A year after winning the 2A State Cross Country Championship with a talented senior class of runners, the North Tahoe boys proved they did not fall far from contention.

Sophomore Noah McDermott and junior Patrick McElravey raced to third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, while sophomore Fletcher McConnell was seventh to lead the Laker boys to a fourth-place team finish at the 2A State Championship in Reno on Saturday.

and#8220;We did really well, especially for being so young,and#8221; said longtime North Tahoe head coach Warren Mills. and#8220;It bodes well for the future.and#8221;

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In the girlsand#8217; race, another young North Tahoe runner, freshman Tara Gallant, finished seventh to earn a spot on the podium (top seven made podium). The meet was held on the same 5-kilometer course at Rancho San Rafael Park as regionals the previous week.

Senior Nathanael Williams of Sierra Lutheran captured the individual state title on the boysand#8217; side, as he posted a winning time of 16 minutes and 43 seconds to Incline runner-up Spencer Wilsonand#8217;s 17:42.

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McDermott finished third in a time of 17:57, while McElravey came in at 18:12 and McConnell 18:34. Sean McDermott was the next North Tahoe finisher, placing 31st in 20:36, and Brandon Hackett rounded out the top five scores with a 36th-place finish in 21:46. Dominic Antonucci was 37th in 21:47.

and#8220;Noah, for a sophomore, had an outstanding time,and#8221; Mills said. and#8220;Those first three are rock-solid. Theyand#8217;re awfully young, but they really finished off the year with a lot of success.and#8221;

Mills said the Laker boys left nothing on the course in their bid for back-to-back state titles, and it took its toll, particularly on Sean McDermott, Hackett and Antonucci.

and#8220;They ran to win. They ran the first mile hard and paid the price. But thatand#8217;s OK. They gave it a good shot,and#8221; Mills said. and#8220;My last three guys were in a world of hurt the last few miles, but they ran all-out, and I couldnand#8217;t be more pleased about that.and#8221;

The temperature also was hovering around freezing, with cloudy skies and a wind chill that made it feel even chillier.

Sierra Lutheran won the boysand#8217; state championship with a low score of 44 points. Sage Ridge was second with 51 points, followed by Incline with 63 and North Tahoe with 71.

Sierra Lutheran also crowned the individual girlsand#8217; champ, as senior Becky Grabow took the win ahead of Inclineand#8217;s Katie Cochran with a time of 20:18 to Cochranand#8217;s 20:32.

Gallant placed seventh in a time of 22:14. She was followed by Laker teammate Taylor Lewis, a senior who placed 22nd in 24:37 in her final high school race, and Dana McConnell, who was 26th in 25:05. Lewis passed two girls in the final 100 yards with a hard kick to the finish line.

and#8220;Taylor Lewis ran all four years, and she had a phenomenal final race,and#8221; Mills said. and#8220;She ran great. Iand#8217;m really proud of her.and#8221;

Inclineand#8217;s girls placed three runners in the top five and five in the top 10 to win the state championship by a landslide, posting a low score of 28 points to Sage Ridgeand#8217;s 70. Laughlin was third with 94. The title marked the third straight for the Incline girls.