Cross Country Runners Cross the Finish Line

At 10:30 a.m. on November 11th, 127 boys from across New York State gathered at Wayne Central Schools for the NYS Cross Country Championship. As they lined up by the starting line, tensions were running high. For many of these runners they hoped for this race to be the culmination of all their hard work during the season. Others were hoping to place well enough in order to qualify for Regionals and advance further. Each runner was seperated with others from their section, who they’ve known and run with through their high school career. In the Section 3 box were two runners from Homer High School, Teddy Mercer and Grant Stokoe. These boys had been running spectacularly all season, putting in enormous effort both inside and outside of practice. Grant Stokoe, as a senior, knew that this was his last chance to place big in a high school race. The previous year he had missed States by a single spot and hoped to make up for that in the race. It was also Teddy Mercer’s first race at States. However, as a junior, he has another chance to return and run again next year.

As the seconds ticked down toward the start, the line grew tense with concentration. Each of the runners understood it was critical to get a fast start, as the course funnelled rapidly. As the runners streamed over the start line it was a mad dash toward the front in order to secure the best positioning and footing possible. Teddy Mercer stated that the race was “really difficult. Either mud or snow up to your calves or frozen ground that could twist your ankle.” When asked about the experience of running such a large profile race he stated, “Grant and I blew our seeds out of the water, which was awesome. We were able to race against the highest caliber competition we’ve been faced with all year”.

This race was a truly “unforgettable experience”. Running in States has given those 127 runners a special opportunity that they will never forget.