The Ruston Bearcats swept both the boys and girls divisions of the North Louisiana Championships on Thursday at Lincoln Parish Park. For the Bearcat boys team it was a dominating performance as five Ruston runners were in the top ten.
As has been the case all season, the Bearcats, were led by Thomas Rogers, who won with a commanding time of 15:25. Ruston sophomore Taylor Roller was second at 16 :04. Loyola's Tripp Roemer, who returned from an injury last week with a win at the Willis Knighton Palmetto Classic in Benton, continued to improve with a third place finish at 16:08.
Other runners in the top five for Ruston were Landon Byrd (5th; 16:09), Joshua Daulton (6th; 16:45), and Liam Lowe (9th; 16:57).
Ruston's score was 23 points.
"Overall, I was really pleased with the boys' performance," Ruston head coach Dustin Cochran said. "I thought we got a number of really awesome performances from kids up and down the roster. This time of year, it's all about placement in races. This race featured a lot of kids who have run really well this year. We are very happy that we were able to put 11 guys in the top 25 of the "district" meet. I think it speaks volumes about the work all these kids are putting in. They really in this together and above all else, that's really important."
In the girls' division, Ruston's win was not quite as decisive. The Lady Bearcats, who scored 33 points, were led by junior Parker Nations, who was the runner-up with a time of 19:46.
Other Ruston runners finishing in the top ten included Zoie Holstead (6th; 20:59), Hallie Hebert (7th; 21:13).
"I'm very glad that the girls got it done and won the meet yesterday," Cochran said. "That was a lot of fun to watch them compete. Anytime you get to win something like district, it's special. It hasn't been the easiest year for them and a lot of things haven't went their way. But, dealing with some adversity and still succeeding even when it doesn't go exactly how you envisioned it goes a long way in life and I think it really builds awesome character. They're learning every day and getting a lot better. I really hope they're proud of themselves and this will be something they can look back on as they get older and have some really fond memories.
Alexandria's Raegan Monroe won the girls' title with a time of 19:22.
West Ouachita (59 points) finished second in the girls' division and Cedar Creek (65 points) finished third.
Ruston will return to Lincoln Parish Park next Thursday for the Division I Region I Championships before closing out the season on Monday, November 13 at the Ochsner Health LHSAA State Cross Country Championships.