HILLSBORO: Harriers take fifth overall at state
Hillsboro cross country team takes fifth place in Class 3A
BY RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
It wasn't the type of finish that the Trojans had hoped for.
All season long, the goal of the Trojan cross country team was this: three-peating as MCAA champs, winning the regional meet, and capturing the school's first ever state title.
Check finishing on top of the MCAA for the third straight year. For the other two, look to the future.
The Trojans' quest for a state title fell short in fifth place Saturday in nasty weather at the Class 3A meet in Wamego.
Still, being able to say that Hillsboro has one of the five best cross country teams in Class 3A is by no means an insult.
Heading into the meet, Trojan coach Brian Kennell believed the Holcomb Longhorns were the odds-on favorite to repeat as state champions.
But even the Longhorns were buried Saturday as Kansas City Christian won the state title decisively, beating out Holcomb for the top spot by 41 points, 60-101.
"Our runners ran well on Saturday," said Kennell. "The competition at Wamego this year was very tough. It was a cold day to run. When we arrived, we thought it would get warmer as it got later. Instead, it got a little colder. The runners did a nice job keeping a positive attitude."
Northern Heights came in third with Riley County taking fourth, nine points better than Hillsboro's team score of 139.
Once again, the Trojans proved they're the best team in the MCAA, beating seventh place finishing bitter-rival Hesston by a mere five points.
Leading the way for Hillsboro was Aaron Yoder.
The competition had to be difficult if Aaron Yoder finished fifth, exactly a half-minute behind Southwestern Heights' champion Cody Layman.
Rounding out the top 10 was Daniel Yoder in a tenth place time of 17:10, edging Halstead's Levente Nyitrai and the Swathers' Ross Fishburn.
"Aaron and Daniel Yoder had a great day," Kennell said. "It was good to see them finish excellent seasons with a good showing at state."
Three of the Trojans' seven competing runners suffered days that matched the dismal weather.
Heading into the state meet, sophomore Kody Borg's goal was to finish in the top 20 for a state medal.
The competition was too tough despite Borg shaving 20 seconds off last year's time for a 35th place finish in 18:09.
On a positive note, sophomore Karl Magnuson's 51st place time of 18:27 will be a building block in 2003.
Coming on hot late in the season, Sammy Espada ended the year with a good showing in a competitive race, taking 85th in 19:30.
The day couldn't have gone worse than it did for senior Nick Unruh and freshman Daniel Bookless.
Battling a cold all week, the cold temperatures hindered Bookless' breathing, slowing him to a 98th place time of 20:46.
As sad a day that it was for Unruh in his final race, his gallant effort finishing the 5,000 meter run will be what Kennell will remember of his senior runner.
Bothered by shin splints midway through the season, Unruh finished 102nd in 23:57.
"He had hoped his shin splints would hold off enough that he could have one more good race to end his senior year," Kennell said. "Instead, he ended up barely being able to finish the race.
"He was in a lot of pain as he crossed the finish line. He deserves a lot of credit for even finishing the race. He has had a very good career running for us and we will miss him a lot next year."
With both of the Yoders returning as seniors and the junior trio of Borg, Magnuson and Espada, Hillsboro could be on the verge of capturing a state title in 2003. Sophomore Bookless should also bolster the Trojans' chances next year.
State results
5. A. Yoder, 16:54. 10. D. Yoder, 17:10. 35. Borg, 18:09. 51. Magnuson, 18:27. 85. Espada, 19:30. 98. Bookless, 20:46. 102. Unruh, 23:57.
