TERRE HAUTE
Even with all the pictures taken Saturday afternoon, members of the Center Grove boys cross country team never once had to be reminded to smile.
Occupying the stage a short jog from the LaVern Gibson Course, the Trojans, soaring somewhere above cloud nine after placing a school-best fourth at the state meet, were one big collective grin.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryIt capped off an eventful day for Johnson County athletes, one that started with the Franklin girls finishing 15th in the team standings despite their best runner losing a shoe 100 meters after the start, and included Whiteland senior Will Jefferson competing in the last cross country meet of his storied career.
All season, Center Grove boys coach Howard Harrell prepared his athletes to do whatever was necessary to improve on last season’s disappointing 14th-place effort here.
Jumping 10 spots in the standings got the job done.
“It was a surprise. I was thinking fifth or sixth. We didn’t run the best race, but we ran a solid race. The conditions out here weren’t the best,” said Harrell, referring to what was a windy afternoon. “But actually, we run better in adverse conditions.
“Everyone is really on top of the world right now. We had to go through last year to get to this.”
Sophomore Drew Costelow was the Trojans’ first runner to cross the line, his time of 16 minutes 18.8 seconds narrowly edging out classmate Griffin Hennessy (16:19.9). They placed 32nd and 33rd, respectively.
Yet another 10th-grader, Jarret Rockwell, was 58th for Center Grove, followed by senior Raef Sauer (64th), soph Parker Mimbela (77th), freshman Kyle Montgomery (97th) and senior Aidan Galt (111th).
Costelow, who wasn’t able to finish in his finals debut as a freshman, carried additional motivation into Saturday’s race.
“I had an asthma attack during the middle of the race last year and went out at about 3K,” Costelow said. “This year I just went in and gave it my all, and I think our team did as well. We believed in one thing, making the podium (as a top five team), and today we were on that podium.
“It … felt … amazing. For all of us to be up there together and share that, it was a huge goal going in. We have that one saying that pain is temporary, but pride is forever. Today, we can really show that pride. This program is going to continue to get better and better. Our hard work is paying off.”
The Grizzly Cub girls, making their inaugural state finals as a team, were led by freshman Lauren Klem, who ran virtually the entire course without a right shoe after another runner inadvertently stepped on her heel and rid Klem of half of her footwear.
Klem continued on, finished 27th individually in 19:05.8.
“Basically, it was the first 100 meters. I was in the front and I got flat-tired and it just pushed me back,” said Klem, who said she had never before experienced such an occurrence. “I just kept running because I didn’t know what to do. Just getting up the hills was harder, and I had to run on the rocks sometimes. It was just pretty rough on my foot.
“This motivates me a lot. I’m really ready for next season to be here and for track season.”
Franklin senior Lillian Lacy, who placed 45th, remembers running by a shoe early in the race. She wasn’t aware at the time it belonged to one of her teammates.
“I remember at the beginning of the race I saw a shoe, and I was, like, ‘Oh, no, somebody lost their shoe.’ I didn’t know it was Lauren,” Lacy said. “She’s a warrior. She’s a fighter. I’m not surprised that she fought it out and finished that high.”
Other finishers for the Cubs were senior Sydney Clements (130th), junior Jenna Newton (151st), freshman Sydney Woodward (178th) and soph Mallory Luse (184th).
“I did not have a very good race today,” Newton said. “We really worked on coming in with a purpose and composure this week, but yeah, it was a really hard race for me. I definitely think you can be too excited, but that wasn’t the case for us. We were focused.
“With COVID, it’s been remarkable to see how collective our team has been. We’ve followed protocols and been strong together. One thing that stands out to me is that, unlike years past, we actually started our season here at this course in a preview meet and finished here. We’ve had our eyes on this goal and the girls have not settled at all.”
Whiteland’s Jefferson, a three-time sectional champion who entered Saturday with visions of medaling himself as an individual, started fast but couldn’t keep pace with the front-runners. He wound up in 79th place in a time of 16:46.6, a drastic departure from the 15:23.5 he ran as runner-up finisher at last week’s Shelbyville Semistate.
“I just felt a little fatigued, and I might have gone out too fast,” Jefferson said. “I’m not really sure. I guess I wasn’t prepared for it and I suffered. The course got the best of me, but I’ve had a great four years and can’t be disappointed with the four years I’ve had.
“I haven’t had a good state performance, but you can’t ever be upset with what you’ve done in the past. I’m very pleased with the years and very thankful for the opportunity.”
