Sercer, Harper qualify to State meet for FSHS

EL DORADO -- Fort Scott High senior Catherine Sercer and sophomore Kaylie Harper both qualified for the Class 4A State Cross Country Championship at Wamego this coming Saturday as a result of her eighth-place finish in the El Dorado Class 4A Regional Meet at El Dorado State Lake here Saturday.

Sercer ran the four-kilometer course in 17 minutes, 9.68 seconds as she qualified for State for the first time. Harper finished 10th in 17:23.93 and advances in her first year as a varsity runner.

Laura Nightengale of El Dorado outpaced the field by finishing in 15: 36.03. Courtney Taylor of Augusta was second in 16:31.42 while Southeast Kansas League champion Alicia Whitehurst was third in 16:46.93.

Daisy Jones placed 35th in 18:48, Sarah Gray 49th in 19:26 and Erica Davis 71st in 21:57.

The Tigers finished fifth as a team with 147 points. El Dorado won the meet with 62 points. Independence was second with 97 and Towanda-Circle was third with 106. Each of those teams qualified all their members to State.

Sophomore Charlie Sercer was the only male competing for Fort Scott. He finished in 58th place in the boys’ five-kilometer race in 20:59.92.

Tom O’Connell of Andover won the race in 17:30.01 with Andrew Wagner of El Dorado second in 17:39.35 and SEK champ Phillip Banowetz was third in 17:48.54.

Team qualifiers from the boys’ side were El Dorado with 54 points, Augusta with 102 and Circle with 104.

The Class 4A State Championships will be held at Wamego Country Club. The girls’ race will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday morning.