Skyridge junior Pepper Smith is chasing the Region 5 Varsity Girls title, sitting four points behind leader Brielle Adams with two races remaining in the season, according to an October 8 report by the Alpine-Highland-Lehi Tribune.
Smith has 896 points in the Utah High School Cycling League Division 1 standings, trailing Adams, a senior from Lehi, who has 900 points. Lone Peak's Brynn Lloyd holds third place with 895 points.
The Skyridge mountain biking team occupies third place in the Division 1 team race. After finishing third behind Lone Peak and Wasatch at Beaver Mountain, the Falcons edged Wasatch by four points at Richfield, 4,611 to 4,607. However, Wasatch reclaimed second place at Panguitch, leaving Skyridge in third overall.
Skyridge's strongest team performance occurred at Richfield. On the girls' side, Samara Smith scored 289 points, Evelynn Rasmussen earned 287, Hayden Brown scored 285, Emeree Gale earned 284, and Emma Walton scored 283. From the junior varsity ranks, Charley Price contributed 281 points from JV A and Nora Tippetts earned 279 from JV B.
In the boys' division, senior Easton Day leads the Skyridge Varsity Boys effort with 884 points, ranking sixth overall. Day's season includes a third-place finish at Richfield in 1:14:39.55, a fifth-place finish at Beaver Mountain, and a ninth-place finish at Panguitch.
Other scoring members for the Skyridge Varsity boys at Richfield included Dallin Butterfield (295), Milo Peterson (291), Cutler Reschke (290), Zach Stirling (289), Grant Cooper (288), and Jonah Lloyd (287).
Brielle Adams has won all three Region 5 Varsity Girls races this season, extending a winning streak to 11 consecutive victories. Smith has closed the gap through recent performances, finishing third at Beaver Mountain on Aug. 22, and moving into second place at both Richfield on Sept. 5 and Panguitch on Sept. 26.
Region 5 Race 4 is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, in Herriman. The state championships are scheduled for Oct. 23-24 in St. George, featuring all three area programs.
