Kokomo Athletics

The Wildkats cross country team delivered a solid performance Saturday, finishing third overall at the Logansport Sectional and earning a team berth to the Brownsburg Regional. The Wildkats placed three runners in the top 20 — all earning All-Sectional honors — as they continued their postseason run. The Wildkats were led by senior Cooper Cage, who ran a good race to finish 3rd overall with a time of 16:33. Senior Preston Arreola also had a good performance, crossing the line in 9th place with a time of 17:26, while senior Ben Wallace claimed the final All-Sectional spot for Kokomo with a 20th-place finish and a time of 18:08. The course was tough and times overall were slower than normal, but the guys raced well enough to advance and that is what matters. Beyond those three the rest of our guys had solid days as well. Sophomores Reece Wright, Leo Serra, and Owen Downing made up our next three runners and had good placements to solidify our finish. Freshman Monte Bunn had a great day as our 7th man, as he set a new PR with a time of 20:03. With their sectional performance, the Kokomo boys now advance to the Brownsburg Regional, where they’ll face an even deeper and faster field. The experience gained from the sectional meet should give the Wildkats confidence heading into the next round, as we try to place well and compete to advance to the state meet. The team will focus on sharpening pacing and closing speed as they prepare for the regional meet. Our result reflected not just talent, but teamwork and steady progress throughout the season. It was not our best race of the season, but sometimes in cross-country it isn’t about the times but the placement. Our boys accomplished our goal Saturday and that was just to advance and get to the regional. Last year was a rough year for us at regional, so this year we wanted to make it back and have a better performance. The boys will race at 10:30am next Saturday at Brownsburg East Middle School, with a chance to compete for a berth in the state meet. The Kats will be ready to give it our best shot and see what we can do.