XC season wraps up for Trojans

The Morgan High School cross country teams competed at the 3A State Cross Country Championships at Sugar House Park on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. The boys team arrived fresh off a Region 13 Title and with senior EJ Lee as the top Region 13 runner. They aimed to contend for a state title in a highly competitive field, while the girls team sought to improve on their 11th-place finish from 2023.

Despite a day that began with snow and ended in sun, the cold, wet conditions persisted throughout. For the boys team, the race didn’t unfold as planned, and they finished fifth overall, mirroring last year’s result. Canyon View, Grantsville, Ogden, and Carbon placed ahead of them.

The girls team achieved an impressive improvement, climbing to eighth place in 2024. Each returning runner who competed at state in 2023 significantly bettered their time. Carbon claimed the team title, overcoming Emery, Richfield, Union, and Canyon View.

Sophomore Alexis Cox led the girls with a 13th-place finish (20:22.82), nearly a minute faster than her 2023 time and advancing from her 23rd-place finish last year.

Sophomore Brooklyn Guymon, competing in her first state championship, scored second for Morgan, finishing 24th in 21:26.78. Senior Brooke Williford followed closely, placing 25th in 21:33.81. Williford’s performance reflected a notable improvement – she dropped almost two minutes from her 2023 time, advancing from 58th place.

Senior Brooklyn Hill, also made improvements, reducing her 2023 time by about two minutes and finishing 31st with a time of 21:51.35, up from 63rd last year. Freshman Ingrid Campbell rounded out the top five, finishing the course in 22:46.38 to place 57th.

Juniors Joesi Kelly (23:19.56) and Reese Richardson (23:25.77) ran sixth and seventh for Morgan. Richardson’s performance was especially remarkable; she shaved over two minutes off her previous year’s time and improved her placement by 15 spots.

For the boys team, each runner bettered both their times and placements from 2023, helping them secure fifth place overall. Senior EJ Lee led the way, finishing fifth individually with a time of 16:16.23. He improved from his 8th-place finish last year, trimming almost 20 seconds from his 2023 time. Summit Academy’s Kade McGovern (15:35.51), Ogden’s Bradley Ekstrom  (15:48.02), and Canyon View’s Thomas Daniels and Logan Hadley finished ahead of him.

Senior Maverick Guymon, the second scorer for the Trojans, placed 13th with a time of 16:44.53, a 23-second improvement that boosted him from 21st place last year. Junior Henry Rose, the third scorer, finished in 17:24.81, eight seconds faster than his 2023 time.

Senior Esplan McClellan had a standout race, nearly a minute faster than last year. He placed 42nd with a time of 17:37.51, climbing from his 75th-place finish in 2023. Junior Jonas Archibald, the fifth scorer, finished in 17:39.41, shaving nearly 10 seconds off his 2023 time.

Juniors Enoch Johnson (17:45.53) and sophomore Caleb Lewis (18:30.30) rounded out the team’s performance at state, contributing to a memorable season for the Trojans.λ