Panthers host annual grade race

Pekin hosted the annual cross country grade races on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Waterworks Park in Fairfield.

Harper Guise was the lone Pekin runner in the seventh grade girls’ race, winning in a time of 11:40.96.

In the boys’ seventh grade race, Pekin won as a team and had all four runners finish in the top 10. Cael Silvers won in 9:57.89, Sam Hall was second in 10:16.29, Cody Silvers finished fourth in 10:34.51, and Liam Guise finished tenth in 11:31.44.

Pekin’s eighth grade girls finished third as a team. Callie Deutschle was the top runner for Pekin, finishing fifth in 11:42.92. Brinley Phillips finished seventh in 12:13.81, Alyssa Sylvester was eighth in 13:02.80, and Cambree Earnest was ninth in 13:07.88.

The eighth grade boys’ team finished first as a team and had the first place runner, with Mason Dahlstrom winning in a time of 9:07.09. Lane Fariss finished third in 9:31.34, Brody Sobaski was sixth in 10:15.94, Hayden Miller finished eighth in 10:26.13, and Clayton Harvey was 12th in 11:54.44.

Pekin’s freshmen girls’ team took second. Chloe Glosser finished second in 19:51.02 and Teagan Swearingen was eighth in 24:34.06.

In the boys’ freshman race, Pekin’s only runner was Cole Millikin who won in a time of 19:16.67.

Pekin’s sophomore girls’ team finished second with Brooke Sylvester finishing fourth in 22:43.77 and Renae Eubanks taking sixth in 24:54.71.

Pekin’s sophomore boys’ team was second with Brady McWhirter winning in 16:46.22 and Dylan Sobaski finishing ninth in 22:12.43.

The junior girls’ team finished second to Albia. Lauren Steigleder finished second in 20:30.48, Audrey Fariss was fifth in 22:16.45, and Lexi Swearingen finished seventh in 23:21.86.

Ben Guise was the lone Pekin runner in the boys’ junior race, finishing fourth in 19:55.60.

Brooke Miller was Pekin’s only runner in either senior race, winning the girls’ race in 22:05.08.