The Logan County Cougars and Lady Cougars will be represented at the KHSAA State Championships in Lexington as Meredith Johnson, Thomas Lyne, and Levi Crossley fought their way through the wind and cold to qualify Saturday in Region 2, Class 3A cross country meet at Glendale.
Johnson is competing in her first year of cross country and will get the chance to compete against the best next weekend at the Horse Park in Lexington. She finished 7th (21:35.29) and got to experience cross country at its best in a very tough region. Back a few weeks ago on the same course Johnson recorded a time of 22:46.
Her teammates represented LCHS very well as they also competed in cross country for their first time. Jessie Hankins 39th (24:59.70), Addison Stewart 42nd (25:17.70), Kile Todd 43rd (25:30.36), and Tatum Beauchane 44th (26:02.53) all did great racing for a very young group.
“Our boys faced 4 of the top ten runners in the state and an uphill battle against a ton of talent in the second region,” says Coach Greg Howard.
The Cougars were led by Thomas Lyne as he finished 23rd (18:08.50) and set a personal record, as he qualified for the state championships. Levi Crossley also qualified for state 25th (18:23.52). He was followed by Gage Cousineau 28th (18:33.49), Tanner Morrow 36th(18:56.52), Cory Ford 43rd (20:14.50), Conner Dill 44th (20:23.37), and Luke Belcher 48th (23:47.93).
This is Crossley's third straight year for Crossley to qualify for state. As a sophomore, he was in the top ten in the region while helping Howard's Cougars win the regional title. He made it last year as a junior as an individual.
‘When I look at where these young runners started, I am pleased to see their progress,’ Howard notes. “We will be losing two seniors in Cory Ford and Levi Crossley. To say these guys will be missed is an understatement! The Cougar Legacy will be intact as the reigns will be handed over to Meredith Johnson (9), Addison Stewart (11), Jessie Hankins (9), Kile Todd (8), and Tatum Beauchane (7). On the boys side youth is also present; Thomas Lyne (10), Gage Cousineau (9), Tanner Morrow (8), Conner Dill (9), Luke Belcher (10), Price Violette (6).
“These young men and women have represented courage and dedication with class. LCHS and Logan County can be proud of these people and the way they carried themselves as they traveled to various cities and competed. I hope that we can attract many more student athletes to help compete for another regional championship soon! Good luck to our runners at state!”
Coach Howard is assisted by former LCHS runner Joe Dan Laster.