Cross country numbers are up

Fort Scott High School head cross country coach Tracey Bogina has seen a spike in the numbers on her team this season. After a few years of low numbers, there are 17 boys and girls out this year.

"That's pretty good numbers for cross country," Bogina said Wednesday afternoon. "With other good sports to choose from, I'm glad these kids chose ours."

One difference is that by the end of the season, Bogina hopes to be able to field full teams at the Southeast Kansas League Meet when it comes in October. The past couple of years, Tiger teams couldn't compete for the league team title because neither the boys or girls had the minimum number of runners needed to score points.

"Numbers are great with any sport," Bogina said. "I think we had 10 kids last year. We have a lot of new faces. It's about half returning kids and half new kids and that's a nice thing to have."

The season began this morning with the Labette County Invitational at Altamont. it begins early in the morning to beat the summer heat. Of course, this summer has been anything but hot.

"It's probably the first time every I've checked out sweats to go to Labette County," Bogina said. "I've told them to bring stocking caps. It could be wet there, too. Last year, it flooded over there."

Bogina's varsity runners for the first meet will be seniors Charlie Sercer and Logan Fancher and junior Keenan Gregory on the boys' side and junior Morgan Tourtillott and sophomore Jenna Harper for the girls.

The junior varsity boys' roster for the LCHS meet will be made up of senior exchange student Alex Ho, junior Colton Ballou, sophomores Kyle Altic and Robert Sellers and freshmen Austin Sather and Anthony Sercer. The JV girls will be juniors Katelyn Torres, Megan Midkiff and Leah Cassleman, sophomore Autumn Owenby and freshman Hannah Fredericksen. Sophomore Hannah Messer is the remaining member of the team but will not participate in today's meet.

"It's the same meet every year," Bogina says. "We're going to see the same people. The kids kinda know what to expect. It's pretty good competition with a lot of kids they know and have competed against. The main goal is for them to get out and run their race. Hopefully, some of this summer training will pay off for them this season."

Sellers will probably be the first JV runner to move up to varsity as Bogina says she wants him on JV for this meet until he gets some more experience.

"Our four top boys have been running pretty well," Bogina said. "They run together and seem to be comfortable where they're at.

"Morgan and Jenna will be the lone two right now on varsity. They're both running really well and we'll get the other girls up there midway through the season."

Fort Scott will host its annual invitational Sept. 10 on the grounds behind the Cigna building on South Horton St.