Hillsboro runners surge into postseason
Staff writer
Since the season began last month, Trojan cross-country coach Kodi Panzer has stressed improving with each weekly meet.
Her team has, with the runners progressing through all of them.
With the regular season drawing to a close Oct. 4 with the Sterling Invitational, Panzer will see if the Trojans can keep it going when it matters most in postseason action.
“It was another great day for us, even with the cooler, misty weather,” an ecstatic Panzer said. “Everyone ran a personal best again for the season.
“They finished their regular season meet strong and are looking to improve even further at the league meet in Lindsborg.”
Plentiful competition made a top-20 finish hard to come by for the Trojans’ upperclassmen with over 90 runners in the varsity boys’ race.
Sensational seventh-grader Levi Allen had no problem, closing out the regular season unbeaten in 5:28.
Moriah Jost paced the eighth grade girls’ trio in the two-mile with a seventh-place time of 14:20.
Not far behind was Ainsley Duell in 10th at 14:49, and Karley Loewen in 15th at 15:34.
As Hillsboro’s sole competitor for the eighth grade boys, Josh Diener took 23rd in 15:27.
Nathan Lopez was 41st in junior varsity boys’ action with a 24:37 finish.
Fresh off setting a new school record last week, freshman Emersyn Funk was faster yet with her 21:54, good for 24th.
Millie Sechrist closed out the varsity girls’ competitors at 26:38 for 67th.
Caleb Diener barely missed the top 20 at 21st in 17:27 in the five-kilometer race.
Senior Tucker Moss has had his eyes set on clearing the 20-minute hurdle all year.
Moss didn’t quite get it, but he did inch closer to it at 20:23 for 72nd.
Carson Linnens was six places in back at 21:06 with Jason Latham, Caleb Kliewer and Orin Blecha battling it out to beat the 24-minute mark.
Latham was 88th at 24:04 with Kliewer only 1/100th of a second behind him and Blecha in 24:18 for 90th.
On deck for the Trojans Thursday is the CKL meet at Lindsborg.
“We’ve already ran there this year, so they’ll know what to expect,” Panzer said.
Race time is to begin at 3:30 p.m.