On Saturday, Sept. 13, the Cross Country team had one of their biggest meets of the season. The 9th annual Forest Park meet is known for being the biggest, fastest, and most

competitive race.  The Varsity boys competed in the 5K white division and raced around 283 runners including 38 schools overall. Top 30 were awarded with medals.

“My main goal was to pr [personal record] but along with that get under 17:30,” sophomore Jake Oppenborn said. “ I think I did pretty good, didn’t end up getting under 17:30, but met my goal of setting my personal record of a 17:42, resulting in 24th place and medalling. I felt like this was the best race to show how good I could be so I went out and ran my hardest.”

Compared to the prior meet Cross Country ran in,  the “Man Maker” , known for its hellacious hills, Forest Park was a quick, flat, fast paced race with little to no hills. The boys got to catch a break with it being a little cooler outside and havd some luck with some nice running weather.

“The hardest part of the race for me was the start,” sophomore Bryan Chac said. “ It was very tight and jam packed because there was so many runners. With as many runners as there were you could definitely feel the pressure around you. One of my main goals was to go out faster so I wouldn’t get stuck in the very back.”

Junior Chase Powelson came in 18th and still holds top Varsity runner spot with sophomore Jake Oppenborn right on his heels. The Varsity boys place 2nd  as a team overall and had an average of a 17 minute and 15 second 5K.

“As a team, we did very well and placed 2nd overall for the Boys Varsity white division,” Chase Powelson said. “The season has been going great so far and I’ve seemed to progress as the meets are going and I’m feeling great! What drives me to run my hardest is the will to win, medal, and keep myself in shape for other upcoming sports seasons.”

This meet prepares the boys and the rest of the 2014 Cross Country team for what districts and sectionals will be like later in the season with the competitive vibe and good competition.

“My favorite part of the meet was probably seeing all the different  variety of schools and the really tough competition that came along with them,” sophomore Jake Oppenborn said. “ The hardest part for me is the mental toughness to keep pushing myself when I get tired and want to slow down during the race.  Next time I hope to change my finish and push harder at the end.”