The following article was provided by SJHHS Cross Country's coach Pam Simpson.
RESULTS FROM 2A Regional Meet in Johnson City
Date: Oct. 24, 2020 Weather: Was in the 30s when we got out of the vehicle- with a biting wind. By noon it was into the 40s and wind had died down some. But overall chilly and windy
Girls’ Results
**Bella B. - 8th place - 22:48 STATE QUALIFIER
Judah K. - 11th place - 23:42 STATE QUALIFIER
Boys’ Results- 5th
Cedric W. - 19th place - 20:42
Dominic W. - 25th place - 21:02
Adam V. - 28th place - 21:08
Cooper M. - 29th place - 21:09
Micah S. - 41st place - 23:11
John G. - 44th place - 24:44
Ethan G. - 45th place - 26:25***
** medalist ***personal best * season best
Coach Simpson’s Summary- First things first- Stanton County is a LONG ways from Rice County. Luckily these kids get along with each other (and Coach Giles and I) to make the trip less painful. We were grateful for the additional driver (Balie!) so we could take some time off from behind the wheel.
Race Results- Bella and Judah ran at noon. They were relaxed but focused. We had done some analysis of their competition and knew that both girls had a chance at qualifying for state. Due to Covid restrictions, KSHSAA is qualifying less individual runners at state; typically there is a guarantee of at least 5 individual runners from each regional, but this year it is only 3. Bella and Judah earned two of those 3. Bella ran her best race of the season; she was more relaxed, her pace was steady and she ran the entire 5k in the top 10, finishing 8th for the Bear’s lone medal and a guaranteed spot at state. Judah’s goal was to beat the Hutch-Trinity runners, guaranteeing her spot. She ran hard, surging strategically and using the few downhills to her advantage. She is a fierce competitor and is developing an ability to push through the “uncomfortable”. She finished 11th, just out of medaling range, but securing her spot at the 2A State Meet in Victoria next Saturday.
I was pleased with the boys’ team’s performance. We are a young team with a lot of potential. Their ability to push each other while competing against each other will continue to allow them to improve. This was Cooper’s final race. I am so grateful he was here to lead this team of underclassman. He worked hard in practice and turned in consistent performances at every meet this season. He will be greatly missed next year. Each runner represented the school well, running hard, racing competitively, and supporting each other and the girls. A full XC team is 7 runners- with the top 5 contributing to the score. Coming in to post season I gave Ethan the option to continue to do workouts and run at Regionals as our 7th man or be finished at League. Ethan started as our manager, but was soon running at practice and JV at meets. He made a commitment to be the 7th varsity runner at Regionals and he turned in the teams only Personal Best time.
As a side note- as far as I can tell we haven’t run at Prairie Pines Golf Course in Johnson until this meet, so I will make entries for Judah, Bella, Micah, Cedric, and Cooper as school course record holders.
I consider myself blessed to coach this sport and work with these athletes.
Bella and Judah will compete in the 2A State Cross Country meet in Victoria on Saturday, October 31st. The race will take place on Victoria's Sand Plum Nature Trails. (see map below) The ladies are scheduled to start their portion of the race at 10:05 am. Please keep in mind that KSHSAA has limited the crowd to 4 fans per participant. Wristbands must be purchased at the athlete's own school. Each wristband will cost $9. Facemasks will be required as well.
For those that would like to support the ladies virtually, you can watch the race by clicking here!
USD376 and the Sterling Community wish Bella, Judah and the coaching staff the best as they compete in the 2020 2A State Cross Country Meet.