Demon runners looking forward to home meet

Before the season started, Washington cross-country head coach Stefanie Tschantz said one of her seniors had made big strides in the offseason.

Those strides have been on display in the 2016 season, as Maggie Voss has climbed the varsity ladder to become one of the top Demon runners.

?I ran a lot,? Voss said. ?I lifted and was eating healthy. I stuck to a good routine. The goal is to drop as much time as I can.?

With Voss routinely in the top of the Demon pack, the Washington girls? cross-country team has put together a strong season, putting them in contention for one of the top spots in the conference.

The added competitiveness adds more fun to the meets.

?It?s exciting,? Voss said. ?It?s fun to get everyone back after we are done running to watch and see what the scores will end up being (at each meet).?

The Demon girls? team has been routinely led by sophomore Claire Horak, who is in her first year with the Demon cross-country team, and has been posting top-10 finishes in nearly every meet this season.

?It?s been going pretty OK,? Horak said. ?I hope I can drop some more time. Toward the beginning of the season I was looking to hang around 20 minutes, but since I?ve been around there I?ve been looking to possibly go to state and try to break 20 minutes.?

In terms of the outlook for next month?s conference meet in Fairfield, the ranked Fort Madison girls? team will be the easy favorite, with the Demons hoping to be right up there.

?The Fort Madison girls are ranked, so they are tough, but it?s a three-way race for second place between us, Fairfield and Mt. Pleasant,? Tschantz said. ?That day, it?s anyone?s race.?

On the boys? side of the team, multiple strong runners have emerged, but there?s a deeper rivalry at the top.

Brothers Brennan and Evan Horak have been taking the top spots for the Demon boys? team this season, and with Brennan, a junior, being the older brother, he is motivated to make sure his freshman brother doesn?t catch him this year.

?I can?t let him catch me quite yet,? Brennan said. ?At least until I get out of here. I have to hold him off for one more year.?

Evan, who is in his first year of high school cross-country, said this year has been a little bit of a whirlwind and he didn?t expect to be running this well so early.

?Not at all,? Evan said. ?I was expecting to run, hopefully, 19:30s, and now I?m running 18:30s. I didn?t expect that at all. I ran just about every day in the summer and did a lot of workouts.?

The Demon boys will have a similar problem in the conference, with a highly touted Mt. Pleasant team the easy favorites to win the Southeast conference meet, but the next few spots are anyone?s to grab.

?On the boys? race, Mt. Pleasant is ranked and they are tough,? Tschantz said. ?I?m hoping we have several all-conference runners there on both sides. We have four solid guys and we are looking for that fifth body, but I?m impressed with how we look right now.?

The Demons? biggest meet of the regular season will come on Tuesday, when they host the Demon Invitational at the Washington Golf and Country Club.

Having a home meet, especially during homecoming week, will be a big boost for the Demons.

?It?s going to be great,? Brennan said. ?A lot of friends will be out there. It will push us harder. It?s so much fun because last year the whole football team came out and it helps us out.?

With the fans helping the team out, Claire Horak noted that the course will give them another advantage.

?Our home meet is a pretty great course, because there are a bunch of hills we get to practice,? she said. ?Since we?ve been doing more hills, it gives us an advantage over other teams.?

The home meet will start at 4:30 p.m. with the middle school race, which will be followed by the Demons honoring their seniors and then the varsity races.