Cross country is hard enough without a cold rain making m…

By Sports Dept.

Clear Creek-Amana Invitational

Cross country is hard enough without a cold rain making mud of a rugged course, however the runners from Mid-Prairie and Highland had to brave those tough conditions at the Clear Creek-Amana Invitational at Kent Park last Monday.

Mid-Prairie coach Gary Curtis said that despite the conditions, the Golden Hawk harriers made a respectable showing at the eight team meet. Varsity boys runner Adam Casper finished in 22nd, just out of the medals, with a time of 22:08. Freshman Tad TeBockhorst finished just behind Casper in his first varsity race with a 24th place 22:22. Justin Montgomery ran the 5K in a time of 23:40 for 32nd place.

Highland finished sixth out of seven teams in the boys varsity competition. Freshman Ryan Sammons led all runners with 23:48, followed by Corey Ritchie and Nathan Krotz.

“Ryan is a motivated runner and we have seen his times and position improve throughout the year,” Highland coach John Hebrink said.

The Huskies also finished sixth out of seven in the girls varsity competition. Ashlee Ogren led with a 25th place 15:22. Dana Thomann and Katie Hawkins also ran well on the hilly, wet course.

In the girls junior varsity race, Hanna Schnieder finished in 11th place, covering the slippery, wooded two-mile course in 16:42. Close behind was Taylor Powell in 13th place with a time of 16:49. Not far behind was teammate Heidi Miksch with a 15th place time of 17:06 while Rachel Patterson with a time of 18:01 for 17th place.

In the junior varsity boys competition, Luke Johnson finished the rugged course in 26:17 for 13th place.

Two seventh graders ran in the junior high race from Mid-Prairie. David Rumsey traversed the one-mile path in 6:07 to place second overall. Aaron Gingerich was right behind Rumsey with a third place time of 6:16.

Williamsburg Invitational

The weather improved for last Wednesday’s Williamsburg Invitational. The sun was shining and the temperatures were more temperate in the low 60’s. However, the Mid-Prairie runners found the course itself a challenge, cut across several surfaces at Pond Park in Williamsburg, creating rough, unstable footing.

“There were a lot of twisting ankles and stumbling feet,” coach Curtis said. “Running on gravel, concrete, blacktop, sand, and grass gave the kids a real challenge. It was hard for them to really stride out with confidence because they were constantly afraid of falling.”

Despite the unsteady conditions, the flat course allowed several Mid-Prairie and Highland runners to run personal best times. In the varsity race, Ryan Sammons finished 44th with a time of 20:22. Nick Slay was 49th overall with a time of 20:38, followed by Nathan Krotz finishing 50th for the Huskies, running the 5K in 20:39. Eric Kallaus was 56th with a time of 21:44 and Matt Slay was 57th at 21:45. Corey Chalupa returned to run a 62nd place 22:53.

Sammons time was good enough to break the school record set earlier in the year by Corey Ritchie. However, the honor would be short lived as Ritchie ran a 19:38 in the boys junior varsity race. Ritchie also finished first in the race, giving Highland their first ever individual race win.

“With a new program, it is common to set new records often, but it usually doesn’t happen twice in one day,” Hebrink laughed. “Ryan said it felt good to break the record, but he has happy too when Corey ran his race. This was a really good night for us.”

Wes Darby also finished in the medals with a 10th place 22:31. Andy Ritchie was 19th with 28:44.

Also in the junior varsity competition, Tad TeBockhorst ran the fastest time of the year for the Golden Hawks with a 21:04 to earn a fifth place. Luke Johnson ran one of his strongest races of the season, finishing 24th with a time of 25:42.

The Highland varsity girls also all set new personal records, led by Ashlee Ogren with a 24th place 14:37. The Husky second through fourth runners crossed the line in a pack, with Tamra Swails finishing 39 in 17:26, Anna Hall in 40th with 16:13, and Dana Thomann with a 41st place 16:19. Kati Hawkins was 44th with 17:47, and Julianne Ossman finished 45th with a time of 18:12.

In the junior varsity girls competition, Hanna Schneider lead the Hawks with a 21st place finish. Schneider was the first Mid-Prairie girl to break the 16-minute barrier s she ran the two mile course in 15:59. Heidi Miksch trailed Schneider by a mere seven seconds, placing 22nd with a personal best 16:06. Taylor Powell chased her teammates to a 24th place finish in 16:24.

The varsity boys competition was one of the strongest of the season. Adam Casper ran a respectable 21:33, but still placed 33rd. Justin Montgomery ran 23:18 to place 42nd.

In the junior high division, Jeremy Brokaw led the way for three Golden Hawk runners. Brokaw finished in third place, running the 1.25 mile course in a time of 8:32. David Rumsey placed fourth, just steps behind Brokaw in a time of 8:37. In sixth place was Aaron Gingerich in a time of 8:48.

Highland’s John Lamping took fourth with a time of 6:15 and Kristina Ossman finished seventh in the girls junior high race with a time of 7:36.

“I was very proud of the kids tonight,” coach Curtis remarked. “Tad and Luke really pushed themselves tonight. You could see the improvement in their strides. Everyone attacked the hills with determination. I think every runner passed several other runners in the last mile.”