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Chiefs grab 9th in Kalispell

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KALISPELL — The Chiefs got their chance to run against some of the best in the state Saturday as they were in action at the Flathead Invitational in Kalispell. Racing against six Class AA schools in a field of 11, the Chiefs managed to earn a ninth-place finish with a total of 208 points.

“It’s tough to compete against those Class AA schools, they are just deeper than us,” Ronan coach Gale Decker said. “They just have more athletes to choose from.”

While the Class AA schools dominated the race, the Chiefs finished third among the small schools there. Ronan’s total of 208 points was just 17 points behind Browning (191) and 30 points behind Columbia Falls (178).

“Our first five boys did an outstanding job of staying together as a pack,” Decker said. “A separation of only 41 seconds from number one to number five is outstanding. We were right on the heels of Browning and Columbia Falls in team scores and both of those teams should be in the hunt for a state championship next month.”

Cody Johnson led the way for the Chiefs with a time of 18:26, good enough to earn him 36th place in the field of 78 runners.

Kevin Wroblewski finished 39th with a time of 18:33 while Justin Dusty Bull made his return from a broken wrist with a 43rd-place finish and a time of 18:50. 

“Justin has had very little training coming into this race after breaking his arm. He’s been riding a bicycle for his practice, but he is able to run again now that he is in a soft cast,” Decker said. “I expect him to improve quickly now that he can train again.”

Brady Oakland also ran his first race of the season for the Chiefs and finished 50th with a time of 19:03. Danny Romero finished 53rd with a time of 19:07, Jordan Franklin was 67th with a time of 19:56 and Edmond Dupuis was 72nd with a time of 20:34.

According to Decker, finally having the team back at full strength should only lead to better performances for the Chiefs down the road.

“Having them all back again and running in a pack is good for us. It will also help keep practices competitive, which will do nothing but make us better,” he said.

“Our goal is to finish in the top three at state this year,” Decker said. “It is an attainable goal for us, but there are a lot of teams out there with the same ability as us and with the same goal.”

The Chiefs will get the chance to test themselves against the best in the state Saturday as they run at the Mountain West Classic in Missoula.

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