Richards running vigorous course

The Richards High School boys cross country runners faced quite a test in their second meet. The boys competed in the Magnolia Run the Dog Pound Invitational 5,000-meter race, where junior Reece Wrobleski led the varsity Panthers by finishing in 23 minutes, 32.49 seconds. “We didn’t really have any personal bests,” Richards head coach Justin Bane said. “The course was pretty difficult. The boys ran extremely well on it.” The course was hilly and went through a forested area and even past a creek. It featured different types of surface, from grass to rocks to pine needles. “It was hard to go up those hills,” said freshman Liam Wilson, who placed five spots behind Wrobleski in 23:36.72. “It was good for us to push ourselves.” He said the Richards boys stayed in the middle of the pack. “I kept my pace with other people in front of me,” Wilson said. “At the very end we tried to get more in the lead.” Bane said the boys competed their best until the finish, with some sprinting the last 200 to 300 yards. “We had some kids at the end show a lot of great heart and hustle,” he said. “We caught multiple other kids. That’s very good.” Wilson said he is handling the longer distance, (3.1 miles) of the high school race better now. Last year, when he ran in junior high, the course was 2 miles. “Last year I walked (some),” he said. “This year I didn’t walk at all.” Noah Bay, Ryan Wrobleski and Fanin Fuller, respectively, finished right after Wilson, while Joseph Miller was farther back among the finishers.