Buxton to state cross country

The boys were an underdog to qualify for State in a district that included the #1, #4 and #6 teams, but they competed well to take 4th place among the 29 schools represented Thursday, Oct. 18 in Marshalltown.

Garrett Buxton qualified individually for the second year in a row. 

“He continues to get healthier, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see him run much better at state,” said Bulldog Coach Ryan Kobliska. “A time of 17:15 was only 5 seconds off his personal best.

“Stephen Flynn’s 17:38 would be a strong enough effort to qualify most years, but our district was very deep in individual talent. His sophomore season will go down as one of the best in school history, and we’re very excited about his potential for the future.”

Senior Cole Bennett ran a personal record in his final race. His leadership and contributions paved the way for a successful team season, which included two meet victories.

Freshman Linden Seeger ran a personal best to finish as Ogden’s fourth scorer for the first time.

Girls

Kobliska felt the girls ran well overall to finish 13th. “Our average time of 24:41 was our best of the season, and dramatically better than our performances in August. Amber Braniff led the way with her best race of the year.”

Ogden will return its top 4 runners for both the boys and the girls next year. 

He is seeing strong numbers and talent at the junior high level on both sides, so sees a bright future for Ogden cross country.

For individual times/placings, see the Oct. 24 issue of The Ogden Reporter.