the other coaches and cheering on the other runners. It’s a tough sport and having that type of support is huge. I respect what these programs do.”

Bluffton’s Levi Johns crossed the finish line at 31:52 and taps his watch to record his time, which was good for first place with partner Jude Baumgartner.

Head coach Vanessa Hannie and her Knights were the overall champion again in an impressive effort.

“It feels good,” Hannie said. “The girls have worked hard. For them to build some strength in their miles and see what they have. Typically we’ll do some sort of workout throughout the week, and this is their workout day. They showed up and they did well.”

Norwell’s Mia Kurtz strides forward toward the end of her first mile during the bi-county conditioner.

For Norwell, Ashley Tucker and Ashley Waldman finished second overall together. Freshman pairing of Mia Kurtz and Mya Oatess along with Reagan Wilson and Brooklyn Meyer went 3-4 in the race. The four groups of Knights were only outdone by Adams Central’s Madison Gerber and Addison Gilbert.

Bluffton’s top pair was Cora Kunkel and Kierstynn Reed, who placed fifth overall. For Southern Wells, it was Marianne Pease and Sarah McFarren in ninth.

Southern Wells’ Kelton Barr (right) runs past partner Jarin Frauhiger in the background.

The rest of the girls’ team results were Adams Central in second, Bluffton third, Bellmont fourth, Southern Wells fifth and South Adams sixth.

Johns and Baumgartner beat out the hosting Norwell Knights’ top group of Gavin Threewits and Gage Reinhard.

Raiders’ Marianne Pease finishes the first of her three miles at the meet.

Vanderkolk wanted Johns and Baumgartner to have an opportunity to defend the same title it won last season at the event in 2023.

For the rest of the Tigers’ runners, it was all about working together and finishing the race and posting good times. It’s been their strategy over the past two seasons, ending races strong from top to bottom rather than relying on the front of the pack. A couple of ACAC trophies and a sectional came with it.

Bluffton’s Kierstynn Reed paces herself through the second mile of the meet.

The conditioner is a good experience for teams to not only compete with familiar faces but to get a better workout during the week than normal, and Bluffton enjoyed every second of it.

“Anytime you can get out, compete and get a win is just a huge confidence booster,” Vanderkolk said. “Especially in a meet like this where that sixth runner is paramount. It’s truly a testament to our depth. It’s nice to see the whole team coming around and picking each other up.”

Norwell’s Gavin Threewits (left) gets to go-ahead from teammate Gage Reinhard, going for their second mile.

The rest of the boys’ team results were Bellmont in second, Norwell third, South Adams fourth, Adams Central fifth and Southern Wells sixth.

Southern Wells’ top pair was Kelton Barr and Jarin Frauhiger in eighth.

ryan@news-banner.com

Pairings for each school

Boys

Bluffton: Levi Johns and Jude Baumgartner (first overall at 31:53.1), Aidan Graves and Jackson Rockwell (eighth at 34:23.4), Ryan Schlagenhauf and Griffin Linderwell (12th at 35:37.6), Andy Baumgartner and Manning Nash (13th at 36:33.7) and Clayton Brubaker and Owen Lesh (20th at 39:18.7).

Norwell: Gage Reinhard and Gavin Threewits (second overall at 32:36.9), Kayden Robbins and John Baxter (11th at 35:32.7), Zathan Westfall and James Springer (16th at 37:18.0), Parker McCartney and Greyson Shoemaker (23rd at 40:14.7) and Wyatt Lukins, Chase Behning and Parker Behning (28th at 46:21.3).

Southern Wells: Jarin Frauhiger and Kelton Barr (ninth overall at 34:24.3), Colter Kiel and Peyton Ellis (15th at 36:42.4), Kane Jenkins and Miles Garrett (21st at 39:19.2) and Daniel Escudero Isasi and Braden Yencer (24th at 41:07.0).

Girls

Bluffton: Cora Kunkel and Kierstyn Reed (5th overall at 41:56.4), Reagan Harris and Dakota Lee (11th at 45:21.5), Briana Ortiz and Amarah Robles (15th at 46:39.2) and Juaneliz Rivera Torres and Chloe Lesh (22nd at 51:15.6).

Norwell: Ashley Tucker and Ashley Waldman (second overall at 39:53.9), Mia Kurtz and Mya Oatess (third at 40:42.5), Reagan Wilson and Brooklyn Meyer (fourth at 41:18.1) and Addison Meyer and Macy Oatess (eighth at 43:22.4)

Southern Wells: Marianne Pease and Sarah McFarren (ninth overall at 43:36.4), Keely Miller and Kameron Hawkins (20th at 50:15.4) and Gracie and Chanie Mounsey (24th at 54:47.6).

Bluffton will be at Manchester’s invitational at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 while both Norwell and Southern Wells will be at the Marion Invitational at 8:30 a.m. the same day.

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