Pine Bluffs/Burns Girls Cross Country take State victory for the 8th time

Securing State for the 8th year in a row the Pine Bluffs/ Burns XC season comes to a finish. State for Cross Country was held in Sheridan, WY at the eye appealing VA hospital grounds.

The boys team ran at 11 a.m. and the girls at 12:30 p.m. due to rotation of having the second race this year. Before each state race the teams like to start with a team workout. The team workout is one of the most essential parts of our program.

The boys had a rough battle with the wind, which had began 10 minutes before the race. that didn't stop them. They fought hard and strong, finishing with close times but not quite to their PR's.

Although we are losing a senior, Colton Sowards, we have high hopes for our young team next year.

Within the team, 3 out of 7 boys had never ran a State race before. New to the team were Greg Fornstrom and Joey Romans, who are freshmen and David Gordon who joined the team this year as a sophomore.

The girls are now 8 time 2A State Champions! The coaches were pretty positive that the team had second place to Lovell until the last 800m of the race, Although Lovell is a great team they are a wicked one from the west. The girls still came through!

Freshman Shelby Thurin and Sophomore Piper Perez ran their first state race this year. Piper gave it her all! During the last 800m Piper showed her super power abilities. As they both stepped over the line Perez had been just a hair ahead of Thurin and finished 2nd instead of 3rd! Perez proved how talented she really is with the power she held in the last stretch of the race.

Consistence is a huge plus with the team, and Hallie Christofferson truly proved herself this year. She was determined and knew how to successfully get the job done. Piper Perez was awarded 2nd with a time of 21 :02 and Hallie Christofferson was awarded 8th with a time of 22:36 both were awarded All-State Honors.

Emily Keiter is a determined runner who doesn't like to run with out a purpose and she knew exactly what she needed to get done that day. She made sure she got in front of the Lovell's girl. Emily hit it hard and fast to pass the Lovell girl on the final stretch along with a teammate, Erin Greiss. "We may be losing two seniors but we have good faith in our 8th grade girls that are stepping up to the plate." said Coach Rousseau.

Next year is a new year and the team cannot wait to see what kind of excitement Pine Bluffs/Burns team brings. The coaches have all said "We are so thankful for the kids and that they are some of the kindest kids around making their jobs easier."