MARION, Ind. — The Harrison boys cross country team continued its strong 2026 season Saturday at the Wildcat/Eric Jackson Classic at the IWU Cross Country Course, with the Raiders turning in a pair of impressive performances in the varsity and JV races. Harrison finished third in the boys varsity race with 108 points, trailing only Penn (66) and Yorktown (71). The Raiders' five scoring runners combined for a team average of 16:19, showing the strength of Harrison's front pack. Leading the way once again was junior Jacob Tilton, who finished fifth overall in 15:41.7. Senior Jonathan King followed closely behind, placing ninth in 15:52.5. The two Harrison leaders gave the Raiders two runners inside the top 10. Junior Morgan Weathers continued his strong season by finishing 23rd in 16:25.9, while senior Jango Lane was right behind him in 24th at 16:28.1. Sophomore Ryan Jordan completed Harrison's five scoring runners, placing 57th in 17:02.6. Harrison also received strong performances just outside its top five. Freshman Alexander Burgess ran 17:23.8, followed by junior Stewart Page at 17:28.3 and freshman Fernando Samayoa-Lopez at 17:33.0. Senior David Estep added a 17:40.9, while junior Micah Cook finished in 17:53.5 and junior Jonah Towers ran 17:55.8. The Raiders' performance was particularly encouraging because of the tight grouping among their second through fourth runners. Weathers and Lane were separated by only 2.2 seconds, giving Harrison a strong pack in the middle of its varsity lineup. JV Raiders Finish Third Harrison's depth was even more evident in the boys JV race, where the Raiders finished third with 97 points, behind Penn with 16 and Homestead with 75. Harrison's five scoring runners averaged 18:32 for the race. Sophomore Josiah Suiter led the JV squad with a strong 18:16.0, finishing 16th overall. Freshman Ethan Roll followed at 18:29.9, while senior Zach Havel ran 18:35.2. Sophomore Garcia-Hernandez also finished in 18:35.7, and sophomore Colton Derflinger completed the scoring five in 18:38.7. The depth continued behind the scoring five. Senior Henry Cadwallader ran 18:58.8, freshman Austin Miller finished in 18:59.4, and freshman Ben Anderson posted a 19:44.4. Harrison then placed a large group of runners between 19:52 and 20:30, including Connor Hintzman (19:52.2), David Cappelleri (19:57.1), Alexander Seadeek (20:03.5), Logan Ciannello (20:08.5), Isaac Hosler (20:11.3), Ryan King (20:13.8), Steven Fite (20:19.2) and Jonathan Mart (20:30.2). A Strong Sign of Team Depth With both the varsity and JV squads finishing third, Saturday's meet provided another indication of the depth Harrison has developed as the postseason approaches. The varsity Raiders put four runners under 16:30, while the JV team had five runners under 18:40. That combination of a strong front end and a deep group of developing runners gives Harrison plenty of options as the team moves toward the state tournament portion of the season. The Wildcat Classic was held Saturday, Sept. 12, at the IWU XC Course in Marion.