by: Regan E. & Courtney M.

The Cobblers’ cross country team hit the road this weekend, heading to Huron for the state meet, where the girls broke new ground,  Tony Smorgiewicz took care of business, and the boys beat their cross-town rivals with a nice finish.

Girls

The girls went into the race as underdogs. Newspapers across the state did not have them in contention for any kind of award. However, they quickly changed the critics’ minds as each runner got off to a strong start. The Cobbler girls remained strong throughout the race, sticking together as a group. Coming across the line first for the Cobblers was freshman Bailey Broderick, finishing with a strong 11th place. Hanging close behind were freshman Adeline Straatmeyer and 8th grader Rachel Mayforth, who both finished as “all-staters”  in the top 25. Not far behind were freshmen Courtney McCormick and Regan Enos, going neck and neck to the line, finishing 28th and 30th. Also showing strong appearances for the Cobblers were sophomore Amy Branat (37th) and junior Megan Brink (58th). The girls’ outstanding performances led them near the podium, earning 4th place overall for the state. This is the best finish a Cobblers’ girls team has had in more than 15 years. With passion and perseverance, the sky is the limit for this young team.

Boys

The Cobbler boys showed up ready to run hard and compete. They left the line strong and remained solid throughout the race. As projected, junior Tony Smorgiewicz crossed the first, claiming the class AA state title for the first time and blowing away his closest competition by more than 30 seconds.  The win capped a perfect season for Smorgiewicz, who finished first in every meet he ran this season. Coming in 2nd for the Cobblers was junior Eric Sanders, with an awesome finish to an outstanding race, claiming an all-state medal with 10th place. Battling all the way to the line were freshmen Daniel Lucero and junior Nick Buckingham, running hard to 46th and 47th place finishes, respectively. Not far behind was senior Kyle Kessler, finishing 58th. Right on his tail was sophomore Caleb Marler with a finish of 69th place. Then to top the team off was junior Chase Clausen placing 86th. The boys’ team finished 6th for the state, beating our cross-town rivals, the Stevens Raiders.

As a combined team, the Cobblers finished second, behind only Brandon Valley. This is a huge accomplishment! At the end of a successful day in Huron, the Central Cobblers cross country team can come back proud of their performances and eager to look ahead to the future. Way to go Cobblers!