Saturday the boys cross country team took second place at the WIAA state meet in Wisconsin Rapids.

Senior Connor Hawley, who placed sixth overall, enjoyed a special moment on the podium as one of the top ten runners in the state.

The girls team finished fifth overall and was paced by junior Lauren Conway.

Member of the boys team who raced at state along with Hawley are Isaac Nowak, Joseph Stumpf, Jackson Fogarty, Bryce Hawley, Braeden Tilot and Beckett Chambers.

“Our biggest competition at state was definitely Shorewood. This team is almost a mirror image of our team. Besides the number one runner, we were definitely their equal or better than them on every other day. They were great competition, and we look forward to racing (and beating) them next year at state,” said junior Isaac Nowak.

But not everyone will be able to compete at state next year, including Hawley.

“My biggest challenge this year was making sure I was the captain that Coach Gard wanted me to be. Being the senior captain required a lot of focus with the team. At the end of the state race, Coach Gard told me I lead these boys for success. He told me he was very proud of me for what I did for the team and the program this year,”  Hawley said. 

Alternates on the state boys team were Fed Auricchio, Ethan Crane, Andrew Kanning and Ethan Hejny.