Hawk runners shooting for the sky

Last year, the Mid-Prairie girls? cross-country team made history. This year, the boys? and girls? teams plan to double down for the Golden Hawks.

With a high number of returning athletes, the Hawks plan to send both of their teams to the state meet this season.

The 2014 trip to state for the girls? side was the first for the program in school history, and led by sophomore Anna Hostetler, they return much of the team that got them there.

?We lost one to a transfer, but with the new ones we have, they?ll be pretty strong,? Mid-Prairie head coach Mark Hostetler said. ?Maddi (Zahradnek) is going to take a little bit, because she had surgery, but Greta Schmidt looks stronger, Hannah Van Roekel looks stronger and Anna is running faster at 5K than she was running 4K last year. Abby Tornow is probably our second runner right now, and I?d say she?s the most improved.?

Anna burst onto the scene in her freshman year, taking the lead in many of her races and finishing sixth in the state a year ago.

After going through one year of high school competition, she is feeling much more confident on the course, and that could be dangerous for other runners.

?(I learned) you just have to push yourself mentally and physically through the race,? Anna said. ?You just have to push yourself, and know God will be with you the whole way. You have to keep going, even if it hurts.?

With one year under her belt, Anna?s head coach said that he?s seeing a little different runner on the course.

?She won?t have the fear and the unknowns,? Mark Hostetler said. ?Now she has people she wants to beat that are seniors and has goals. Last year, it was just to be on the team and do well, now she has specific goals and is working harder.?

On the boys? side, it was heartbreak at the district meet that held the boys from qualifying for the state meet.

An injury and a disqualification kept the Golden Hawk boys from an almost certain state bid, and despite losing their top runner, Jared Draper, from a season ago, they are feeling good about their team.

?Mentally, I would say our team is in a lot better place than last year,? Mid-Prairie senior Ryan Errthum said. ?We all want to work hard, and by not qualifying last year, it makes our goal that much higher (in our minds) this year.?

When talking about his boys? team, the Golden Hawks head coach didn?t pull any punches about where he thinks their ability can take them.

?The team is quite a bit stronger,? Mark Hostetler said. ?I know last year, if they made it to state, they would have finished pretty high. This year, I think they are in the top five in the state, and I don?t normally say stuff like that. They are a strong team.?

Helping make this team strong is newcomer Luke Sigler, who is currently battling a sprained ankle, as well as a number of returning athletes, who are competing for the crucial varsity spots.

?It couldn?t be any better,? Hostetler said. ?There was more preparation and the guys returning all look really good. When Luke (Sigler) gets back, he?s going to be pushing Ryan and Andrew (Schwarz) quite a bit. If (Luke) wasn?t hurt, he?d be our top runner. Peyton Miller is a sophomore and looking really strong as well.?

For Errthum, the team?s top returner, he has his sights set high.

?I have two goals: Place at state as an individual and place at state as a team,? Errthum said. ?It would be great if we could accomplish both of those. We are pretty confident that we can place high at state. We just have to keep working hard.?

Mid-Prairie will open its season at Williamsburg on Sept. 1