Cross Country Eagles place in Elite Eight at State

Other runners included Kassie Mull, who placed 29th with a personal best time of 22:04; Skyler Cozzens placed 40th with a 22:34; Amanda Anderson finished 68th with a 24:04; Dakota Chandler placed 69th with a 24:05; and Hope Boggs finished 71st with a 24:11.

“The girls were fantastic,” said coach Bob Roller. “They really came on. They’re all ninth and tenth graders, and have room to improve for next year.”

Roller said the top five girls will be returning for 2009.

For the boys, Brandon Banks placed 16th overall out of 217 runners with a time of 17:33. Other runners included Kevin Kesler, who placed 21st with a 17:49; Terry Miller finished 41st with an 18:17; Chris White placed 95th
with a 19:32; Andy Van Deventer placed 98th with a 19:34; and Eric Van Deventer finished 106th with a 19:41.

“We were strong up front, and ran tough at the back end, but not well enough for the top four,” Roller said. “But it’s an improvement over last year.”

He said seven of the top nine boys will return next year.

He added that the top four girls’ teams in region 8-AA will all have their top five athletes returning next year. He also said that of the schools that represented the region at state, four made the elite eight.

“It will be a real competitive season in 2009,” Roller said.