Kearney Bearcats Ready to Run In XC Championship

By: Rudy Mezzy Email

Posted: Wed 7:46 PM, Oct 17, 2012

The Kearney Bearcats dashed through the competition at this year's district cross country meet placing four runners in the top five, but the state championship is still to come and the Bearcats have confidence that their preparation makes them the team to beat.

Senior runner, Davis Behle, said, "We're generally a more focused group than most teams. The way we prepare mentally is as helpful as anything and as far as physically, it goes back to the mental aspect. We're thinking about how we can compete and what's going to happen during the race and how we can do our best."

First place individual finisher at Districts this year Tim Smith said, "As far as preparation, we've been doing this for a while, so we're kind of just repeating the routine."

While Kearney High has the numbers to prove they belong with the best, they're quick to tip their hats to the other teams visiting Kearney Friday to see who will be the best cross country team in the state.

Head coach Luke Garringer said, "Anybody can on that day if you run well enough. We're fortunate to have five guys, even six guys that can perform well and score well for us."

Behle says, "The teams we're competing against, this is a very tough field and it will be a battle no doubt. Why we have a chance at it? Coach puts us in the right position to win. We train as hard as anyone and we've got a solid determined group of young men."

"We're definitely in the mix," says Smith. "And I think we have the right attitude and we're just going to go out there and give it all we got and hopefully things will turn out well for us."