Three VR Runners Guide Sardis to FV Cross Country Title

Three Valley Royal runners propelled Sardis Secondary School to the Fraser Valley Senior Boys team title over the 6,300-meter course …..

Three Valley Royal runners propelled Sardis Secondary School to the Fraser Valley Senior Boys team title over the 6,300-meter course in the meet held a week ago Wednesday in the pouring rain at White Rock’s Crescent Beach Park.

Kristian Biela was fourth, Tanner Geary came fifth and Daniel James in eighteenth place, were the three Valley Royal athletes on the Sardis team.  Owen Wright, the only non-club runner who was a scoring member of the Sardis team, placed 20th in the field of 157 runners. 

Sardis scored 32 points to edge out second place Walnut Grove (37 points) with Semiahmoo well back in 3rd (68 pts.).  Sixteen teams scored points in the senior boys race.  

It was an excellent team effort for Sardis and by far Biela’s best performance in cross country.   Geary, who was still feeling the affects of the BC Athletics CC Championship held just four days prior ran a strong race despite his tiredness.  Daniel James, who is in grade 10 and eligible for the junior boys competition, took part in the senior boys run to assure that Sardis would win the team championship. 

In the junior girl’s 4,700m competition grade nine runner Rachel Mortimer finished with a very creditable third place.  Mortimer stayed in close contact through most of the race but lost a little ground over the final 500 meters.  Unfortunately, Mortimer may have sustained a leg injury on the very slippery course and might have to miss Saturday’s BC HS Championship.

Other performances recorded by Valley Royal athletes saw Kate Sokolowski place 15th and Erica Johnston 21st in the senior girls competition, Parmvir Waring was 12th in the senior boys race and Gurleen Gill came 15th in the junior girls run.

All the above Valley Royal runners have qualified to run for their perspective schools in this Saturday’s BC High School Championships that take place at Jericho Beach Park in Vancouver.