The high school cross country season is up and running with the Falcons having competed at three meets over the course of just 10 days.

After running in events hosted by Shadow Mountain and Chandler High School, as well as hosting a massive home meet, the Falcons will soon be on their way to California to take part in the annual Woodridge Classic.

This meet draws thousands of athletes from California and surrounding states for two days of intense competition.

After that, the Falcons will be back to competing in Arizona, set to take part in a Desert Mountain meet beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23.

The first meet of 2015 was hosted by Shadow Mountain on Sept. 2. Along with the host team, the Falcons squared off against their fellow visitors from Saguaro and Coronado.

“We used this first meet as more of a workout than a race, as I wanted the team to concentrate on the Chandler invite [three days later],” said head coach Todd Brecto.

That Chandler event was held at Tumbleweed Park and, rather than the standard varsity/JV format, events were run based on grade level.

“In the boys’ freshmen race, Lucas Elwood earned a medal placing 25th with a time of 19:02,” Brecto said, adding that the event was a great start for the remaining freshmen boys, Joey Vitalerro, Matt McDonald and Jack Radcliff.

The sophomore boys had three compete. Wesley Smout was the top finisher for the Falcons at a time of 22:20, with Parker Smout and Kade Kirkham coming in at 23:06 and 29:45, respectively.

Without any freshmen girls on the team, Sydney Larson was the first Falcon sophomore to cross the finish line at 26:11, good enough for 79th place. Rebecca Worden was next at 30:40, followed by Danielle Hixson at 35:10.

“The girls juniors did a great job, placing fourth as a team,” Brecto added.

Isabelle Clausen came in 15th overall at 21:37, followed by Danica Kerr at 22:40, Kailee Martins at 23:15, Alexandra Coons at 23:16 and Hope Brecto at 24:07.

Only two seniors ran for the Falcons, with boys Ryder Worden finishing at 19:06 and Jordan Smout crossing the finish line with a time of 20:59.

Home meet

Anyone who happened to drive past Fountain Park early Saturday morning, Sept. 12, likely noticed the thousands of runners and spectators who descended upon Fountain Hills to take part in the first home meet of the season.

Visitors tend to enjoy the local event because, without needing to move, you can see the start and finish of the race, with competitors passing by multiple times on their way around the park.

The varsity girls squad place 13th overall, led by Isabelle Clausen at 21:20, good enough for 37th place.

Alexandra Coons was next at 22:17, followed by Kailee Martin at 23:37. Danica Kerr crossed the finish line at 24:06, with Hope Brecto at 24:35 and Elizabeth Smout at 26:32.

The varsity boys took 25th overall, with Ryder Worden leading the team at 82nd place overall and a final time of 18:32. Lucas Elwood was next at 19:22, followed by Jordan Smout at 20:22. Cody Walter’s was fourth for the Falcons at 20:26, with Jorden Klein finishing at 20:42 and Josh Denham finishing at 21:17.

The remainder of the Falcons took part in the freshman/sophomore or junior/senior open events.

“Overall, I am pleased with the performances the Fountain Hills athletes have had,” Brecto said.

“I think they will continue to improve throughout the season and peak at just the right time for sectionals and state.”