Eagles hope to thrive with increased members
Sept. 19, 2014
Article by Kelsey Priddy and News Package by Anastasia Graves (below article)
The cross country team started off their season with a tough meet hosted by Burlington Jr/Sr High School on Sept. 4. They were off to a competitive start and had many runners medal. Senior Lauren Simone medaled in the JV race, placing ninth. The varsity boys had four medalists including Junior Jacob Gerber, third; Senior Matt Wagner, ninth; Senior Brock Simone, 11th; and Sophomore Jadon Taylor, 20th. Overall the boys team lost a tie for second with Burlington, placing third.
The varsity girls had five runners medal. According to Kevin Brokaw, head coach, Senior Kaitlyn Shoemaker led the race from the beginning and never looked back. He said she was in control from the beginning, finishing with a time of 17:17 and earning a first-place medal.
The four other runners who medaled were Sophomore Anastasia Graves, eighth; Freshman Jade Mountain, ninth; Sophomore Kayla Lane, 11th; and Sophomore Summer Root, 15th. The girls team placed second with 44 points, behind West Franklin with 42.
The junior high cross country team competed at Burlington (see results below) and also had a meet at Wamego shortly after the first high school meet. They finished fourth out of 11 teams at Wamego. All of the schools competing were considerably larger than Silver Lake. Brokaw said every runner ran better times than the previous week.
Grace North finished first in the seventh-grade girls' race at both the Burlington and Wamego meets with times of 6:51 and 6:24.79.
Brokaw said the cross country team has added new faces to its team this year and also has some returning runners.
He shared why he thinks cross country could be a good activity for many different people.
“There are numerous reasons that athletes should go out for cross country. It depends on the athlete. For those that participate in track, it is a great way to get additional running training and competition. It is always a great way to get and stay in shape. I also think that for most everyone that would join the cross country team, they would enjoy the comradery of their teammates,” he explained.
Junior Mariah Cook, a familiar face in the cross country family, explained why she decided to return this year.
“I decided to run cross country this year because I love to run. And throughout the past years, the team has turned into a second family, making it very appealing to come back,” she said.
Senior Michael Marsh described what he is most looking forward to this season.
“I am looking forward to running our best and hopefully returning to the state race like last year,” Marsh said.
Brokaw explained the strengths of this team.
“The strength of this team starts with those that have competed in previous seasons. They know what to expect and what it takes to be successful. The girls team also has the benefit of added depth, which definitely helps strengthen the team,” he said.
On Thursday, the varsity team competed at McLouth. There were 16 schools in attendance, and Brokaw said most runners ran personal bests for the season.
“Most likely, the most difficult meet, overall, will be the Rim Rock Classic. This meet brings in very tough competition from multiple states. The number of runners and teams is much larger than most meets we attend. The main reason that we will attend this meet is because it is the location for the 3A State cross country meet, and it is nice to be able to have some experience running on the course, earlier in the year,” Brokaw said.
The cross country team has to set goals as a team and as individuals in order to be successful. Sophomore Jadon Taylor shared one of his personal goals.
“I want to medal in most of the cross country meets,” Taylor said.
Cook also has goals that she will keep with her until the very end of the season.
“My goal this year is to be better than I was last year and make it to state,” Cook shared.
Burlington Jr/Sr High School Meet Results:
Junior High -
Grace North- 1st
Drew Calderwood- 3rd
High School Boys -
Jacob Gerber- 3rd
Matt Wagner- 9th
Brock Simone- 11th
Jadon Taylor- 20th
The boys team lost a tie for second with Burlington and placed third.
High School Girls -
Kaitlyn Shoemaker- 1st
Anastasia Graves- 8th
Jade Mountain- 9th
Lauren Simone- 9th (JV)
Kayla Lane- 11th
Summer Root- 15th
The girls team placed second with 44 points, behind West Franklin with 42.
Junior High Wamego Meet Results
Grace North - 1st (with a time of 6:24)
The boys placed fourth out of 11 teams.
Team finishes are below.
1. Susan B. Anthony Middle School
2. Junction City
3. Fort Riley
4. Silver Lake
5. Seaman
6. Abilene
7. Rock Creek
8. Wamego
9. Eisenhower Middle School
10. Clay Center
11. Mission Valley
High School Wamego Meet Results
Jacob Gerber- 11th (with a time of 18:01) This was a PR for Jacob.
Kaitlyn Shoemaker- 9th (with a time of 16:50.)
Anastasia Graves- 27th (with a time of 17:44.)
Kayla Lane- 33rd (with a time of 17:52.)
Team finishes are below.
1. Christ Prep Academy
2. Norton
3. Thomas More Prep
4. Silver Lake
Roster
Michael Marsh 12 Oen Griffin 11 Halie Bouton 9
Josey Morgan 12 Jessica Johnson 11 Josh Wilson 10
Kaitlyn Shoemaker 12 Kenzie Kriss 11 Alex Holder 9
Brock Simone 12 Dawson Berndt 10 Jade Mountain 9
Lauren Simone 12 Anastasia Graves 10
Matt Wagner 12 Kayla Lane 10
Mariah Cook 11 Summer Root 10
Jacob Gerber 11 Jadon Taylor 10