Two days prior to the NSAA State Cross Country Championships, junior Colby Grefe pounded pavement on West Dodge Street between Arlington High School and the Eagles' football field.
Though he was the only AHS runner to qualify for Friday's meet at Kearney Country Club, Grefe's teammates followed him down the street, practicing themselves.
“It just showed how my team really cares, and they wanted me to do my best,” the runner said after finishing 72nd in 18:32.8 at the state meet. “They helped me do my best.”
The 5-kilometer, Class C boys race was contested in cold temperatures Friday afternoon. The Milford boys earned the state championship, while Sidney was second and Fort Calhoun took third.
“It was very cold, but I just tried not to use that as an excuse and just still ran hard,” Grefe said. “I tried to run my best.”
While back-to-back state champion Carson Noecker of Hartington earned first in 15:22.1, the Eagle was 72nd out of 118 state runners. Though 71 runners finished ahead of him, 46 were behind.
“It was a cool experience for the first time being here,” Grefe said. “There's a lot of people here, but it was fun.”
The junior was the first AHS boy not named Noah Kubat — his former teammate — to qualify for the state meet as an individual since Luke Walkenhorst did in 2013. Before that, Zach Kaup earned his own state trip in 2008.
The Eagles have also had boys team qualifications in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2017, according to the school record books.
In the future, coach Michaela Curran's cross-country team hopes for more success — and a return trip to the Kearney Country Club for the state meet.
“Obviously that's the goal,” Grefe said. “Get right back here next year.”
