The boys cross country team went to Peoria, Illinois to compete at Detweiler Park. The race at the IHSA State Course wasn’t the best performance for the cross country team, but there was an outstanding performance from junior Ryan Johnson continuing to stun the runners, as well as his teammates. 

“By reaching my fastest three miles this past weekend hasn’t really set in for me,” Johnson said. “When I first heard my time I was pumped and very cheery, but it was hard to grasp as just a few years prior to this. I was not ever dreaming of reach sub 18 minutes. Overall, I’m now beginning to feel very proud of myself and my dedication and it inspires me to be better.”

Junior Owen Lane had a strong performance this Saturday, beating his time from last year, finishing 3rd fastest in the boys varsity lineup.

“I know I need to step up my game and improve a lot,” Lane said. “To prepare for the Warren invite, I’m going to train hard and get myself pumped for the race. Not only getting myself pumped, but getting my teammates ready for this upcoming meet. If I am the best I can be, they will [be] too.”

Coach Chris Bailey has some high hopes for his team in the next up coming weeks. After the first invite he understood the potential his team has, but he is learning how to make all seven runners click.

“We have to work on our overall fitness, we have to get stronger, that’s the easiest thing to control,” Bailey said. The second thing, which is more challenging, is that we have to believe in ourselves, have the confidence to run well and compete well”

The boys have a lot of work ahead of them in these upcoming weeks. With the leadership of the coaches, great things are to be expected from the boys cross country team.