Bright and early, at eight o’clock sharp on Saturday, October 14. Cross-country geared up for one of the roughest, most draining races – The Port Hudson’s Bronco Stampede.
The three-mile course switched between grass, dirt, and gravel, including several menacing hills. Though the trail was utterly exhausting for all racers, Zachary had the upper hand because they practiced at Port Hudson almost daily.
After the team stretched, the Boys’ Varsity race began. Noah McKneely (12), Damien Sprouse (12), and Marcus Coates (11) led the race and finished in the top ten. McKneely finished fourth, Sprouse finished ninth, and Coates finished 10th.
Girls’ Varsity followed the boys at 8:40 a.m. Rylee Deignan (12), Korria Gordon (12), and Cecelia Duggan (9) led the way, finishing in the top ten, with Deignan in fourth, Gordon in ninth, and Duggan in 10th.
Rylee Deignan (12), who’s been running cross-country since fifth grade, explained why the course, especially the stretches of gravel, is so tiring.
“Running on gravel means that you must wear different shoes. Normally, on just grass meets, we can wear spikes, but the gravel will tear up our spikes, so we can’t wear them, which does affect your running,” Deignan (12) said.
Furthermore,
“Compared to the other meets we’ve run, this one was way harder,” Deignan said.
Adding onto Deignan’s thoughts about the course, Alyssa Major (12) described the hills’ impact on her performance.
“Running up the hills, my legs were burning, and I just had to keep pushing through,” Major (12) said.
Although this meet was challenging, the Broncos displayed remarkable perseverance. Their determination was evident as they gave this meet their all!
