Le Roy Cross Country
Ends Regular Season With Big Wins

Following 3 heartbreaking losses in the past week, the Boys' Cross Country Team was primed for a much deserved victory. "We had lost to Wheatland-Chili everytime we saw them at invitationals this season but something seemed right about this week - we really seamed ready for a good race," said Coach Jay Laitenberger. The Boys' Team defeated Holley at the Seneca Invitational on Saturday for the first time this season, and that spark may have been just what the team needed.

At Oakta Creek Park on Tuesday, the Boys' Team faced Wheatland-Chili, Avon and Caladonia-Mumford. Jake Sullivan continued to lead the Boys' Team with a race that he described as, "Better then I had been running in the last couple of weeks". Also scoring for Le Roy were Brandon Weig, Josh Lang, Jim Schwab and Dan Washburn. However, the true dramatics of the meet came when a pack of 4 Wheatland-Chili runners were chasing down Riley Carhart. If one of them had caught Riley, the Boys' score would have been reversed and instead of winning 27-29 as they did, they would have lost by 2 points.

Against Cal-Mum the race was not as close, but equally dramatic through the first 1.5 miles. Cal - Mum had Le Roy beat at the midpoint of the 3.1 mile race, but the Oatka Knights kept moving through the pack of runners and continued to pick off one person after another. Le Roy defeated Cal- Mum 25-31 and Avon 15-50 to finish off the regular season. They now head into the County Championships with some positive momentum.

The Girls' Team was coming off a very solid appearance last week where they picked up 3 victories in one day. In Cross Country races, teams often race against 4-5 other teams at one time, thus a bad day can result in several losses - or a good day can net several wins. The Girls were also looking to end their regular season on an upnote as they head into their County Championships. Janesss Shearer led the girls with her 5th place finish, right behind a pack of Avon girls - ranked among the top in Section Five. Christina Malley held off a tough Pavilion girl at the finish line, while Chelsea Baker held off two Cal-Mum girls closing tight on her. Allyce Barron, Becky Wetzel, and Sarah Wetzel sealed the deal when they out ran the fifth Cal-Mum girl. Le Roy defeated Pavilion 15-50 and gained a close win over Cal- Mum 25-31.

Heading into the County Champinships, Janessa has established herself as a league favorite to be named as an All - Star. "This season certainly has been exciting, and the last few races of the season should be even more interesting as both the boys and girls continue to get faster at just the right time," said Laitenberger.