The Oak Harbor High School cross country teams started the season with a pair of firsts — the girls’ took the team title while the boys’ had the individual champion — in a three-way meet against host Marysville-Pilchuck and Lake Stevens Thursday.

The Wildcat girls nipped Lake Stevens 35-36 to lead in the team scoring race on the 3.04 mile course. Marysville-Pilchuck trailed with 63.

Oak Harbor’s Adrianna Royal ran to the best individual finish for the ‘Cats, taking fourth in 20:46.

She was followed by Jessica Denmon (fifth, 21:23), Christina Wickers (seventh, 21:24), Taylor Von Grey (ninth, 21:38), Ariel McCarter (10th, 21:43), Emily Bain (11th, 21:48), and Heather Dale (12th, 22:56).

The Wildcats’ Tyler King won the boys’ race in 16:37, but Oak Harbor trailed in the team scoring. Marysville-Pilchuck won with 31 points, followed by Lake with 45 and Oak Harbor with 53.

Matt Reith was next for Oak Harbor, taking fourth in 16:48. Coach Eric Peterson said Reith ran “really well” and showed improvement from last year by “cutting quite a bit of time on his PR (personal record) for the course.”

Freshman John Kaltenbach (13th, 18:07), Matt Bolte (17th, 18:32), and Colton Elliot (23rd, 19:24) rounded out the Oak Harbor scoring.

Peterson said, “It was a good day of racing in preparation for the South Whidbey Invite on Saturday.”