While Sentinels senior Ella Fure won the girls race by exactly 19 seconds, her Marquette counterpart for the boys, senior Rorik Holmquist, held off senior teammate Peter Argeropoulos to win by barely 15 seconds.

Because of how important depth is in winning team titles in this sport, the Sentinels were runaway victors in each meet.

The Marquette girls finished with 25 points as runner-up Negaunee had 66. Kingsford was third with 82, followed by Stephenson with 83 and Westwood 103.

Four more girls squads didn’t field full teams — Manistique, Ishpeming, Menominee and Gwinn.

Marquette’s Ella Fure leads and would win the girls division of the Wildcat Open high school cross country meet held at the Northern Michigan University campus in Marquette on Friday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)

The Sentinels boys had an even better score, 20 points, as they had five of the first seven finishers. Westwood was runner-up with 62, while Negaunee was a close third with 68, Kingsford and Stephenson each had 125, and Manistique 139.

Not full teams came from Gwinn, Ishpeming and Menominee.

“I am so pleased with everyone’s effort … and thankful for the opportunity to coach you all,” MSHS head coach Kyle Detmers said in an email about the meet. “The season is off and running and (we’re) looking forward to steady improvement from everyone as we continue to stay positive, supportive and most of all, enjoy each and every day we have together as a team.”

He added that it was a warm and muggy day on the five-kilometer (3.1-mile) course despite being near the big lake.

The next big meet in the area will be the Queen City/Dale Phillips Invitational scheduled for Presque Isle Park in Marquette at 4 p.m. Thursday, with the Marquette County Meet to follow at the same time one Thursday later, also at Presque Isle.

Here are details from Friday’s meet:

Fure paces Marquette

Fure won the girls individual title in 20 minutes, 57.2 seconds, nearly 20 seconds ahead of second-place Maria Murvich, a sophomore from Kingsford, who clocked 21:16.2.

Marquette freshman Emma Ziegler burst on the scene by finishing third in 22:00.6, while the balance of the seven Sentinels runners all finished in the top 12.

MSHS sophomore Evelyn Grant was fifth in 22:35.5, junior Eryn Veverka ninth in 23:17.4, freshman Ava Cantway 10th in 23:28.7, junior Esme Ulland-Joy 11th in 23:34.4 and sophomore Olivia Koren 12th in 24:07.2.

With Menominee junior Winley Brandt placing fourth in 22:21.0, the only other top-12 finishers were Negaunee junior Keira Waterman, who came in sixth in 22:43.0, and Stephenson senior Faith Cappaert, seventh in 22:56.9.

After the Marquette runners, freshman Sophie Mahoski was Ishpeming’s top finisher in 15th in 25:03.0. Two Negaunee runners immediately followed, junior Riley Conklin 16th in 25:23.3 and freshman Brynn Wieciech 18th in 25:54.8.

Westwood’s five scoring runners all finished within nine places of each other, led by seniors Addy Hallum, 19th in 26:06.0, and Elizabeth King, 20th in 26:29.5.

Marquette was the only team entered in the JV meet with senior Zuri Brindle winning by less than five seconds in 25:34.2.

Holmquist tops MSHS effort

Holmquist led a group of four seniors at the top of the boys’ standings, clocking 16:34.2 and Argeropoulos runner-up in 16:49.3.

Negaunee’s Henry Plummer was third in 17:38.8 and the Sentinels’ Beepsee Teeple fourth in 18:04.8.

Then underclassmen slotted into the next five places.

After Kingsford junior Cavan Mulligan came in fifth in 18:26.3, Marquette sophomore Lake Skytta was sixth in 18:27.9 and MSHS junior Lucas Ballard seventh in 18:32.6.

The west end of Marquette County filled out the top 10 — Westwood freshman Calvin Carlson was eighth in 18:47.7, Ishpeming junior Kemper Gearhart ninth in 18:58.6 and Negaunee senior Simon Jaklin 10th in 19:00.2.

Marquette’s sixth runner, sophomore Welly Fillmore, came in 11th in 19:05.9, followed by Stephenson senior Canon Kuntze 12th in 19:20.4.

The next dozen finishers came from area schools, which included one from Manistique.

A trio of Westwood seniors placed 13th, 14th and 15th, with finishes in that order by Jared Waterman in 19:24.1, William Niemi in 20:29.8 and Johnny Jestila in 20:39.0.

Gwinn’s top finisher was next, freshman John Green 16th in 20:41.3, while Westwood senior Breckin Jensen was 17th in 20:48.9 and Manistique’s fastest runner, sophomore Kavin Jackson, 18th in 20:51.2.

The top 20 was rounded out by a pair of Miners, junior Joshua Frederick 19th in 21:05.5 and freshman Tyler Rautiola 20th in 21:11.6.

Marquette underpointed Negaunee in the JV meet, 16-42, with Sentinels’ senior Carson Wernholm winning by well over a minute in 18:51.7.

Story contents based on email received from Marquette cross country head coach Kyle Detmers and an examination of results at Superior Timing, www.superiortiming.com. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.