MEEKER | The Meeker High School cross country teams continued their season Friday at the Coal Ridge Invitational, highlighted by multiple personal records and a strong pack effort on the boys’ side. The Cowboys finished 10th overall with 263 team points.
Head coach Marty Casey said he was encouraged by the way the team competed against another large field of runners.
“The boys ran well. We saw some solid competition again this week, but the team performed well, specifically among the other 2A teams,” Casey said. “That group continues to impress. They push each other during practices, and work together in competitions.”
Sophomore Bradley Conrado led Meeker with a 19:36 finish, improving from his 20:17 effort a week ago at Eagle Valley. He credited the fast course and the support of his teammates.
“Going down from a 20:17 to a 19:36 was certainly a surprise,” Conrado said. “Ryan, Landon and I were in a group for most of the race, which I believe led to our fast times. Our home meet should be one of the fastest courses we run this year. We changed the course from Sanderson Hills Park to Ute Park, making it a very flat course, and I’m hoping to set an even faster personal record.”
Freshman Landon Damitz followed closely at 19:41, also benefiting from the pack racing approach. Sophomore Ryan Hanberg broke the 20-minute barrier for the first time, clocking 19:48.
“Brad, Landon and I ended up running in a pack about halfway through until the end of the race,” Hanberg said. “I realized that sticking together would lead all of us to a faster and stronger finish. As one of our top finishers, I feel like my role is to help keep everybody motivated and pushing for new PRs.”
Senior Cameron Hanberg provided consistency for the Cowboys, finishing in 20:36. Casey described him as “the steady hand of the team.”
Sophomore Ashton Tapia battled through injuries to finish in 23:34, while freshman Jackson Steele set a new personal record of 24:19.
“I feel great about that, and progression is the key to my goal,” Steele said. “The middle of the race felt great. I need to work on my start specifically.”
Senior Remy Broussard also corrected his official time, noting the staggered heats weren’t factored into results. He said his actual time was 29:05, and it came with one of the most memorable finishes of his career.
“I definitely ran the hardest I’ve ever run, especially in the last 200 meters,” Broussard said. “Funny enough, as I crossed the finish line, I tried to slow down and ended up sliding clean off my feet. Definitely a memorable finish.”
Broussard said he hopes to set another season best at Meeker’s home meet, which will also be his last of his high school career.
“I am sad and wish it could have lasted longer,” he said. “I’m definitely going to miss my fellow seniors as we move on to start the rest of our lives.”
On the girls’ side, senior Haylee Steele posted a corrected time of 26:33 after the same timing error from staggered heat starts. She said the hills were tough, but practice prepared her well.
“No matter the difficulty that comes, I can always strive for my best, and I learned a lot of that from running,” she said. “After my high school career, I can still run and learn new things every day.”
Casey said Steele is closing in on her career best and praised her leadership.
“Haylee has been putting in the work,” Casey said. “She should be able to beat her PR in the next couple of weeks.”
With four straight meets behind them, Casey said the Cowboys are eager to test themselves on their new home course at Ute Park.
“We are full of enthusiasm and great work ethics,” he said. “This year we will be on a new home course at Ute Park, which I can only hope works out as well as planned.”
Meeker will host its home meet Saturday at Ute Park, the final time its seniors will compete on home turf. The first race begins at 9 a.m.
Good luck to the Cowboys this weekend as they run on their home course looking to set more personal records.
