The cross country team is yet another successful State High sport. So far this season, the team has put up great performances at numerous invitations and added yet another victory under its belt on Tuesday, Sept. 16. The meet took place at Circleville Park and was a dual meet, with both the boys and girls teams running against Mifflin County High School.
Family and friends came out to cheer on the teams that afternoon, along with other community park visitors. The top boys finished in about 15 minutes, led by junior Theo Opperman, while the top girls came in around 19 minutes and were led by sophomore Evie Younkin and senior Lacey Sheaffer.
Most of the athletes were positive about the season so far, feeling that both the performance and the environment is good. For a few of the athletes, injury and conflicts led to it being their first race of the season so far. After the race, the team all gathered around in one of the pavilions together, recovering from their runs or doing cool-down laps along the paths. “The booster club has good snacks,” senior Zoe Hohlfeld said following the race.
However, their time running at Circleville is coming to an end due to the impending construction of the new Park Forest Middle School, which will take place on the site of the cross country course. Park Forest Middle School was built in 1971, one of the oldest schools in the district. For the past few years, different buildings have been taken down and reconstructed, such as Corl Street, Radio Park and State High. Now, Park Forest Middle School is finally getting its chance to be renewed into a safer, cleaner and more modern facility.
The cross country team had mixed feelings about the course removal. When asked about the course, most of the team appeared either indifferent or excited. The course has rough terrain and winding hills that makes it more physically tolling to run on than most of the other courses in the season, so the idea of not having to run it anymore was more appealing than not. However, some people were sad to see it go. “It’s upsetting to hear that the Circleville course isn’t gonna be our own course anymore, because I love the course, and it’s so nice to run on it. It’s like, there’s a perfect amount of hills and it’s so fun to run with my teammates and it’s not that far from the school either,” junior Kami Peachey said. What will be most missed about Circleville is the space supporting the park itself and the amenities it offers to people in the community.
The cross country teams were back at it on Saturday, Sept. 27 in the Carlisle Invitational at Carlisle High School.
Results from the full season can be found here.
