A quartet of Boone Central cross country competitors concluded their 2022 seasons Friday with valiant efforts in the Nebraska State Cross Country Championships at the Kearney Country Club.
Cardinals Logan Spence, Giles Deeder, Zander Jarecki and Kassidy Beister represented the school and harrier program in Class C races at Kearney, having earned individual qualifying berths the previous week in district competition.
As the lone Boone Central girl, Beister, just a freshman, placed 46th in a field of more than 100 runners with a final 5000 meter time of 22:37.9. In the C boys race, Deeder, a junior, finished 54th in 18:41.5. He was joined by sophomore teammates Spence (75, 19:03.5) and Jarecki (100, 19:59.4).
Card Coach Justin Harris was pleased with the efforts of his runners, and hopeful their leadership, along with team experience in 2022, can be a springboard to future success.
“Kassidy ran one of her best races of the year. Giles has continued to improve this season and ran a smart race at state,” Harris commented. “Logan ran a good race and Zander battled some issues to finish. Overall, I was very pleased with how we ran and competed.
“The kids can learn from this experience, as they will be able to have this opportunity again next year. Hopefully, we will get many teammates to join them, as well.
“This was a fun season to watch our growth and, although we lose seven senior boys, we have a great core returning next year that really enjoys the sport.”
