Kayla Kolpitcke, the top runner for the PHS girls cross country team, came in 12th place at the state meet with a time of 20:15 and Alan Merritt, the top runner for the boys’ team, came in 13th with a time of 17:17.

The top nine girls and eight boys from the Powell High School Cross Country team traveled to Sheridan to compete in the state competition on Saturday.

PHS students Kolpitcke, Kabrie Cannon, Hailee Hyde, Madelyn Horton, Elisa Polson, Jenna Merritt and Tegan Lovelady ran in the Girls 3A race. Abby Landwehr and Jozi Simpson came as alternates.

Alan Merritt, Jayden Yates, Tyler Pfeifer, Joey Hernandez, Lane Franks, Dylan McEvoy, and Riley Schiller ran in the Boys 3A race. Jace Bohlman came as an alternate.

Yates covered the 5K course and placed 18th with a time of 17:29, followed by  Pfeifer (22nd, 17:50), Hernandez (26th, 17:58, (Franks 68th, 19:18, Schiller (85th, 19:48) and McEvoy (88th, 19:56).

The Panther Cross Country team placed fifth out of 15.

“The best part about state was the first couple seconds before the gun went off,” Franks said. “The hardest part of the race was doubt that you ran with that was questioning you if you could go any farther and once you said you could make it, you pushed even harder.”

The Lady Panthers placed 13th out of 15 teams.

Cannon came in 51st with a time of 22:33. Behind her were Hyde (82nd, 24:44), Horton ( 83rd, 24:45), Polson (87th, 25:29), Merritt (91st, 26:08) and Lovelady (103rd, 29:44).

“[The race] felt better because it was the last one and [we] don’t have to run anymore,” Cannon said, laughing.

Three seniors competed for PHS. Merritt has ran cross country since seventh grade.Yates placed 18th at state and has been running cross country since tenth grade. McEvoy has also been running since seventh grade.

“The thing I will miss the most is competing at my best ability,” Merritt said. “It is a great feeling to finish a race and know that you worked as hard as you could.”

For the seniors, this was their last race with PHS.

“My best memory from the season was when I found out I would be running at state,” McEvoy said. “This is also my best memory from all years of doing cross country.”

The previous Friday, the team competed in Lander for Regionals.

Merritt and Kolpitcke were both awarded All Conference with Merritt finishing 10th with a time of 17.42 and Kolpitcke finishing 7th with a time of 21:09.

For many of the runners, the state meet was about more than just running. It was also about having fun.

“The best part was being able to run for my school and hanging out with all my teammates and friends,” Yates said. “Playing games and horsing around on the bus was pretty chaotic at times.”

To and from Sheridan the bus was filled with chaos, as usual. Apple and sugar fights broke out, along with a prank war, a very intense game of tennis involving sweaty feet and lots of spit and sugar highs that lasted for hours on end. At the hotel, the sky bridge above the road was shaking from the runners dancing to the loud music and at the course, a GoPro camera was catching every moment in between warming up and finishing the race.

Landwehr said the best part of state was “definitely the sky bridge. The view of the town was beautiful and it was really fun listening to music with the team up there.”

The sky bridge in the Best Western in Sheridan goes over the road below and connects the lobby of the hotel on one side to the pool and rooms on the other side. It was a favorite for many PHS runners.

“The best part of state was talking with people and the sky bridge,” Schiller said.

Merritt gives one last word of advice to his team.

“Believe it or not, before I started cross country, could hardly run down the street before I got tired,” Merritt said. “My parents convinced me to give it a try in seventh grade, but I was sure I would not like it.

“Now, six  years later, it is one of the highlights of my high school career. Moral of the story: don’t be afraid to try hard things. The hardest things are usually the most worthwhile.”