Fossil Ridge bested twenty schools on October 3, by taking first place at the Sabercat Invitational, their home game cross country meet with a score of 57. Cherry Creek placed second with a score of 60 and Mountain and View High School earns third with a score of 160.
The three mile terrain of sloping dirt roads and hard asphalt was a challenge for all runners. Physically adept competitors with insane mental strength and hard-core determination made the run involve high competition. Even so, Fossil was able to cross the finish line earning a victorious first place title.
Fossil’s girls varsity runners began the home race with a strong lead and maintained a steady pace into the top three finalists. Billie Fogarty, a freshman member of the team crossed the finish line first from the team. “My teammates pushed me the most to the finish line,” Fogarty stated. Not far behind Fogarty, Ellie Ewer came in second, “It was exhilarating,” she exclaimed, “it was a very intense race with lots of strong runners. Competition was high.” Completing the first trio of Fossil’s team was Sydney Teslow, who stated, “I am proud of finishing strong and enduring to the end.” Next to come into home was Kate Lammons, and Promise Butler, who finalized Fossil’s score for the final placement. Fossil scored 92 after Cherry Creek who received first place with a score of 42. Mountain View scored 102 earning third place in the race.
The boys varsity team had the sabercats stalking prey as they dominated the race track and took first. “I tried not to let anyone pass me. It helped me stay with the front pact,” exclaimed Keaton Schelier, the first to finish from the team. He is a promising team member with an impressive first-title reputation. Dylan Ko’s strong finish made the three mile race look almost easy. Even with the physical drain, Ko was able to push through into second place. “The race was fun. I need to train more on hilly terrain,” he claimed. Blake Hubert was the third sabercat to cross the finish line who revealed that he, “had a bit of a slow start, but found the right pace.” Jackson Powell and Matt Hubert came into a great finish allowing the boys varsity team to earn a score of 57 with an average time of 16:40. Cherry Creek and Widefield placed in the top three along with Fossil.
Although Fossil’s varsity teams set high standards, the junior varsity teams never fell short of expectations during the race.
The girls junior varsity team had Allison Edwards, Erin Kastein, and Gillian Allison, finish as the first three out of team followed by Jordan Manning, and Destiny Butler. With combined times of each runner, Fossil placed second in the sprint. “Determination was my strongest motivator,” stated Edwards, “I still need to work on a strong finish.” Using each other to be encouraged and to have a positive attitude, a goal for the runners was to keep pace with one another and run in partnerships throughout the race. Kastein commented, “The second mile was the hardest because by then you are on your own. You are tired and you don’t have most of your teammates there to push you.” Allison, a senior teammate has a reputation for being “the toughest competitor,” stated Manning. When asked about her thoughts on the race Allison stated, “All I could think of was to pick it up and get ahead of the girl in front of me.”
The boys junior varsity sabercats received a score of 54 also earning a second place title. Ian O’toole expressed his thoughts on the course to be not as difficult. “The first up to winning is being positive,” stated O’toole. Patrick Shrock, the second place runner stated, “Representing Fossil the best I could motivated me, especially because it was our home competition.” Joey Athanasiou said that the air of competition was his greatest drive and was what made the sport a big interest. In a request asking for advice for other runners, Athanasiou replied, “Be the birdsong of your generation.”
All cross country runners represented Fossil with high competition and good sportsmanship. The hours preparing for their invitational had paid off with great scores and a sense of personal achievement. Many of Fossil’s team members expressed the support they felt from the participating home audience that cheered for the team, pushing them to run a little faster.
When asked about the proudest moments of the race, Karen Giesler specified that “The freshman in varsity did very well and the junior varsity boys had a great pack time.” Aaron Berthold, the assistant coach stated that he was extremely pleased with the performance of his athletes and satisfied with the scores.
“Overall we were very competitive and did well. The varsity and junior varsity boys stayed consistent. The assertiveness in all our runners made today’s competition a great race,” exclaimed Coach Giesler.
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