Jeremy Detterer ran a minute and a half faster-17 minutes and 56 seconds as his time-on Friday than he did at the Cheyenne Invitational last year, said Rex Hohnholt, Saratoga Cross Country Head Coach.
In fact, almost all of the runners improved their times once more, placing them in good standing for the State Championship meet on Oct. 24. "I just think the kids are running phenomenally," Hohnholt said.
According to Hohnholt, this past race at Cheyenne bodes nicely for the runners and the team as a whole, as the hilly course poses similar struggles to the one they will see at state. "You can't run this course as a pace," Hohnholt said. On these types of courses, the hills are emphasized in that they are tough to go up, and the downhills are not a time to relax.
Hohnholt says he pushes the runners to use the downhill pieces to cut off time, since it is easier to gain speed on the downhill.
Hohnholt said "comparing one year to the next, it's like night and day for this particular point in the season." With the team taking silver in 2014, these times could indicate a successful year at the state competition.
The boys varsity team: Jeremy Detterer (17:56), Gage Bartlett (18:47), Aaron Kerbs (19:05) and Spencer Knotwell (19:23) performed well at Cheyenne, but the girls varsity runners showed low times as well. Ashlynn Johnson ran in 21:55 and Katie Loose in 22:03. According to Hohnholt, the JV runners have been tightening up their times as well, with Cruz Escobedo dipping under 25 minutes and Bradley Bifano and KeeGan Johnson under 21 minutes.
The state championship, held in Sheridan, is the next official meet, and the last race of the season for the Panthers. This week, the harriers will run a simulated race on Friday to prepare for the state championship.
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