Plainsmen boys take 10th at State cross country
Friday, Oct. 22, the Perkins County boys cross country team and individual qualifier Meredith Gloy raced in the State meet at Kearney.
Coach Seth Burge said it was a great day for a race, and they couldn’t have asked for better weather going into the competition.
He added that it was so exciting to have six runners competing at the State level.
“We have been preparing for this race since June 1 and it’s so good to see these kids’ hard work pay off,” he said.
With Perkins County Schools on fall break Friday, the team saw a lot of hometown support at the meet coming from administration, students, family and community members all came out to support the runners.
“The state meet has always drawn a large crowd, but even in the chaos you could pick out the Plainsmen fans along the course,” Burge said. “Not to mention the support we had from our school patrons during Thursday’s send off. I want to give a special thanks to WinDesigns for providing the team with state qualifying t-shirts.”
The boys team had a bit of a change from what was originally planned, as Parker Tille had been ill for most of the week leading up to State. Johan Mireles had continued to practice with the team leading up to the race, so Burge said he gladly filled in for Tille.
Burge added that Mireles ran a great race, and he is glad he got the chance to compete again as he set a new personal record.
The Class D boys race had 132 runners, and Perkins County’s boys team finished 10th place overall.
Freshman runner Mason McGreer was the first of Perkins County’s boys to finish, completing the race in 20th with a time of 18:04.24. He was the fastest freshman in the Class D race, and Burge said he earned every bit of that accomplishment through his dedication and persistence.
Senior Colton Pouk finished 31st just 15 seconds behind McGreer, with a time of 18:19.57. Although he didn’t have the finish he would have liked, he ran a great race and had a successful senior season according to Burge.
“I am proud of Colton for his hard work and leadership over the past three years of coaching him,” he added. “He is leaving behind a great legacy for the younger runners as he moves on to be successful in other sports he loves.”
Brock Tines, Brient Wood and Mireles finished close together, with Tines in 123rd, Wood in 128th and Mireles in 131st.
“The boys’ 10th place finish was a testament to the teamwork they built up at the end of the season,” Burge noted. “In 2019, the boys state qualifying team placed 18th out of the 18 teams at State, so this improvement was good to see.”
Meredith faced 127 runners in the Class D girls race Friday morning, and she finished 69th with a time of 23:33.90.
“Meredith ran a great race for her first state meet,” Burge said. “It’s a little more challenging when you don’t have your teammates racing with you, but she had a lot of support from the sidelines.”
Burge also noted Gloy and McGreer both logged well over 100 miles last summer as part of the Summer Run Club, so it was nice to see them do so well at State.
Though the season is over, Burge said it sounds like most of the underclassmen will be returning next year.
State Results
Boys: Mason McGreer, 20th, 18:04.14; Colton Pouk, 31st, 18:19.57; Brock Tines, 123rd, 21:28.74; Brient Wood, 128th, 23:02.81; Johan Mireles, 131st, 24:15.77
Girls: Meredith Gloy, 69th, 23:33.90