The Laramie Plainsmen dominated the 4A boys division for their third consecutive team title at the 2014 Wyoming State Cross Country Championships.

LHS placed five runners in the top 12 on the V-A Hospital Course in Sheridan last Saturday. In fact, the entire team finished in the top 18.

Junior Chris Henry kept the individual 5K championship in the family, as he topped the 82-man field in a time of 15:33.79.

Henry said coming down the stretch, “It felt amazing. I was really happy…  I need to just make sure I keep my lead; who knows what will happen in that straightaway; just a great feeling being able to do it all.”

Chris is the second straight member of the henry family to take the top honor. Older brother Jonah won last year’s 4-a race.

Henry said, “There was definitely like, a lot of pressure and motivation coming into the race.  I wanted to be able to live up to my brother’s, the goals he set for me. Throughout the race, I was thinking Jonah did it last year; I want to continue that legacy.”

The Plainsmen scored 28 points to easily top the 4A boy’s field. Runner-up Rock Springs was second with 96 points. Evanston ended up third with 98 points.

Junior Jacob Morgan came in fourth place, while senior Jonathon Freeman was tenth. Then, freshman Albert Steiner and junior Cas Sheridan finished 11th and 12th, respectively.

All that equated to a third straight team win. It was the most dominant performance in terms of margin of victory by lhs over this three-year stretch. In the previous two years, the Plainsmen won by only four and 16 points.

On the ladies side, Laramie ended up in fifth place with 108 points. It brought to an end a three-year run of top two finishes.

Sophomore Maria Smith-Lopez was the top finisher for the Lady Plainsmen in seventh place. She covered the 5K distance in 19:21.66

Overall, the top five teams in the 4A girl’s race were separated by only 24 points. Gillette edged Rock Springs by one point, 84-to-85, for the team crown.

The Lady Tigers’ senior Karli Piaia won the girls race in 18:35.11.

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