Sept. 24 saw the Pirate cross-country team return to Fort Steilacoom for the third consecutive 3.1-mile meet of the year. The boys took third overall, and the girls took second.

Despite a few of the runners recovering from the flu, coaches Kevin Ross and Laura Johnson said the athletes put forth great effort and had good showings.

In the boys’ junior varsity race, sophomore Max Johnson took seventh overall, and sophomore Kenese Parker came in 13th.

On the varsity side, senior co-captain Ramsey Walker improved his season best time by 49 seconds, while juniors Aidan Cyra and Colin Andrus also turned in stellar performances.

For the girls’ team, junior runner Savannah Krug ran a two-year personal best with a scorching 22-minute finish. Senior Kate Straube placed a strong second for the Pirate team, and sophomore Peri Roberts ran strong to place third for the team and 10th overall. Senior Dia VanHolde and sophomore Lydia Houston came in within a second of each other to bring the team its second place finish.

The McMurray team deserves a mention — it consists of one eigth-grade runner, a talented athlete named Maddi Groen who practices every day with the high school team. The middle school race, 1.5 miles, had a dozen runners, and Vashon’s sole entrant came in third place.

On Thursday, Oct. 1, the Pirate runners are staying home to host four other teams on the 5K course around the high school.

For senior co-captains Ramsey Walker, Cole Grabow, Kate Straube and Dia VanHolde, this will be their last home race. The meet also features a 1.8-mile middle school race among McMurray, Charles Wright and Seattle Christian.