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Northridge's Jeff Hazard pushes on during the 5A state cross country championships on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond's Daniel Budge leads the pack uphill during the 3A state cross country championships on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Ogden's Daniel Ekstrom charges on during the 3A state cross country championships on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Ogden coach Charles Francis pictured during the 3A state cross country championships on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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Runners scale a hill during the 2025 state cross country championships on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

CONNER BECKER, Standard-Examiner

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SALT LAKE CITY – Not long ago, Northridge junior Jeff Hazard said he needed something along the lines of a confidence booster.

Hazard watched his trajectory bloom this fall with multiple top-five performances in the regular season, including a 10-second cut below Region 5 champion and Box Elder senior Parker Lattin earlier this month at the Weber County Fairgrounds. But the meet that truly made a difference this season came at the Timpanogos Invitational in August.

Just like at Timpanogos, Hazard challenged down the final stretch and finished just 10 seconds behind Maple Mountain junior Logan Rohatinsky as the 5A runner-up in his final race of the season Wednesday at Sugar House Park.

Three months ago, Hazard was patting himself on the back for sticking within 3 seconds of Rohatinsky during a sixth-place performance at Timpanogos. Wednesday, it was all the motivation he needed to gut out the No. 2 spot.

“I just kept believing I could catch up and, by the end, I gave it everything I had,” Hazard said. “(Timpanogos) was really a confidence booster that I could stay with the top guys in the state and run with them. … I love the boys on my team and they’re always lifting me.”

Northridge finished 12th overall, with Hazard being the only Knight inside the top 50. Box Elder seniors Parker Lattin (8th) and Bryce Mecham (15th) propelled the Bees past Northridge at 11th place overall.

Fremont finished sixth overall in the 5A boys race and led the Region team-wise with four top-50 finishes between senior Zack Steoger (19th), junior Beau Jenkins (25th), senior Graham Judkins (35th), and freshman Duncan Judkins (46th).

Ben Lomond’s Budge carries Region 12 torch

Senior Daniel Budge, who studies at NUAMES and runs for Ben Lomond, finished third individually in the 3A boys race Wednesday with a final time of 16:11.31.

Nothing about his senior season was given when the year began, Budge said.

“At the beginning of this cross country season, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to break (16 minutes),” Budge said. “Last year, my best was 17:15 or something, but I surprised myself this year. More work, more miles, more speed — I didn’t miss anything.”

Budge’s performance ranked the best among Region 12 boys, which saw Morgan (seventh), Ben Lomond (ninth), and Ogden (11th) finish around the middle of the table team-wise.

The Scots featured three runners inside the top 50: Budge (third), junior Daniel Hodges (40th) and junior Roland Benroth (43rd). Junior True Ferrier (51st) and sophomore Seamus Butler (58th) gave the Scots a bump with two more finishes inside of 19 minutes.

Elsewhere, Morgan senior Jonas Archibald led his team in 18th place at 16:51.14; senior Henry Rose (30th), junior Caleb Lewis (35th), senior Max Holtry (42nd), and junior Seth Hopkin (49th) cracked the top 50 for the Trojans.

Ogden junior Daniel Ekstrom (17:06.43) made the top 25, and juniors Andrew Francis (34th) and Josh Nielson (38th) stayed close together for another pair of top-50 finishes. Sophomore Boone Burton (63rd), sophomore Ryker Nicholas (63rd), junior Grant Brockbrader (67th), and junior Myles Wheelright (69th) stayed inside the top 100.

Skousen leads Region 1 in stiff 6A boys race

No Region 1 runner managed a top-10 time at state, but Davis junior Harrison Skousen ran fast enough for 13th individually with 15:33.29. Teammate Noah Hauck joined him not long after to round out the region’s only pair of top-15 boys finishes this week.

Davis finished sixth overall, with Skousen and Hauck leading the march. Layton, Weber and Syracuse finished ninth, 10th and 11th, respectively.

Syracuse senior Zachary Smith produced the region’s third-best finish in 21st place with a time of 15:47.16. Weber senior Wyatt Rich wasn’t far behind in 24th, and Layton senior Jake Pugmire (29th) cracked the top 30 with his team-best 15:56.11.

Francis honored with 3A coach’s award

Ogden assistant coach Charles Francis, father to Ogden junior Andrew Francis and freshman Dallin Francis, received the 3A Assistant Boys Coach of the Year Award during the meet’s awards presentation.

Francis serves as the No. 2 coach to Ogden head coach Merrilee Blackham and works primarily with the Tigers’ boys team.

“For sure, it’s a surprise, but I love being with the kids,” Charles Francis said. “It’s rewarding to watch them compete and improve. I honestly didn’t even hear my name. They had to tell me, because I wasn’t paying attention.”

Ogden won’t lose any seniors on its boys roster and the girls will send off just one senior, Eliza Bohne, at the end of the school year.

Connect with reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.