Pierce High Cross Country Rebuilds the Group
By Kendall Shada
The fall season has arrived, and along with many other sports getting underway, the Bluejays cross country season has also begun. This year, the Running Jays have nine high school runners.
The seniors on the team are Bailee Thelen, Maxwell Weber, and Kendall Shada. The lone junior runner on the team is Blaine Anson. Finally, the freshmen on the team are Quinn Streff, William Blank, Kohen Gordon, Emmett Hervert, and Zachary Hickman.
“I think the biggest challenges for the team will be the lack of effort at practices and that our competitors will be putting more effort in than some of us,” Weber said. “I am looking forward to the Fremont Twilight meet, the Yankton meet, and lastly, the UNK meet.”
With a mix of experienced runners and new faces, the Bluejays are looking to build a strong team throughout the season. With five freshmen joining the team, the group is working to create a great team atmosphere while helping the younger runners adjust to running races that are five thousand meters instead of two thousand meters.
“Rebuilding is something that has had to be done in the past,” head coach Gary Shada, who is entering his final year of coaching, said. “In all my years of coaching, this is probably the greatest amount of diversity that I’ve had in terms of experience and inexperience on the varsity level.”
