The Powell High School cross country teams traveled to Cody Friday for the Foxes and Hounds meet, with the Panthers placing third; the Lady Panthers finished fourth in the six-team meet.

“Overall the kids got out there and did their best,” said PHS head coach Cliff Boos. “It got so windy and wet out there, but fortunately it was on the golf course, so we had a little cover there with all the trees.”

Panther junior Joey Hernandez finished seventh overall for the boys, with a time of 18:19.41. Kayla Kolpitcke was the top finisher for the Lady Panthers, placing 10th with a time of 21:14.73.

Owen Preston of Cody finished in the top spot for boys with a time of 16:40.07, while Cody’s Riley Smith was first on the girls’ side with a time of 19:15.35.

Lady Panthers

Sophomore Kabrie Cannon was second among Lady Panther finishers and 13th overall with a time of 21:43.28. Cannon’s time was just 30 seconds behind Kolpitcke, and the two teammates continue to push each other in practice and in competition.

“Kabrie Cannon has always been running second behind Kayla [Kolpitcke] all season, but she keeps closing the gap, which is great to see,” Boos said. “She [Cannon] had a two-minute improvement from last year at this meet, which is outstanding. She’s running in the 21s now also, so that’s where we need her to be.”

Cannon was followed by Karina Boreen, who finished 21st with a time of 23:07.25. Teammate Kaitlyn Decker was 34th with a time of 24:26.54.

Elisa Polson rounded out the top five, finishing 37th with a time of 25:00.51.

“Elisa knocked 90 seconds off her time from last year, which is really good,” Boos said.

Panthers

On the boys’ side, Boos said Hernandez continues to improve, and is showing a work ethic in practice rivaled by few on the team. Hernandez finished seventh with a time of 18:19.41.

“Joey is really running well, he looks like he’s really on a mission,” Boos said. “It’s nice to see how’s he’s getting really organized and fired up to do as well as he can with conference and state coming up.”

Senior Dylan Cordes, who was plagued by medical issues last season, is beginning to hit his stride. He posted a 12th-place finish in Cody with a time of 18:55.71.

“It’s so good to see him [Cordes] running finally, and he’s running well,” Boos said. “He’s working really hard in practice, and it’s starting to pay off for him.”

Freshman Daniel Merritt finished 14th, posting a time of 19:05.26, while Cole Frank was 21st with a time of 19:28.42.

“It’s so good to see a freshman doing so well,” Boos said of Merritt. “And Cole Frank has been consistent all season.”

Lane Franks was 25th with a time of 19:40.72.

Junior Tyler Pfiefer, still nursing an injury, was sidelined for the Foxes and Hounds meet, and Boos said a timetable for his return is still up in the air.

“We’ll listen to the doctor’s advice; whatever he recommends is what we’ll do,” he said. “Lots of rest in Tyler’s future for sure, and we’ll see how he’s able to repair himself.”

The PHS cross country teams host their home invite Friday at the Powell Golf Club. Boos said he’s keeping an eye on the weather, and so far he’s not encouraged by the forecast. If the PGC deems the ground too cold to run on, there is a route set up at Homesteader Park that would fit the bill. All that remains then is the possibility of snow.

“They’re calling for a high of 31 degrees for our meet on Friday, so who knows what’s ahead there,” he said. “There were years gone by when I first got into this coaching business that we had two years in a row that our invitational was canceled because of blizzards. Hopefully that won’t be the case. But we’ll have a secondary plan, just in case.”