By By ADAM FISHER / Vigilant/Argus
In their best showing of the season, Niles finished second Saturday at the Buchanan Cross Country Classic. The Vikings were carried to second place by the legs of Logan Todd.
Todd won the Classic with a time of 16:58, his first race victory this season.
Todd finished well ahead of second-place finisher Paul DeWolfe from Schoolcraft, who finished in 17:03.
Also with a strong showing for Niles was Austin Neilson, who took third place for the Vikings with a time of 17:06.
The Vikings finished with a team total of 38. They were bested by meet-winners Three Rivers with 25 points.
Host Buchanan finished tied with Hartford for sixth place with a team total of 174. Edwardsburg took fifth with 129, and Cassopolis placed eighth with 220.
The Bucks' top runner was Harper Sulier, who finished 20th with a time of 18:37. Nick Wheetly finished 21st for Buchanan at 18:40.
In the girls' race, Niles' Samantha Brawley continued her strong season by taking third place. Her time of 21:07 was 26 seconds behind winner Katie House from Granger Christian.
The Vikings finished sixth in the girls' race with a total of 125. Schoolcraft won the meet with 66 points, followed by Edwardsburg with 67.
Host Buchanan did not finish enough runners to qualify for a team score.
Buchanan's top runner in the girls' race was Gina Sabasty who finished 18th with a time of 23:53.
Boys team scores
Threee Rivers 25, Niles 38, Schoolcraft 81, Bronson 110, Edwardsburg 129, Hartford 174, Buchanan 174, Cassopolis 220, Granger Christian (DNF)
Individual Top 10
1. Logan Todd (Niles) 16:58; 2. Paul DeWolf (Schoolcraft) 17:03; 3. Austin Neilson (Niles) 17:06; 4. James Greenfield (Edwardsburg) 17:07; 5. Shawn McCurdy (Three Rivers) 17:14; 6. Nathan Martin (Three Rivers) 17:27; 7. Logan Heivilon (Three Rivers) 17:29; 8. Ryan Lucas (Three Rivers) 17:31; 9. Michael Penninger (Edwardsburg) 17:41; 10. Nick Shaw (Bronson) 17:45
Girls team scores
Schoolcraft 66, Edwardsburg 67, Hartford 84, Three Rivers 99, Granger Christian 120, Niles 125, Buchanan (DNF), Cassopolis (DNF), Bronson (DNF)
Individual Top 10
1. Katie House (Granger Christian) 20:41; 2. Kara Bensley (Schoolcraft) 20:47; 3. Samantha Brawley (Niles) 21:07; 4. Ashley Hess (Schoolcraft) 21:17; 5. Haley Smith (Bronson) 21:32; 6. Angie Bronicki (Edwardsburg) 22:04; 7. Lisa Meints (Three Rivers) 22:08; 8. Ricquelle Allemon (Edwardsburg) 22:19; 9. Chloe Yarosz (Three Rivers) 22:37; 10. K. Jonatzke (Hartford) 22:38