Above left (l-r), student manager Mason McGreer, Colton Pouk and coach Seth Burge prepare to head to the State competition after a sendoff at the school. Above right: Pouk tries to reach the front of the pack during the boys State cross country race. Pouk placed 31st with a time of 18:18, beating his State time from last year.
Pouk takes 31st at State cross country
Junior Colton Pouk placed 31st at the State cross country competition that took place Thursday, Oct. 22 in Kearney.
This was Pouk’s second year racing at the state meet. Last year, he placed 53rd with a time of 18:35. He was the lead runner for the Perkins County team of six runners that qualified for State in 2019.
This year, he beat his old time by 17 seconds, clocking in at 18:18. There were 133 runners in the boys race.
Pouk said the day of state was cold and a little nerve-wracking, but fun at the same time. Coach Seth Burge agreed it was a cold and bitter day.
Burge, assistant coach Tristan Stephenson, student manager Mason McGreer, Principal Ben Jones and Superintendent Phillip Picquet all attended the race to show their support for Pouk.
Burge noted how Pouk ran impressively, and passed a large number of runners over the course of the race.
“He was in the 70s at mile one, in the 40s at mile two and finished the race in 31st,” Burge said. “That is impressive to pass that many runners in a race and if anyone can do it, it is Colton.
“I feel like I could have done a little better, but it was a higher place than last year,” Pouk said. “It felt good to place higher.”
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