Running against the third and fifth-placed teams in the Champlain Valley Athletic Association, the Peru Nighthawks and Ticonderoga Sentinels, respectively, the Red Storm swept the competition.

The Saranac Lake girls team had all of its top five runners place in the top 10 on the way to a 18-43 victory over the Nighthawks and a 19-40 victory over the Sentinels.

“I’m really proud of them. We really had them psyched up to be here,” Saranac Lake girls cross country coach Elizabeth Ash said. “They did a great job and I’m proud of them.”

Saranac Lake’s Megan Wilson was the overall winner in the race with a time of 21 minutes and 47 seconds. Following behind Wilson was her teammate Addi Ash (22:22), who claimed the second-place spot.

Saranac Lake’s Morgan Martin runs down the hill during Tuesday’s meet.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

Ticonderoga’s Hannah Porter (22:32) came in third place, followed by Saranac Lake’s Sabine Deckenberger (22:43) in fourth place. Ophelia Lancto (22:48) was the first runner to cross the finish line for Peru’s girl’s team — she placed fifth.

Saranac Lake’s Phoebe Peer (22:52) finished sixth overall and Zoe Carpenter (23:10) finished in ninth place to cap off the top 10.

Even after the top 10 girls came through, the Red Storm girls didn’t stop. Brooklyn Shumway (23:30), Sara Trabakoulos (23:45) and Nelle Aaron (23:54) finished 11th, 12th and 13th, respectively.

With the two wins, the Red Storm move up to third place overall in the CVAC with a record of 13-4.

“I think it’s just important for confidence, so that the girls are able to see the product of what they are working on,” Ash said. “Sometimes it’s hard to know that your training is working up to something. But it’s good to know that what we are working on is paying off.”

Saranac Lake’s Addie Ash, left, and Sabine Deckenberger run during Tuesday’s meet.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

On the boys’ side, the Red Storm did not have as much success as the girls. The team defeated the Sentinels 18-43, but fell to the Nighthawks by just one point with a score of 29-28.

Peru is the only team that Saranac Lake has lost to all season. The team lost to the Nighthawks on Sept. 21 by a score of 22-39.

Saranac Lake boys cross country coach Bill Peer said the team is showing improvement after losing by just one point this time around.

“We lost to that team about a month ago by a lot more,” Peer said. “We are getting closer. We made a lot of progress. We’re not where we want to be, but we know where we want to be by the end of the year.”

Saranac Lake’s Sam Ash crossed the finish line first with a time of 16:28. Peru’s Nick Recore (17:43), finished in second place.

Saranac Lake’s Sam Bickford runs with Max Hall and Caleb Akey behind during Tuesday’s meet.
(Enterprise photo — Parker O’Brien)

The Red Storm’s Aiden Hesseltine (18:03) finished next giving the Red Storm a big opportunity to win.

The Sentinel’s first runner to cross the line was Emery Tausinger (18:11). He finished in fourth place.

Two more Nighthawks runners crossed the finish line before Saranac Lake’s Jake Kollmer (18:31) and Morgan Martin (18:37) finished. Kollmer finished in seventh and Martin finished in eighth place.

Saranac Lake’s fifth runner to finish was Max Hall (19:39). Hall finished in 14th place, but it wasn’t enough as the Nighthawks narrowly edged out the Red Storm.

“Our guys know we need to improve,” Peer said. “We are excited to be that close and have a chance to run against them in sectionals.”

The Red Storm boys move to 15-2 on the season. The team will have its chance at redemption against the Nighthawks when the two teams meet in Sectionals. The Saranac Lake cross country teams will travel to AuSable Valley for its next meet on Tuesday.