On Oct. 10th, the warriors competed in the Metro Championship meet at Papillion La Vista South. They finished with a strong performance. For the first time in school history, the boy’s XC team won Metros with a score of 50.
Throughout the entirety of the season, the senior leadership was considered as a top advantage. And this meet only made it clearer what the seniors are capable of. With four Warriors finishing in the top seven, it’s obvious that this is a talented and hard working team.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that two Warrior runners finished at 1st and 2nd. Senior Ryan Kugler finished 1st with a time of 16:04.89, and fellow senior Conor Gross finished 2nd with a time of 16:13.59. The runner that finished third was 12 second behind Gross, which only adds to the dominance that the team showed.
Gross is coming off of an injury that happened early in the season, but that hasn’t stopped him from performing extremely well. His leadership has also helped the team perform the way that they do, and he takes pride in motivating his fellow teammates.
“Reminding everybody that these weeks are what we’ve been working for is the main motivator.” Gross said. “That push helped them, and now we’re one of three down.”
With this performance, Gross also went into how they can’t slow down, and how they need to use this to continue to perform at a high level. “Just trust the process. We’re beginning to taper our programming, which is just decreasing the volume, so we can stay fresh for these big meets.”
Staying fresh and avoiding injury is at the top of Gross’ priorities.
Kugler spoke on his performance, while talking about how they can get ready for the final race.
“My placement didn’t really surprise me at Metros, but how fast I ran did surprise me. But for the other conference meets, they ran fast too, and I realized everyone’s getting into shape,” Kugler said. “So I’m just remembering how hard we worked this summer and this season, and just know I’m going to give it my all for the last race.
Kugler touched on how he also motivates the team during tough times, and how they use it to push them harder.
“We’ve never been in this position to get a medal at state, and before Metros I told them it’s our opportunity to cement ourselves as a team.” Kugler said. “We won our first Metros, and were just staying calm, showing up everyday ready to work, and staying locked in for when State comes.”
Both of these captains also talked about what a state championship would mean to them in their final season in high school.
“Any history that we make, we’re going to be really excited. And it won’t just be a year of hard work, it’ll be four years of high school, plus I ran in middle school with some of these guys, and it’s been a long time coming.” Kugler said.
“It would mean the world. It’s been four plus years of hard work, and to end it with a state title would be a dream come true.” Gross said.
It means so much to them after all the hard work they’ve put in over the years. For them, it’s not just about winning individually; it’s about helping their team succeed and showing the younger runners what it takes to reach their goals. As seniors, they know it’s their job to lead the team, and with the state championship coming up, they’re even more passionate to give it their all in their final season.
The other Warriors that finished in the top seven were sophomore Dylan Gross, who finished 6th with a time of 17:00.45, and senior Collin Newman who finished closely behind with a time of 17:01.70.
The team’s recent success at the Metro championship proves they’re peaking at the right time, with the state championship fast approaching. The Warriors are physically ready and confident, thanks to the guidance of their senior leaders who have kept the team focused all season. Alongside them, younger runners have made a big impact, showing they can compete at a high level and pushing the whole team to perform better. With a strong mix of experience and emerging talent, the Warriors are set to bring their best effort to the state meet.
They now shift their focus to Districts, which will be on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Walnut Creek. There, they hope to continue this reign of dominance, and finish with a strong placement. After that, they will perform at the biggest meet of the season: The State Championship. That will be held on Friday, Oct. 25, at Kearney Country Club.
