Luckily for us, and the rest of the Charger Nation, there are a few brave souls with the toughness and dedication to go through the heat of summer and/or early mornings to call themselves cross country athletes. This year we only had one senior, Julia Sharp, on the team. We also added four freshman and expanded by incorporating a middle school team into the program. Thus, a very young team so the future looks bright.
Our team consisted of senior Julia Sharp; juniors Kaley Oberding, Abby Laird, Isaac Kane, and Keagan Baker; sophomores Ivy Fujibayashi, Lane Edmonds, and Riley Burk; freshman Bailey Porter, Lucas Meredith, Shane Johnson, and Isaac Laird; 8th graders Bailey Jenkins, Max Kane, and Scott Roloff; and 7th grader JD Cutshall.
Overall, it was an awesome year. I felt all the athletes competed hard and overcame many obstacles and prevailed. The girls team ended with only 5 members but competed hard, even finishing 2nd at the Lyle Alley Invitational. The boys team won four meets, two of which were the NEKL and the 2A Regional at Wabaunsee (first time since 1998). The boys then went on to finish 8th as a team at the 2A State meet. Isaac Kane (2nd), Lucas Meredith (3rd), and Ivy Fujibayashi (6th) were named 1st Team NEKL Cross Country. Keagan Baker (11th) and Lane Edmonds (15th) were named to the 2nd NEKL team. In the middle school NEKL meet Max Kane (2nd) and Bailey Jenkins (2nd) each came home with a medal. Lucas Meredith (8th) and Isaac Kane (10th) placed high enough at Regionals to earn them a trip to State as individuals.
Team finishes for 2022
Lyndon: Boys-5th Girls 4th
McLouth: Boys- 1st Girls-3rd
Rim Rock: Girls- 36th
Centralia: Boys- 2nd Girls- 6th
Pleasant Ridge: Boys- 3rd Girls- 5th
NEKL: Boys- 1st
Jackson Heights (Lyle Alley Invitational): Boys- 1st Girls- 2nd
2A Regional (Wabaunsee): Boys- 1st Girls 9th
2A State (Wamego): Boys- 8th
In closing, I would like to thank everyone who supported our program in some way or other. It take many people to make a program successful. With the very good chance of missing someone, I will not begin to mention names, but you know who you are, and so do the kids. I also want to thank the runners themselves; it was a trying year and they responded very well. I have always said we have the best kids a coach can ask for. The kids became very close. Unlike many sports, everyone feels the same pain, whether at practice or during competition. I would also like to thank my assistant coach Spencer Wilson. He truly goes the extra mile (fitting) to make this program what it is.