Cross country teams headed to state

    Chase County’s cross country teams far exceeded their coaches’ expectations at the D6 district meet in Bridgeport last Thursday.
    Not only did both teams qualify for this week’s state meet but the girls came home with a district championship and the boys won the  runner-up title.
    “It was a pretty good day for the Longhorns,” Head Coach Carl Zuege said Friday. “We’re pretty excited about it.”
    Going into the meet, Zuege and Assistant Jonathan Beverly felt if the girls ran really well, they had a shot at finishing second but for sure third to earn a ticket to state.
    The top three teams at districts qualify for the state meet.
    They thought the boys were “on the edge looking in” at  the possibility of finishing third. It was a realistic but lofty goal, Zuege said.
    Not only did both teams exceed those expectations, each of the runners finished the day with personal records (PR) for the season.
    Zuege said Beverly’s training regimen is designed to peak the team at the end of the season.
    The Longhorns performed strong at the SPVA meet Oct. 4 and then had a 10-day break until the district meet.
    Zuege said that break makes a big impact as they get ready for districts. They work on speed training and a variety of other drills to get in top condition going in.
    Zuege said the teams’ best two meets this year were SPVA and districts so they must be “doing something right in training.”
Girls outpace the field
    With all six of the girls turning in PRs, the Longhorns put themselves in perfect shape to claim the district title.

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