MBA JS XC Fogs a Mirror

Choose your own adventure "novels" had far too short a run. The hosts of today's meet, BA and CPA, seem to agree. As the Big Red rolled into what we thought was the hallowed Vaughn's Creek course, we were struck dumb. There was no course!! No cones. No caution tape. No spray paint. No flags. Apparently, the runners would run wherever they wished and/or whatever felt like two miles to them. Intriguing. Because 7th and 8th graders naturally run around wherever they like, we were ready. "Bring it on!" said the Big Red. Somewhat sadly, the course markings did end up materializing moments before the race, but they were at least a bizarre array of colors, shapes, and sizes--one of the course markers even looked remarkably like Coach Russell. Having already committed to running an unusual race, the Big Red doubled down on their efforts. With confidence buoyed by getting to ride to the meet in a pickup truck, Sam Bess showed two 8th graders how to run. Ahmad Abuali wore his uniform backwards. Possibly inspired by state champion runner David Dean '99, a teammate of his father, Ethan Taber threw up before the race. Hudson Ewald ran the race in honor of his favorite bulldozer (may it rest in peace). As you might expect, the results of the scoring top seven turned out a bit different. Cason Wilbert, who knew that his fam was providing post-race refreshments, ran his way to a 12th place finish. Ethan's prerace planning paid off in an 8th place finish. In a classic Parent Trap move, the King twins switched finishing positions from last week to cross the line in 6th and 7th. Sebastian Muller and Tucker Robbins also flip flopped for positions 4 and 5. Wyatt Selph chose to give himself more of an adventure for the rest of the season by allowing a USN Tiger to cross the line first. Despite the extra intrigue and racing against more teams than last week, the Big Red still claimed 10 of the top 20 spots and a winning team score of 24.