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Local runners shine in cross country meet

Sointula-Tyke girls winner bounces back after nasty fall in previous year's run
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Dexter Lash-Burrows of Sointula's A.J. Elliot School leads Eagle View classmates Jaylon Grenier and Steven Williamson to the finish line in the peewee boys race

SOINTULA — Silkence Williams was much happier with the way this year's Districtwide elementary school cross country running meet went. And her first-place finish in the Tyke Girls race made it even better.

In her first try at the event a year ago, the Grade 3 student at A.J. Elliott, took a nasty tumble and wound up finishing well back of the pack, in 30th place.

"My legs were all scraped up and I got scratches on my arms," she said.

This time, she was all smiles after starting behind the leaders and bolting to the front to stay midway through the 1.5-kilometre event.

The local school got a second victory when Dexter Lash-Burroughs held off teammates Jaylon Grenier and Steven Williamson of Port Hardy's Eagle View Elementary by one and three seconds, respectively, in the Pee Wee Boys race over a longer, 2.6-kilometre course.

A third Sointula runner, Hope McClendon, running for Port McNeill's Sunset Elementary, won the Pee Wee Girls race.

Sunset got another win from Joey Grant in the Tyke Boys event.

Eagle View got a pair of wins in the bantam class, with Patrick Miller winning the boys race and Laura Chilson winning a girls race that drew just two participants.

Mike Kent was the only Open class runner.