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The Northland/Deer River War-Eagle Cross-Country team competed in the Birch Tree Conference meet on Tuesday, October 19th in Pine River. The Junior Varsity and Varsity teams alike had outstanding individual and team performances.

In the varsity girls' competition, the War-Eagles placed third in a close scoring event. The young group of War-Eagles were not far off the pace of first place Pequot Lakes and second place Pillager. Seventh grader Kacey Trout was the teams' first finisher placing third and earning All-Conference honors with a time of 17:11 over the 4 kilometer course. Placing sixth and also earning All-Conference honors was freshman Makendra Anderson with a personal best time of 17:40. Close behind was seventh grader Kristina Harder with a ninth place finish. Harder's impressive sprint to the finish earned her All-Conference honorable mention and a personal best time of 17:57. Rounding out the top five were seventh grader Ali Juntunen in 15th place and sophomore Kaila Juntunen in 25th.[[In-content Ad]]

The Varsity boys placed fifth in the conference competition, narrowly missing fourth place Pine River-Backus by one point. Jake Spartz earned 25th place in a tough field of competitors with an impressive time of 20:54 over the 5 kilometer course. Freshman Jordan Perkins placed 29th, beating his previous personal best time by nearly two minutes with a 22:11.

The junior varsity girls' race was an exciting event, with the War-Eagles placing second behind Pequot Lakes. Sixth grader Hannah Danielson of the War-Eagles finished first over the mile and a half course with a time of 10:37. Eighth grader Hannah Myers had the race of her life, placing sixth and running a personal best time of 11:05. Both Danielson and Myers earned JV All-Conference medals for their outstanding performances.

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