Trojans snag 2 medals

By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Hillsboro and Goessel runners made their final stand during Saturday’s state races at Victoria.

Goessel boys followed up their run of recent performances by placing sixth among Class 1A schools. The Bluebirds placed no runners better than 35th, but succeeded in placing four within the top 50.

Jacob Schrag led the charge with a time of 18:55.20, well enough for 37th place. Dawson Duerksen finished his high school cross-country career at Goessel with a 41st place finish, matching his fastest time of the season in 19:08.90.

Ben Olson came in at 19:22.00 for 46th, with Timothy Schrag right behind in 19:23.60 for 47th place. Senior David Sawyer finished in 69th place, and Javin Schmidt rounded out the group in 81st place.

Hillsboro didn’t send enough runners to place as a team but the Trojans managed to place runners in the top 20 for the boys and girls races.

Levi Allen came close to breaking the 17-minute mark, a considerable achievement for his freshman season. He finished 16th in the boys race with a time of 17:11.20. Hillsboro’s other competitor in the boys race was senior Tristan Reed, who placed 51st with a time of 18:21.40.

Emersyn Funk was The Trojans’ top finisher, placing 15th with a time of 20:43.60, with Moriah Jost following in 21:51.60 for a 35th-place finish. Both girls will be back next season, with Jost having two years remaining.

Reporter Delbert Peters contributed to this story.