George Vargas capped off his cross country career at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn by running in the State Cross Country Meet. The Class 1A boys run was held Friday afternoon, October 27 on the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course at Fort Dodge.
Vargas finished 99th in the field of 153 runners. The senior turned in a time of 18:31.4 on a windy day with temperatures in the 30s. Winning the race was Woodbine’s Landon Bendgen with his clocking of 15:55.3. The boys’ team champion in Class 1A was Lake Mills with a 111 total.
“What a cold day it was for a state cross country meet,” commented HMS cross country coach Kirsten Taylor. “The atmosphere was unlike anything George had experienced in his career – the volume of the crowd, the amount of spectators present, and the highest level of competition.”
Taylor reviewed her athlete’s time on the course, saying, “George started his first two miles off the fastest he’s ever run, but couldn’t quite sustain that pace for the entire duration of the race. I know he wasn’t entirely satisfied with his time, but he did leave everything on the course as he always does. He went out and rose to the competition and never backed down. We end his career on a high note competing at the state meet and finishing in the top 100. I am proud of his career efforts and for leading this program for so long.”
The coach then took a broader look at the program. “We are hoping to get more athletes out to the state meet next year,” said Taylor. “We only graduate George on the boys’ side and return all of our (War Eagle) Conference champion team members. Our girls’ team is continuing to grow, but will miss the leadership from seniors Lexi (Croatt) and Jocelyn (Abonce). What a great season it was for the HMS cross country program.”