October 27, 2022 |
Saratoga’s high school cross-country team dominated the state championships.
Bigfoot 99 sat down with coach Rex Hohnholt to talk about the historic weekend.
The Varsity Girls 5,000-meter cross-country team came in first place for the second year in a row. Beating Tongue River by 40 points, Saratoga girls occupied over half of the leaderboard. Coach Hohnholt said that has only happened a handful of times.
Marilee Williams took the top spot for Saratoga. As state runner up, this marks her 3rd consecutive all-state performance.
She was followed by Milan Scott, who placed 5th in the state. Scott was all-state last year as well.
Allison Bromley was just behind Scott, placing 6th overall and earning her first all-state honor.
After missing two weeks of practice following a horse accident, Madison Teichman, pulled through, achieving 8th overall, and her second all-state performance.
Freshman Madison Rodriguez’s 9th place finish earned her an all-state title, and her first state championship.
Rhiwan Williams secured a second all-state position with a 10th place finish. As team leader, Coach Hohnholt said she keeps her teammates honest.
Aspen Sewell ran one of her best races of the year. Her 13th place finish kept other school’s runners off the score board.
Despite being focused more on individual performance than other sports, Coach Rex Hohnholt said the girls worked as a real team.
Saratoga’s high school varsity boys 5,000-meter cross-country team came second in the state championships. Coach Hohnholt said they’ve come so close to the number one spot, but just haven’t been able to get there.
The Bartlett twins, Grant and Grady, finished 1st and 2nd for the 4th year in a row, earning 4 consecutive all-state honors. Saratoga high school cross-country Coach, Rex Hohnholt, said Grant Bartlett is the first male runner to ever win 4 state titles.
Since the 1970’s, only 3 girls have earned quadruple state titles, most recently with Sydney Thorvaldson from Rawlins. She won her 4th state championship last year and now runs for the University of Arkansas.
Coach Rex Hohnholt said the Bartlett twins have a strong will to win, making them tough opponents.
Saratoga’s 3rd place runner was Calvin Condict. He placed 15th overall.
Brayden Barkhurt stepped up to 4th on the team and 17th in the state.
Freshman Bennett Keel ran a great race. He earned a 21st place finish.
Tyler Greenberg was 52nd, and Douglas Anderson 56th in the state.
Even though his boys were disappointed they lost the championship by one point, Coach Hohnholt said he’s proud of how hard they worked.
The team is losing their two strongest runners, Grant and Grady Bartlett, when they graduate this school year. Coach Hohnholt hopes one of their teammates will step up to fill the void.
