Plainsmen Cross Country Teams place third at Alliance
BY EMMALEE PARSLEY STEVENS
GRANT TRIBUNE SENTINEL
After heavy rainfall canceled their scheduled meet on September 18, the Perkins County Plainsmen cross country teams quickly regrouped and competed in Alliance on September 19. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams turned in strong performances, each finishing third overall against tough competition.
On the girls’ side, Perkins County was led by Madison Potts, who earned a top-10 finish by placing seventh. Teammate Savannah Miller was close behind, claiming ninth place. The Plainsmen secured third place against a strong field, including perennial powers Hemingford and Scottsbluff.
The boys’ team also brought home a third-place finish. Elijah Goodall paced the field with a first-place individual finish, while Ethan Sweezy added a key top-10 performance with his sixth-place run. Their efforts anchored a balanced team score that placed Perkins County just behind larger programs Alliance and Scottsbluff.
Head coach Tristan Stephenson said the new experience of racing in Alliance was valuable for the runners. “Although running the hills of McCook may or may not have been missed, runners had the opportunity to race on a new course and against new teams at Alliance. There were some new personal bests, and several did not achieve personal bests, but this new experience led to a better understanding of how to race. Many realized that they could do better, saw some good competition, fought hard regardless of their time, and overall made it a good day. Both teams, girls and boys, were third. Girls were third to a strong Hemingford team and the largest Scottsbluff team. Boys were also behind larger schools, Alliance and Scottsbluff. There are good runners in smaller schools too, but I like our chances better when we score races as Class D will (run five and score three) compared to these bigger meets typically running six and scoring four. Overall, Alliance was good, and we are looking forward to the Ogallala meet September 25.”
The Plainsmen will next compete on Thursday, September 25, at the Crandall Creek Golf Course in Ogallala. Races are set to begin at 3 p.m.