~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
The Greene County Rams cross country teams headed to Lake City Oct. 8 and ran well, with a solid third-place finish, thanks to strong running from Noah Hinote, who placed sixth, Brady Carstensen, who placed 14th, and Carter Hinote, who placed 22nd. The top runner for the girls was Rylee Mowrer, who just finished outside of a medal with a 26th-place finish. At this point in the year, the runners have been impressive.
“I am really proud of the entire team. They have all made progress and are setting personal records consistently. This has been a special season with a great group of runners. Many worked hard this summer and more came into the season with a strong base. We then could concentrate on building speed and strength. I have noticed we are taking on the hills much better this year, often passing the competition on the hills. I am excited to see what they can accomplish at the conference meet and state qualifying,” head coach Jeff Lamoureux said.
The cross country season can be grueling with meet after meet and the number of miles athletes run during the year, but the coaches ensure the runners stay focused.
“Sometimes the season can be a bit of a grind, and runners can often lose focus and the will to persevere. I tell them to keep working hard, to keep pushing toward that goal. They have a lot more in them than they know. I am fortunate to have such a great group of young adults to work with,” Lamoureux concluded.
This season has been filled with plenty of positives for both squads. The girls have seen the emergence of younger runners who will be the building blocks of the future, while the more seasoned runners have routinely set their best times.
On the boys side, the runners have usually been near the top of the best at the meets and they’ve shown consistent improvement all season long.
Next, the Rams were set to run in the Heart of Iowa Activities Conference meet at Hickory Grove on Monday, Oct. 14.
After that, they will focus on the state qualifying meet on Thursday, Oct. 24, as they look to run their best races of the year and earn a spot in the state meet.
Ram boys, SoCal meet- Noah Hinote, 6th 17:45.22; B. Carstensen, 14th 18:34.64; Carter Hinote, 22nd 19:07.76; Nick Black, 30th 19:49.18; J. Koller, 37th 20:26.09; E. Carstensen, 44th 20:45.31; K J-Peterson, 50th 20:58.07; M Carstensen, 79th 22:51.55; Rhys Palmer, 93rd 23:40.27; Tucker Ford, 102nd 24:32.47; Dexter Ritter, 104th 24:36.75; R. Bauer, 105th 25:06.70.
Boys team points: Sioux Central, 68; Denison-Schleswig, 89; Greene County, 109; East Sac County, 121; Ridge View, 128; Alta-Aurelia, 149; OABCIG, 172; Southeast Valley, 176.
Ram Girls at SCC Invitational- Rylee Mowrer 26, 23:58.15; Ava Jablonski 44, 26:02.26; Evelyn Snyder 51, 26:48.21; Cora Powers 68, 30:38.72; Leah McCormick 72, 33:21.92.
Girls team points: Sioux Central 57, Ridge View 66, Alta-Aurelia 71 points, Denison-Schleswig 76 points, West Bend-Mallard 104 points, South Central Calhoun 126 points, Southeast Valley 178 points, Greene County 193 points.
