Rangeview's Luke Sundberg ran away for the victory Thursday.
Fifty boys toed the starting line, and fifty sets of eyes the bright green field in front of them. Each with their own level of anxiousness as they were about to start the first race of the season.
Summer's over, and on the first day of school, it's time for a test on what you learned over the break...
When the gun shot out into the open sky, no one was to eager to take the pace. It was sunny, and hot, and open.
A massive pack that strung out without any noticeable gaps early on, led by the navy blue singlets of
Overland. Among the pack, however, was Luke Sundberg, who hung behind the leaders as he bid his time.
The pack reached the first mile right around 5:30, and the head began to take its toll. The once tight group began to fizzle and through the second mile they were down to a dozen, with Smoky Hill's bright red singlets now shining brightly.
Sundberg appeared eager to pounce now, as he ran side-by-side with the leaders, rather than behind. He cruised effortlessly over the freshly cut grass as the heat and the pace began to take its victims.
With nearly a mile to go, the race was on. Sundberg dropped the hammer and the once-massive pack exploded. It was every man for himself now. He pressed the pace and ran on with no shadows as no one could keep stride with the Rangeview junior.
"Around two miles I decided I needed to surge," Sundberg explained. "I wanted to put the hammer down."
Behind him a sea of red lined the course, led by Dalton Seymour. Smoky Hill packed their top three into the top five, but they weren't in the clear just yet - Overland was running 7-8-9.
Flying far and ahead, Sundberg was blazing through the last mile. It was only in the final straightaway that the hot pace he was running seemed to begin taking its toll.
"Down the final stretch I was throwing up in my mouth a little bit," Sundberg joked.
Sundberg crossed the finish line with a big smile in 16:38. He had run his final mile in a jaw-dropping 4:58. 17 seconds behind him Seymour crossed while the clock shed bright red numerals of 16:55. He was the only other runner to break 17 on this hot day.
Grandview's Jake Sheykhet and Smoky Hill's Jayson Peranni made it a sprint for the line to finish 3-4, both at 17:05.
Smoky Hill went on to finish 2-4-5-10-17 to take the team title with 38 points. Overland finished second with 57 points, while Cherokee Trail finished third with 71.
Next Page: Mercer, and Cherokee Trail repeat