By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton cross country teams opened the 2003 season at the Wolverine Invitational in Mountain Lake Wednesday, Aug. 27.The Patriots fielded complete teams for the boys’ varsity and junior varsity races, and the girls’ junior varsity race.H-BC-E-E had one entry in the girls’ varsity race, as Cassi Tilstra placed 23rd in the event with a time of 17:07.The Patriot boys placed eighth out of 14 complete varsity squads at the meet. H-BC-E-E tallied 222 points, finishing 143 points off the pace set by team champion Mounds View (49 points).Tyler Bush experienced a nice start to the season by earning a medal with a fourth-place finish individually. Bush recorded a time of 16:46.Kale Wiertzema (39th in 18:42), Todd Alberty (42nd in 19:00), Derek Haak (55th in 19:46) and John Sandbulte (82nd in 21:40) also ran with the varsity squad.The H-BC-E-E girls placed second in the junior varsity team competition. Fairmont topped the Patriots 50-93 to win the team title.Amanda Tilstra and Mya Mann set the pace for H-BC-E-E by finishing second and third with respective 5:51 and 5:59 times.Amanda Connors (22nd in 6:33), Jill Weitgenant (29th in 6:40), Rayna Sandoval (37th in 6:49) and Darian Herman (77th in 11:30) also ran in the junior varsity race.H-BC-E-E’s boys’ junior varsity squad finished third in team competition with 173 points. Mounds View (15 points) and Martin County West (133) points topped the Patriots.Lee Jackson led the junior varsity squad by finishing 10th in 11:58.Dustin Verhey (23rd in 12:45), Devin DeBoer (32nd in 13:00). Adam Finke (37th in 13:07), Kerry Fink (56th in 13:46), Michael Bos (63rd in 14:03), Jared Drenth (70th in 14:16), Tom Nolte (89th in 15:27), Luke Tiesler (90th in 15:27), Grant Hoogendoorn (104th in 16:21), Dustin Walters (115th in 19:00) and Derek Drenth (117th in 19:11) ran in the junior varsity race for the boys.
