Statesmen are studious at state meet
The Statesmen came in with some confidence after a strong showing in sectionals. But the hilly, Jefferson City course proved to be a tough nut to crack as the team finished 16th.
“We weren’t really sure if we would be here,” Webster Groves senior Mike Flynn said. “But we got in our miles and put in a lot of hard work.”
Running on the day for Webster was senior Lendal Miller (74th; 17 minutes and 58 seconds), junior Tom Chenault (87th; 18:07), Flynn (109th 18:26), senior Shane Garland (120th; 18:32), sophomore Brian Cole (146th; 19:05), junior Kyle Wiese (158th; 19:52), and freshman Sam Berg (160th; 19:57).
“A couple of guys struggled out there,” Webster Groves coach Dan Sebben said. “Some guys just leveled.”
The Statesmen were feeling good about themselves and there was plenty of reason to. Webster finished fourth the week before at sectional and just two points out of third place.
“That was a good race, compared today,” Flynn added.
Webster will look back more on its meet prior to state than the big dance itself.
“We had a good season. When you get up here you want to be competitive and try and beat someone,” Sebben said. “You could tell some schools struggled and some schools stepped it up.”
If the Statesemen are going to improve its place in the standings next season, getting ready for next year begins now.
“The teams that are consistently up here train year round,” Sebben said. “The kids commit to that get a chance of coming back.”
Flynn and the rest of the senior class leave the program in good shape with a better approach.
“I felt like we got the team together this year. A few of us took the lead and got some guys out running and getting to practice,” Flynn said. “Last year we had a ton of raw talent but we had guys who wouldn’t run hard in practice.”
