XC boys team pictured above
By: Bethany Day
The Buckhorns Cross Country team is heading to states. On Wednesday, October 22, the Buckhorns traveled to Wyoming Country Fair Grounds to compete in the District Two meet. This was one of the final chances the team had to run. During districts, the Buckhorns team had to race against multiple other teams to try and grab a spot for states. The Buckhorns knew what they wanted as a program and knew what they wanted for themselves.
The boys race began around 11 am, when the sun was shining and wind was blowing lightly. The top seven boys went to the starting line and proved their worth during the race. The top five boys, Aiden Janowicz, Chris Smith, Dan Salinas, Chase Predmore, and Benson Kizer finished in the top 11. The pack made fast moves during the race, with the group finishing ahead of every other team’s number two runner, minus Hazelton. Christopher Turfaro finished 19 overall, with Jordan Bermudez finishing three seconds behind him.
The girls raced at 1:45 pm. The downside was the wind was blowing harshly, causing a colder wave to hit the team. The ladies had one goal, to give Valley View a run for their spot. The girls raced hard, gaining ground immediately after the race started. June Brown finished fourth, Kelcie Fillebrown finished sixth, and Breanna Brandt finished 14, gaining top spots for the ladies. The rest of the pack fought hard in the back, with Jessie Gallagher, Olivia Lojewski, and Bethany Day finishing only three seconds after each other gaining finishing spots of 20, 21, and 22. Hannah Daidone finished 37 out of 75 girls. The group put up a strong fight and only lost to Valley View by two points.
The boys repeated as Triple A champions, and the girls were the Double AA runner ups. Due to their spots and how they finished overall, both teams can run as a team at states this year! The team will be leaving on October 31 to view the course and then race on November 1 at Hershey. This is an honor for the Buckhorns, and we cannot wait to see how they run together.
