The Bulldogs finished second, behind the St. Cloud Cathedral Crusaders, in a match-up of state-rated teams at the West Central Conference meet last Thursday in Sauk Centre. The Bulldogs are rated fifth in Class A in the most recent state poll, while Cathedral is fourth.Paynesville's top three runners earned All Conference honors. Clayton Lang ran a strong race, placing third with a time of 17:23. Adam Utsch entered the chute within 15 seconds of Lang, placing sixth with a time of 17:38. The Bulldogs' third All Conference runner was Luc Trees, who ran a good race and earned an eighth-place finish in a time of 17:52.
Paynesville's fourth and fifth runners were Eric Korman and Dan Pearson. Korman missed being All Conference by a mere two spots, and Pearson was shy by three. They finished 16th and 17th.
Ryan and Riley Flanders finished in the team's sixth and seventh spots. They've both had better performances in the past, and are optimistic about the upcoming sub-section meet.
The Dogs' top three runners have all shown their ability to run well consistently, and in order to be successful in the post season the team's second pack needs to do the same.
The junior varsity and junior high runners finished their season at the conference meet.
The sub-section meet took place yesterday at Morris. Results will be in next week's Press.
Varsity team standings
1. Cathedral - 37
2. Paynesville - 50
3. Albany - 88
4. LPGE - 101
5. Sauk Centre - 110
6. Litchfield - 148