By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Hillsboro and Marion cross-country teams competed Thursday at Herington, and both came away with excellent finishes for their top runners.

Hillsboro wasn’t held back by limited numbers, as Emersyn Funk placed third in the girls race, and Moriah Jost followed in tenth. The boys also had a pair of top-10 finishers, with Levi Allen in fifth, and Tristan Reed sixth.

Marion’s Heidi Grimmett continued her steady performance with at time of 21:33.8 that placed her eighth in the girls race.

On the boys end there was improvement across the board, as every runner achieved a new personal best. Gavin Wasmuth led the Warriors with a 17:44.9, enough for ninth place. Tristen Dye and Christopher Berry also medaled for Marion. Dye’s time of 18:37.4 earned him 14th place, while Berry’s 18:51.9 placed him three spots behind.

Goessel’s individual runners didn’t experience the same results as their cross-county counterparts, but the Bluebirds excelled as a team Thursday, placing second as a team at Bennington.

“Team spirit is on the rise and I hope to see some relatively constant improvement,” Goessel coach Brandon Lewis said.

All three teams will descend on a common location Thursday for a meet in Marion that twists behind Marion Football Stadium.

Contributions to this story were made by Delbert Peters.