Cross Country prepares for state

Jeremy Detterer took home first place at last Thursday's Lyman/Mt. View Invitational. According to Head Coach Rex Hohnholt, this was a smaller meet which lead to high placing, but the placements are not misleading of the team's progress.

According to Hohnholt, those on the team last year ran faster overall this year, showing improvement yet again. "Our kids are doing really well right now, progressing nicely," Hohnholt said.

The four boys leading the Saratoga pack were Detterer, who took first at 18 minutes and 28 seconds, Gage Bartlett in 7th at 19:12, Aaron Kerbs in 11th at 20:02 and Spencer Knotwell right behind him in 12th at 20:03.

Katie Loose, sixth, and Ashlynn Johnson, eighth, both slowed down slightly from the home meet the week before, running 23:24 and 23:58 respectively.

"Next week will be our biggest and longest distance run of the year," Hohnholt said of training for states, which involve intervals and speeds at longer distances.

According to Hohnholt, the team cannot change much more as far as physical preparedness, but mentally they can grow as competitors. "If we run up to our full potential we have as good a chance of anyone of competing for the state championship."

With regards to how the runners might perform at state, Hohnholt does not make predictions about how the athletes will place. "The only ones we can control how we run is our team," Hohnholt said.

Friday, the harriers compete in the Cheyenne Invitational