Heading to state tournament In spite of running through the snow and wind, the Cardinal Boys Cross Country team finished second in the section meet and earned a spot at the state tournament this Saturday at St. Olaf College in Northfield. From left are Isaac Furhman, Tyler Jenniges, Gunner Johnson, Jordan Bendson, Justin Ziegler, Josh Freese, Blake Miller, Paul Plevney and Tyler Pogreba. (Submitted photo) The Boys Cross Country team is headed to the state tournament, this Saturday, Oct. 30, at the St. Olaf College in Northfield. Last Friday they ran the Section 8A race in Bagley and took second place, earning them the right to compete in the 2009 state event.

Although the race was run in snow and wind, the boys still did a great job, coping better with the Minnesota elements than most of the other teams.

Coach Bruce Fuhrman said, "This was a meet in which running times didn't really matter. Times would be incredibly slow due to the blizzard and piling snow. We spent time getting used to the temperature and how it could affect our performance. While most teams stayed on their bus until right before race time, our athletes were well prepared for the environment and I could tell that they were ready."

The Section 8A race has some heavy competition, including the 2008 Class A State Champions, the Perham Yellow Jackets. Also contending for a trip to state were a few more tough teams including Pequot Lakes, Thief River Falls and Warroad.

While Perham took the section honors, the boys from Staples Motley finished a solid second, almost 60 points ahead of the third place team, Thief River Falls. The Cardinal boys raced as a tough force, with all seven runners finishing in the top 31, breezing by the Prowler, Warrior and the Patriot runners.

"Our team had a great start with our trio of Gunner, Jordan and Isaac up in the front with two Perham runners and two from Nevis.

It was a battle all race,"

Coach Fuhrman noted. "We needed to have three of

our runners finish in the top twenty, and we hoped for more to be their also."

Senior Tyler Jenniges had a good race, finishing fourth for the Cards, and racing to a 24th place finish.

"Our pack of Josh, Blake, Justin and Tyler was running solid. It was awesome to watch as they passed people the entire race. Gunner was running in the top three for the last 800 meters, and Jordan was running about sixth, while Isaac was holding 20th place," Fuhrman said. "As our pack came to finish, Tyler pulled away to catch some additional runners. It was exciting to watch our team run their best race of the season."

The team is looking forward to the trip to State, where they will be facing a lot of great competition, but Fuhrman feels the team is ready.

"There are some good teams at state this year. We are happy to have the opportunity to compete there. We have a team with five seniors, with three of them

running varsity races since

seventh grade," he said. "Our slow start this season

had many questioning if we could be a real contender, but we have come together as a solid team."

The team send-off will be Friday at 8:25 a.m. in the high school gym. On Saturday, Nov. 7, the boys will be running at St. Olaf in Northfield. The Class A boys 5K will start at approximately 1:30 p.m.
1. Perham, 28
2. Staples Motley, 68
3. Pequot Lakes, 126
4. Thief River Falls, 136
5. Warroad, 144
6. Bagley/Fosston, 170
7. Pelican Rapids, 187
8. Roseau, 196
9. Wadena-Deer Creek, 274
10. DilworthGlyndon-Felton, 316
11. Park Rapids Area, 338
12. Pine River-Backus, 352
13. Hawley/Ulen-Hitterdal, 364

14. Lake of the Woods, Rainy River,
369
15. Frazee, 377
16. Pillager, 406
17. Indus, 455

3. Gunner Johnson, 17:54.74; 6. Jordan Bendson, 18:12.72; 20. Isaac Fuhrman, 19:18.42; 24.Tyler Jenniges, 19:30.48; 26. Josh Freese, 19:33.95; 29. Justin Ziegler, 19:43.64; 31. Blake Miller, 19:46.36