Two runners make state

Brandon Barker and Zachery Wagner wrote their names into the top ten list on the Kimball High Cross Country record sheet by virtue of their performances this past season.

Barker, a junior, and Wagner, a freshman, made it to the State Cross Country meet held this past week at the Kearney Country Club Golf Course after finishing 3rd and 15th respectively at the District meet. Although they did not run up to their best marks ran during the season at the state meet, they still ran well and will be back next year to make another run at a state medal.

Barker finished 34th at Kearney with his time of 18:22.4 and Wagner ran 67th in 18:55.2, out of 151 runners. Barker's best time this year was 17:42, when he placed 10th at the Gothenburg meet, a time that moved him up to the number 6 spot on the overall record times ran at Kimball High, which is also the number 4 best ever by a Kimball High junior! This dropped Shawn Nagel out of the top five when he ran 17:46 in 2008 as a junior.

Wagner ran a season best of 18:25 at the Gothenburg meet which was the 5th best time ever ran by a Kimball High freshman and moved Matt Bright out of the number five spot when he ran 18:37 back in 2001. Zachery can now become a four-time state qualifier and Barker of course will look to repeat next year to make him a two-time state qualifier.

With all 11 boys returning from this year's team, and with some possible additions from next year's freshman class, the boy's cross country program appears to be very strong with lots of depth. Coach Tiffany Johnson will have to replace four departing senior girls however and is hoping for some incoming freshman girls to try the sport.

Of the four senior girls listed on this year's roster, Kailey Dickerson is the only one to write her name into the record books for Kimball High. In her 2012 freshman year, Kailey moved into the number five spot with her time of 24:10. As a sophomore, in 2013, she also holds the number five spot with her time of 23:05, which remains her best all time mark, which is the number six spot for overall best times for a Kimball High girl.

Coach Tiffany Johnson said she was happy overall with the way her two runners competed at the State Meet. "Brandon was disappointed with his placing but I asked him, 'Have you ever been here before? Did you know what to expect?' He said 'Well No.' We talked and I know he is excited to get back next year. With 151 runners in Class D, our finishes are not too bad," she said.

Note: A special thanks to assistant coach Laurie Janicek for her help in updating the records and getting results to me.