Junior High Cross Country Bobcats Overcome Late Arrival to Finish Strong at Commodore Perry Invite (09/24/15)
(By Christie Datko)
It was a rough start for the Bobcat Jr. High Cross Country team on Saturday, September 19, as they barely made it to the start line in time at the Commodore Perry Invite in Hadley, Pa. Due to the bus taking a wrong turn somewhere along the way, the team was unable to even complete a walkthrough of the course before they stepped onto the start line. However, It appeared to be a non- issue for the youngsters as they went out and competed very well.
(Photos by Christie Datko) Emma Spitz showing great form!
The Bobcat girls, represented by Emma Spitz, Marilyn Luchynsky and Morgan Kahle would run first. They all ran hard and were led by Emma Spitz who crossed the finish line at 15.14. This time gave her a 26th place finish in a field of 63. Medals were given to the top 25 and Spitz just missed receiving one. Luchynsky and Kahle pushed hard to earn respective times of 16:52 and 16:54. They finished 44th and 45th.
There were not enough Lady Bobcats in attendance to compete as a team.
As for the boy’s team, things went very well especially for Nathaniel Lerch who finished 2nd out of 76 junior high boys competing! He ran the course in 11:07 which is truly amazing! The top time ran by Noah Bernarding of Cochranton was just 5 seconds faster.
Alex Cussins and Donnie Cunningham finishing great!
Lerch got off to a great start and put quite some distance between himself and the rest of the field. This kid’s speed and endurance has made him a top competitor no matter who he competes against. Congratulations to him on a great finish.
The second Bobcat to cross the finish line was Nate Datko. The time of 12:50 put him in 27th place just out of reach of a medal. For Donnie Cunningham and Alex Cussins this is an invite they should have walked away from with their heads held high. They both ran their best race thus far this season. Cussins earned a 31st place finish with a time of 13.11.45 and Cunningham followed with a time of 13.11.94., which was good for a 32nd place finish.
Cole Stutzman helped his Bobcat team as he earned a 63rd place finish with a run time of 15:31.
Cole Stutzman making his way through the woods!
All these times resulted in the Bobcat Boy’s Junior High team bringing home a 5th place finish out of the 14 teams competing.
Coach Bill Grove has said that he feels everyone on both Junior High teams are improving with every meet. He is very optimistic about the future of the Bobcat Cross Country team and is looking forward to see how these athletes progress.
(Thanks to Christie Datko for this article and photos. Great Job, Bobcats!!!!)
Nate Datko in a battle at finish line!