SAINT CROIX CENTRAL — Four top 10 finishes highlighted an eventful pair of races in Saint Croix Central that featured Spring Valley, Ellsworth and Elmwood/Plum City.

Spring Valley

The Spring Valley boys were the stars of the show, taking second as a team of seven qualified teams. The girls did not quite qualify with just four runners but showed some positive signs.

For the Cardinals it was junior Chase Glaus taking 10th, sophomore Drake Olszewski snatching 11th and freshman Bryson Hoolihan finding 13th that stole the show. Without a runner threatening for the top spot, it takes a balanced attack to get a high finish, and that’s what they got with all five runners finishing in the top half of the race.

The girls could not get a top half finisher, with the closest being Stella Mathison and Kate Cipriano in 37th and 38th.

Ellsworth

Ellsworth’s two top five boys were not enough to nab a top spot, falling to fifth but just three points out of third place. The girls had a top 10 finisher of their own but did not have enough racers to qualify in the standings.

The boys team has some high hopes this year, part of that being junior Adolfo Mendez and senior Ben Baker threatening to win every race. Mendez finished third at Saint Croix Central and Baker was fifth.

For the girls, freshman Mackenzie Hince was the highlight with a seventh-place finish. Spring Valley and Ellsworth both have girls teams without a senior which bodes well for the future. Ellsworth is even younger than the Cardinals, with the lineup rounding out with freshman Ceci Kleeves, sophomore Evie Peterson and sophomore Blakely Lucente.

EPC

EPC had three runners at the event, Mason Hocking taking 54th in the boys race, Taylor Asher taking 33rd in the girls race and Tessa Asher following her in 45th.

The Wolves have a small but mighty team, with senior Hocking, senior Taylor Asher and junior Tessa Asher making for an experienced squad.