POULSBO — Last weekend’s West Central District meet brought a sunny day, blotted by clouds of melancholy for North Kitsap.

The mission of a return trip to the state race was accomplished by the NK boys while the girls fell short by two places in team standings at the end of the day.

However, freshman Lady Viking Ruby Roberts sprinted into state with a time of 18:43.2 and a seventh-place finish. The NK girls finished eighth as a team.

The top 30 individuals and top six teams moved onto state — which begins today in Pasco.

“I cried. It was heartbreaking,” North Kitsap assistant coach Joan Starr said of the girls’ team finish. “The girls worked so hard, it wasn’t from lack of effort.”

On the afternoon, Starr shed both tears of sorrow and tears of joy as later that day, the North Kitsap boys strung together a team race strong enough to finish sixth, earning the final team bid to state.

Cody Bradwell finished tops for the Vikings in 11th place overall with a time of 16:13.8; junior Ray Reedy stepped up his time to finish 25th in 16:29.7.

“They did just enough, and they kicked,” said NK head coach Lee Hodin. “We should’ve been further ahead than that, so we know we’ve got some room for improvement.”

The boys team — Bradwell, Reedy, Zac Simmons, Justin Doud, Paul Coulter and Nick Cameron — and the lone Lady Viking — Roberts — set out on the road to Pasco with a proud send-off at NKHS Friday morning. The Vikings will hit the course this afternoon with the momentum of the season as their tailwind.

At the end of 2005, when the entire team made school history by becoming the first-ever team to make the state trip with both a boys and girls squad, the wheels began to turn. Then through preseason practice and the season’s infancy, the Vikings’ desire to return increased with every workout.

“The dedication is huge, it started last year and it has just carried over,” Starr said. “The guys really had to step up and into those shoes, and they have done that. They’ve really dedicated to themselves and the team.”

In addition to the rigor of team practice, members of the squad have also been holding themselves accountable for pre-7 a.m. morning workouts proving their determination. Then after the school day ends, the Vikings were pushed to the limit in practice and throughout regular season meets.

Now, the state-bound seven are reaping the benefits of their labor while preparing for the biggest meet of the year.

“The teams who wanted it moved on, and that’s how state works,” Hodin said of the district meet, noting that in order to be successful at this next level the Vikings must remain hungry and focus on their fight.