Much as their boys counterparts did later Wednesday afternoon, the American Fork girls cross country team earned their trophy by seeing the majority of their team finish together.

The Cavemen took second in the state 5A classification, losing to Davis (40) after seeing top finisher Emily Orton (18:52.8) take ninth overall. After Orton, however, six more teammates littered the following 14 who crossed the finish line, giving American Fork the team total (100) it needed to end up in the top two.

“It’s a team sport, and this year we’ve been running like a pack of wolves,” Cavemen head coach Bruno Hunziker said. “We’ve had 21 seconds between our first girl and our seventh girl all year.”

The Cavemen figure to be a mainstay in the leaderboard in upcoming years. Four of their top seven that competed Wednesday are underclassmen, including Region 4 individual champion Sophie Baird, who finished 12th. None of them are seniors.

Baird admitted that the team’s young makeup lends an atmosphere of enthusiasm that only helped with the coaches’ strategy of running together.

“We always have so much fun together,” Baird said. “Friday nights we can always party together, but when race day comes we know we can put our game face on and do a good job.”

While American Fork proved its team was tops from Utah County, Lone Peak and Lehi saw one runner each finish in the top five. Knights sophomore Jessica Smith (18:41.2) finished fourth, just ahead of Pioneer sophomore Maddy Kauffman (18:43.3)

Smith and Kauffman were already used to providing each other stiff competition, having done so on the girls soccer field as well.

“We’re enemy-friends,” Smith laughed. “We were right next to each other encouraging each other.”

Orem finishes second behind Mountain Crest, Maple Mt. fourth

Boasting several members of the 2012 champion state track and field team, Orem girls cross country figured to be a contender in state cross country.

Mountain Crest had similar plans, and ultimately edged the Tigers after seeing their top five runners finish in the top 20.

“Our girls have been fighting hard all year,” Orem head coach Andy Jacobs said. “We knew Mountain Crest and Skyline would be very good competitors. “It’s disappointing that we finished the way we did.”

Summer Harper (18:34.3) was Orem’s top finisher, placing third after overtaking the Mustangs’ Tori Parkinson on the final stretch, where the runners transitioned from Sugarhouse Park to the last 200 meters of Highland High School’s track.

Orem teammates Candace Greenwood (ninth) and Ashley Runyan (16th) rounded out the Tigers who made appearances in the top 20.

Harper, who had been battling strep-throat-like symptoms, admitted the fast start made for a more difficult beginning than anticipated.

“It just started out too fast and I think I got into oxygen debt right from the beginning,” Harper said. “I couldn’t hold it. I’ve been sick and I try not to let it bother me, but I don’t know. I [finished] almost as slow as my freshman year, barely faster.”

Maple Mountain finished fourth with Britney Lund (18:44.9) taking fifth.

2A notes: Elizabeth Loveland of Maeser Prep finished her high school career by finishing fifth (20:32), a minute off the pace set by champion Grace Schulz (South Summit). Miriam Galecki of Wasatch Academy (20:45) was seventh.

Matt Petersen can be reached at mpetersen@heraldextra.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @TheMattPetersen. Jason Franchuk also contributed to this article.