Ririe’s Lucy Boone adds a Tiger-Grizz cross country title and has her sights set on another shot at state hardware

IDAHO FALLS – Make that three wins in three races this year for Ririe senior Lucy Boone.

Boone, the East Idaho Sports Athlete of the Week, won the Tiger-Grizz Invitational Varsity B cross country race (4A/3A/2A) Friday, clocking 19:50.9 to outdistance former state champion Bella Spencer of West Jefferson and Snake River’s Paetyn Polatis, who was a third-place finisher at last year’s 4A state meet.

The competition was fierce, but the end goal remains the same for Boone and Ririe: Win another team state championship.

“It’s going to be harder the second time,” said Boone, who finished second at last season’s 3A state championships to help the Bulldogs earn a team title.

Individually, she’s finished second two straight years at the state meet and was also second at last year’s Tiger-Grizz.

That wasn’t the case this year as she pulled away for the win. Her time of 19:50.9 was off her season best and personal best, but the Tiger-Grizz course is known to be more challenging than most.

Boone said she feels she’s getting faster every race and has her sights set on more hardware.

Her 19:08.7 finish at the Madison Dash back on Aug. 28 is still the fastest 3A time in the state.

As for the team outlook, Ririe has five runners in the top 19 on the state performance list, but it was Malad who edged the Bulldogs 103 to 106 at the Tiger-Grizz meet, meaning an end-of-the-season showdown could be upcoming.

“It’s looking good for us,” Boone said.