Spearfish High School delivered a strong showing at the Best of the West cross-country meet Thursday at Hart Ranch, highlighted by senior Peyton VanDeest’s commanding win in the girls’ race.
VanDeest claimed the individual title with a time of 17:39.33, finishing more than a minute ahead of the field. Teammate Kori Keil secured second place in 19:00.86, helping Spearfish tie Rapid City Central for first in the girls team standings with 36 points. Additional top-20 finishes for Spearfish included Lauryn Donovan (8th), Bella Linn (11th), Maddy Campbell (14th), and Sophia Hatleli (20th).
In the boys’ race, Spearfish placed third as a team with 59 points, narrowly behind Rapid City Central (37) and Sturgis Brown (58). Rylan VanDeest led the Spartans with a fourth-place finish in 16:40.45, followed by Mason Gill in fifth (16:50.22) and Carter Thompson in seventh (17:21.10).
