Boys team takes second at Ellsworth
The Hillsboro High School cross country team faced the toughest course it has faced so far this year Oct. 7 at the Ellsworth Golf Course, closing out the regular season.
In its final tuneup before the postseason, the Lady Trojans team, competing the best it has all year, finished seventh with 163 points.
Mandy Estus posted the team-best for the Lady Trojans with a 38th place time of 15:17, two seconds quicker than 39th place finisher Elissa Richert.
Sara Hamm took 43rd in 15:34, and Kim Givens ran a season best time of 17:35 for 50th.
Battling difficulties with a shoe, Melissa Hiebert still finished 53rd in 20:12.
"The girls especially ran well," Trojan coach Stuart Holmes said. "Ellsworth's golf course has a number of good hills making it the most challenging course we've run on this year.
"In spite of the very challenging course and the fact that it was the first time for almost all the girls to run on that many large hills in a race, they came through with some gutsy performances."
It's been etched in stone that the Bearcats are going to be a team the boys team will have to contend with for a state title.
Already with one victory over the Trojan boys at S.E. Saline two meets earlier, Ellsworth added another one at its own meet.
Running on their own course was a factor Holmes believed helped the Bearcats again top the Trojans.
Never finishing below third place this season, Aaron Yoder ran a 6th place time of 17:50 against some of the state's top runners.
Five seconds behind his twin brother in seventh place was Danny Yoder.
Kody Borg finished 13th for the varsity team in 18:33, Sean Leihy was 19th in 19:01 and Karl Magnuson took 24th in 19:12.
Other team points came from Nate Holmes (26th, 19:34,) and Ric Johnson (38th, 20:19.)
Pacing the junior varsity team was Daniel Bookless' runner-up time of 20:33.
Michael Bookless was sixth in 21:08, and Aaron Miller ran a 13th place 22:00.
Eric Weinbrenner was 19th (22:44,) Robert Jost was 21st (22:56,) Tyler Peachey was 29th (23:45) and Zach Magnuson finished 41st in 26:29.
"In the boys' team, Ellsworth also has a very good team and just ran better than we did on their home course," Stuart Holmes said. "All the guys ran hard and competed well, but certainly several had just 'good' races instead of the 'outstanding' races that it will take to beat some of the other top teams in 3A."
The Trojans travel to Lyons today for the MCAA meet before returning to the same Ellsworth course Oct. 25 for regionals.
"The rest of the season is what we've been focusing our training on, and I'm sure all the runners will finish strong as we look to run well at league, regional and hopefully state," said Stuart Holmes.
Today's race time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Girls' results
38. Estus, 15:17. 39. Richert, 15:19. 43. Hamm, 15:34 50. Givens, 17:35. 53. Hiebert, 20:12.
Boys' results
6. A. Yoder, 17:50. 7. D. Yoder, 17:55. 13. Borg, 18:33. 19. Leihy, 19:01. 24. K. Magnuson, 19:12. 27. N. Holmes, 19:34. 38. Johnson, 20:19.
Junior varsity boys
2. D. Bookless, 20:33. 6. M. Bookless, 21:08. 13. Miller, 22:00. 19. Weinbrenner, 22:44. 21. Jost, 22:56. 29. Peachey, 23:45. 41. Z. Magnuson, 26:29.
